SABC Boss Under Probe For Taking A ‘Wife As Gift’

Angered by allegations that the acting chief operations officer of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Hlaudi Motsoeneng was given a wife as a gift, South African women’s groups have protested against the act culminating in an investigation into the allegations, an official said Friday.
“We have received plenty of complaints on the matter,” the government’s Commission for Gender Equality spokesman Javu Baloyi told AFP.
In response, the commission had launched “a serious and intense investigation,” he said.
Motsoeneng was allegedly given a young woman — along with a cow and a calf — by a lobby group of traditional leaders.
A Soweto-based newspaper reported last week that about 10 women were lined up in Thohoyandou, Limpopo province, by traditional Venda chiefs seeking greater exposure of their culture, and Motsoeneng was invited to choose one.
The 22-year-old woman chosen by Motsoeneng, a human resources management student, Vanessa Mutswari — was pictured in the newspaper bare-breasted next to him, standing behind a trailer on which the cow and calf had been loaded.
“The use of women as gifts as if they were livestock is a serious regress and an insult to the gains of 20 years of democracy and freedom, particularly the contribution of women,” women’s ministry spokeswoman Kenosi Machepa said.
Gender commission spokesman Baloyi said the investigation into the complaints was expected to be completed within a couple of weeks.
Motsoeneng has not responded publicly to the allegations nor the investigation.