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DA to oppose renaming of QwaQwa stadium

Johannesburg - The DA on Friday said it will oppose the renaming of a stadium in QwaQwa, Free State, after SABC chief operations officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

"The decision... is an insult to the people of QwaQwa. This is not the kind of person we should be honouring," Democratic Alliance MP Patricia Kopane said in a statement.

"We should honour those people that can be examples for young people."

Kopane said she would write to the province's arts and culture MEC to propose that Bluegumbosch Stadium be renamed after Dr KPD Maphalla, a renowned Sotho writer.

"Dr Maphalla was born and raised very close to where the stadium is located in Bluegumbosch. He has contributed immensely to the Sotho language and culture and is well loved in this community," she said.

The New Age on Friday reported that the stadium would be renamed after Motsoeneng following consultation with residents.

"It was decided unopposed by the community that the facility be named after Motsoeneng because the people felt he had done a lot of good things in QwaQwa," provincial arts and culture department secretariat head Jeff Mphomela was quoted as saying.

"The name change is in its final stage and we can expect to see a big board with Motsoeneng's name on it any time from now."

In February, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela released a report on Motsoeneng, while he was acting COO of the broadcaster.

She found his salary increased from R1.5m to R2.4m in one year, that he had purged senior staff, and misrepresented his qualifications - that he had passed matric - to the SABC.

At the time, Madonsela recommended that a new COO be appointed to the SABC within 90 days.

Communications Minister Faith Muthambi announced Motsoeneng's permanent appointment earlier this month, saying he was cleared of all wrongdoing by a legal firm.

The DA has launched a high court attempt to have his appointment set aside. Muthambi has filed papers opposing the application.

In June, Motsoeneng made headlines for reportedly being offered a wife and a cow as a gift by Venda traditional leaders, which they later denied.

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