SABC Ex-Executives Ordered to Pay Back R11.5 Million to SIU in Motsoeneng Case

• Three former SABC executives have been ordered to repay R11.5 million to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU)
• The funds relate to unlawful payments made almost ten years ago to the broadcaster’s former chief operating officer, Hlaudi Motsoeneng
• The judgment, delivered last week, came after the executives did not challenge the SIU’s application

The Johannesburg High Court has ruled in favour of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), ordering three former SABC executives to return R11.5 million in unlawful payments made to former chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng nearly a decade ago.

Unlawful payments

The ruling, handed down last week, followed the executives’ failure to contest the SIU’s application. In September 2016, former SABC executives Mbulaheni Obert Maguvhe, Ndivhoniswani Aaron Tshidzumba and Maleshane Audrey Raphela authorised “success payments” to Hlaudi Motsoeneng, claiming he had helped secure over R1 billion in funding for the broadcaster.

The payments were later ruled unlawful. The SIU sought recovery through the courts. Motsoeneng initially appealed to the Supreme Court of Appeal, which dismissed his case, leaving him with a debt of about R18 million, including interest. He pursued further legal challenges, but on 18 September 2024, the Constitutional Court declined to hear his appeal, bringing the matter to a close.

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The SIU had already recovered R6.47 million from Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s pension, but the amount fell short of the total debt. The unit then sought the balance from three former SABC executives.

On Monday, 22 September 2025, Judge Allyson Crutchfield ruled that Mbulaheni Obert Maguvhe, Ndivhoniswani Aaron Tshidzumba and Maleshane Audrey Raphela are jointly and severally liable for just over R11.5 million. This means the SIU can recover the full amount from any one of them.

Repaying more than R11.5 million

The court order stated that interest on the outstanding amount will be calculated from the time of delay, dating back to when the summons was first served. Along with repaying more than R11.5 million, the three defendants were directed to cover the SIU’s legal costs, including counsel fees, on a joint and several basis.

The default judgment came after the former executives failed to file opposing papers or appear in court. The ruling marks a significant victory for the SIU in its broader campaign to recover losses to the public purse and hold those implicated in corruption accountable.

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The order gives the SIU authority to move quickly in enforcing repayment, including the possibility of seizing assets.

3 More stories about Hlaudi Motsoeneng

• Briefly News previously reported that the Constitutional Court ordered former South African Broadcasting Corporation COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng to return the R18 million he received from the broadcaster.
• The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) welcomed the Supreme Court of Appeal’s (SCA) ruling on Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s appeal bid.
• Hlaudi Motsoeneng has urged South Africans to vote for his party, the ACM, in the upcoming General Election 2024, promising to make the country prosperous. Despite his political ambitions, Motsoeneng is overshadowed by ongoing legal battles over an R11.5 million bonus received during his SABC tenure.

Source: Briefly News