
Subscribe & Follow
Advertise your job vacancies
Jobs
- Graphic Designer/E-Commerce retail design Johannesburg
- Debtors Controller Johannesburg
- Senior Public Relations Account Manager Cape Town
- Head of Legal Johannesburg
- Digital Media Sales Strategist - Media Sales House Johannesburg
- Digital Sales Account Manager - Media Sales House Johannesburg
- Experienced Model Booker (Agent) Cape Town
- Production Resources Manager Randburg
- Creative Video Editor Randburg
- Creative Content Producer Randburg
SABC executives suspended over undisclosed profit-share deal with Discover Digital
Following their failure to disclose a 7.5% profit-share deal with Discover Digital, the SABC’s COO Ian Plaatjes and head of video entertainment Merlin Naicker have both been suspended.

Source: © Daily Investor Daily Investor 3 SABC executives have been suspending following their failure to disclose a 7.5% profit-share deal with Discover Digital
SABC's ad sales boss Peginald Nxumalo resigned when he heard about his impending suspension, according to TV with Thinus while a report in The Citizen says he was suspended.
TV with Thinus reports that “in an internal memo on 7 February the SABC told staffers that COO Ian Plaatjes and head of video entertainment Merlin Naicker have been suspended this week in news first reported by City Press on Sunday.’’
Discover Digital runs the broadcaster's SABC+ video streaming service and the broadcaster has an R35 million contract with it, renewable for five years, to run SABC+ as its over-the-top (OTT) video streaming service.
The SABC is projected to initially make between R100 and R200 million with SABC+.
Legal advice
The three are reported to allegedly have concealed the additional 7.5% profit-share agreement from the SABC executive committee in the deal that the SABC agreed to with Discovery Digital for SABC+.
Their suspensions came after legal advice from the Werkmans law firm, which follows the SABC’s internal audit, and found the three deliberately concealed the crucial information of the profit-sharing agreement.
It found a prima facie case for gross dishonesty by Ian Plaatjes, Merli Naicker and Reggie Nxumalo in the SABC+ deal with Discover Digital.
Lungile Binza is now acting SABC COO and Lala Tuku, SABC head of local content, is now acting head of video entertainment. The SABC failed to make any public announcement about the high-level suspensions to the public.
Related
Ongeziwe "Oz" Lupuwana joins SABC as head of integrated marketing 28 Mar 2025 Television access at risk for millions of South Africans as analogue switch-off date is contested 19 Mar 2025 #OrchidsandOnions: Shoprite’s 'Rand-a-Rama' ad taps into 90s nostalgia 17 Mar 2025 The TV licence is dead! Long live the streaming levy - or not? 17 Mar 2025 BBC News takes full responsibility for Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone shortcomings 3 Mar 2025 BBC's new model to fight misinformation and serve regional audiences 27 Feb 2025
