This comes two years after Btv tried unsuccessfully to remove him from the station and get him transferred to the Department of Women's Affairs as chief gender officer.The Monitor can reveal that Jannie, head of News and Current Affairs at Btv, was on Wednesday last week escorted out of the Btv premises after Obonye, the Director of Broadcasting Servicers, slapped Jannie with a suspension letter in the presence of the Btv general manager Mogothwane.The Monitor understands that the suspension letter that was delivered by Obonye, was authored by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Sarah George, but it did not state the reasons for the suspension.
Yesterday when The Monitor contacted Btv director Obonye about the suspension of his veteran broadcaster, Obonye said he was out of town and knew nothing about the said suspension. He said as such he could not comment.Yesterday Jannie confirmed he has been suspended but said as a public officer he cannot comment further, referring The Monitor to his superiors.Jannie was first suspended from Btv and deployed to be the chief gender officer at the Department of Women's Affairs along with chief technician Vusi Ziga who was sent to the Ministry of Sports, but the duo took the matter to the high court where they revealed in the affidavit how the then director, Mogomotsi Kaboeamodimo and the Minister of Presidential Affairs at the time, Lesego Motsumi interfered with the editorial independence of Btv.
