Former South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng has been fired following a recommendation by the chairperson of a disciplinary panel, SABC interim board chairperson Khanyisile Kweyama announced on Monday.

Kweyama said Motsoeneng had been informed about the outcome of the disciplinary hearing.

“The recommendations by the chair of the hearing that he be dismissed has been accepted by the board. He was found guilty of misconduct and breaking the conditions of his contract,” Kweyama told reporters at the SABC headquarters in Auckland Park, Johannesburg.

Earlier, Motsoeneng’s legal representative, Zola Majavu, said neither he nor his client had received the hearing outcome. News of his dismissal was being reported by various media houses since Monday morning.

The beleaguered Motsoeneng faced charges relating to an unauthorised media briefing he held two months ago in which he criticised the SABC interim board and praised himself on the good work he said he did while at the public broadcaster.

Motsoeneng’s fight with the SABC was dealt a further blow two weeks ago when his attempt to stop the disciplinary proceedings against him was thrown out by the Labour Court.

Various courts had previously found Motsoeneng’s appointment as COO to be unlawful.

A ruling by the Western Cape High Court in December last year found that he was unfit to hold any office until such time a fresh disciplinary hearing cleared him of any wrongdoing, or if a court set aside the Public Protector’s report which implicated him in lying about his academic qualifications, purging staff, and giving himself generous salary increases.

These allegations would form the basis of another disciplinary process against him.

The SABC rescinded its decision to take the Public Protector’s report on review, paving the way for a disciplinary process against Motsoeneng. The damning report painted a bleak picture of maladministration and financial mismanagement at the public broadcaster, and how Motsoeneng misrepresented his qualifications and further increased his own salary exorbitantly.

Motsoeneng was on suspension at the time of the disciplinary hearing.

Kweyama said should Motsoeneng opt to appeal, his appeal cannot be based on his contract as he has been found to have violated his own SABC contract at the hearing.