Motsoeneng took me to Gupta compound, says former SABC CEO
The commission of inquiry into state capture has heard that former SABC Chief Operating Officer (COO), Hlaudi Motsoeneng allegedly took the public broadcaster’s former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lulama Mokhobo to meet the Guptas at their Saxonwold home.
Mokhobo appeared before the commission on Wednesday.
She said the visit to the Saxonwold was unplanned and happened shortly after she was appointed as CEO in 2012.
"He just came to my office and said we have to go somewhere, I kept asking where we were going and he said I would find out soon."
Mokhobo says at the time she had no reason to be suspicious of Motsoeneng.
She says when they arrived, everyone's phones were taken and the batteries removed.
"There was Ajay Gupta, Atul Gupta, Duduzane Zuma, and Mr. Ace Magashule's son, I cannot remember his name. We sat at a table, there was a bit of food and they congratulated me and promptly told me they would have loved to play a role in the SABC's Digital Terrestrial Television, because they were interested in creating a news channel and they would hope that I would allow them to get access to a channel."
She says she said to them she does not think it would be easy to just give people a channel, a tender process would have to be opened up for everyone to bid.
Mokhobo says she believes the intention was to lobby her and gain her support.