The SABC and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) are demanding of former executive at the broadcaster, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, and other ex-colleagues who they said paid R2.5 million to over 100 musicians.
Motsoeneng had said that the payments were to show “gratitude” to some of the country’s musical legends.
But the SIU believes otherwise, saying that these were irregular.
Former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng and other ex-executives faced the SIU’s Special Tribunal on Monday, defending themselves.
The unit said that the money was paid irregularly because it was not budgeted for and that there was no clear policy.
“The first respondent says ‘look, the decision I took was in line with Section 2 of what the Broadcasting Act says’, which is in line with promoting cultural issues and all that, but we say that is wrong because that clause says the SABC must come up with a policy,” said Advocate Jabu Motepe, who represented the SIU and SABC.
But Motsoeneng’s lawyer, Nikiwe Nyathi, said that the payments were supported by the broadcaster’s board at the time.
“He just said that the board was informed and endorsed the value of the once-off recognition project,” Nyathi said.
Other former executives said that the debt was already prescribed in terms of the law.