The acting chief operations officer of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Hlaudi Motsoeneng is under probe for allegedly accepting a 22-year-old lady who was given to him as a gift.
According to local media, Motsoeneng was given the young woman, along with a cow and a calf, by a lobby group of traditional leaders in Thohoyandou, in Limpopo province.
The group are alleged to be seeking greater exposure of their culture.
It was gathered that a newspaper based in Soweto had reported last week that about 10 half-naked women were lined up and Motsoeneng was asked to pick one.
Sources stated that the media boss picked a human resources management student named Vanessa Mutswari.
Vanessa is pictured above bare-breasted next to Motsoeneng, standing behind a trailer on which the other gifts, a cow and a calf had been loaded.
Reports informed that she's so happy to be given out as a gift.
When the photos of the event were published, the SABC boss came under attack with people describing the offer of a "wife" as "barbaric".
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| Hlaudi Motsoeneng. |
"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.
"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.
As at the time of compiling this report, Motsoeneng has not responded publicly to the investigation.
