Former SABC COO Chris Maroleng has filed a R24-million defamation lawsuit against the SABC and further demands that the public broadcaster’s board members be declared delinquent directors.
Maroleng issued the summons against the public broadcaster on Friday at the Joburg High Court, claiming that his former employer defamed him by calling him dishonest and a liar after he filed a court application to challenge his unfair dismissal from his position.
The former broadcaster turned executive had demanded that the SABC pay him R14-million for firing him, indicating that his dismissal breached his contract of employment, as he was not given an opportunity to appeal the sanction meted out against him.
In his summons, Maroleng said the SABC had issued a media statement on March 10 2020 in which it said “an employer cannot be expected to keep a dishonest employee in their employ”.
The SABC statement was referring to Maroleng’s charges, indicating that the former COO was fired after he was found guilty of three charges by an independent chairperson, among them the alleged breach of fiduciary duties and negligence.
In his papers, Maroleng said the statements were highly defamatory and were understood to mean that he was dishonest and therefore not worthy of being an employee, not only for the SABC, but at any future or prospective employer.
Maroleng said the SABC statement wrongfully, maliciously and unlawfully portrayed him as someone who was no longer trustworthy, was uncouth and scandalous, and was dishonest and peddled lies. He said the same statement was also understood to mean that he lacked leadership.
“The said allegations were made with an intention to defame the plaintiff and injure his dignity and reputation,” the summons states.
In his papers, Maroleng said he suffered damages in the sum of R12-million, as the allegations against him were published by the SABC on its intranet and on its social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. The second claim, according to the papers, related to R12-million for constitutional damages which Maroleng states he suffered as a result of the SABC statement.
Maroleng has also asked the court to issue an order declaring all SABC board members as delinquent directors, stating that they failed in their duties to ensure that SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe and board chairperson Bong umusa Makhathini did not abuse their positions to pursue an illegitimate agenda against him.
Maroleng’s lawyer, advocate Macgregor Kufa , confirmed a summons had been issued against the SABC but declined to comment further.
SABC spokesperson Mmoni Seapolelo said that the public broadcaster had not received any court papers relating to the matter and therefore could not comment.
