Tuesday, September 9, 2014

BREAKING. SABC chairperson Ellen Zandile Tshabalala fails to provide proof of her qualifications, certificates; now investigated by parliament.


SABC chairperson Ellen Zandile Tshabalala who lied about her tertiary qualifications - just like the SABC's controversial and famously matricless chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng - has failed to provide any proof of her qualifications and certificates and parliament is now going to investigate her.

Ellen Zandile Tshabalala will most likely be suspended as SABC chairperson - the next SABC chairperson in a revolving door of gonners over the past half a decade - once the investigation into her (non-existent) qualifications starts.

Ellen Zandile Tshabalala who is now mired in problems regarding her own qualifications or absence of it, has been a staunch defender of Hlaudi Motsoeneng and his lack of qualifications.

Ellen Zandile Tshabalala was appointed as permanent SABC chairperson in September 2013 after having served six months prior to that as the acting SABC chairperson when the SABC board imploded.

In February South Africa's Public Protector in a scathing report said that Hlaudi Motsoeneng who in a recorded interview admitted that the lied about having a matric certificate and made up symbols for a matric certificate he knew he couldn't produce "should never have been appointed at the SABC".

In July the City Press newspaper in its front page story and Rapport revealed that Ellen Zandile Tshabalala's claimed qualifications are fake.

Ellen Zandile Tshabalala falsified claims before parliament in her CV that she had a M.Com degree from the University of South African (Unisa) and a postgraduate diploma in labour relations.

Unisa said that Ellen Zandile Tshabalala had neither of these qualifications and denied that she holds these qualifications.

"According to our records, no qualification was awarded to the mentioned individual," Unisa told the newspapers.

It means that Ellen Zandile Tshabalala lied to South Africa's parliament since these qualifications are what she indicated to parliament she had and which formed part of the basis why she was appointed to serve on the SABC board.

It's not clear why parliament's portfolio committee on communications didn't check and verify Ellen Zandile Tshabalala's claimed qualifications when she applied for the position and why parliament's portfolio committee failed to vet the details of her CV.

It's also not clear whether it's only Ellen Zandile Tshabalala's CV which parliament clearly failed to verify at the time, or if none of the prospective SABC board members' CV's are ever checked for accuracy and vetted against stated qualifications and prior experience.

Parliament's portfolio committee on communications gave Ellen Zandile Tshabalala initially until 11 August to provide proof of her qualifications and certificates which she claimed to hold when she applied for the position of SABC chairperson.

She then said she couldn't do it by that date and parliament gave her an extension until 26 August. Ellen Zandile Tshabalala again failed to provide the necessary proof of her qualifications and certificates to parliament.

Today, 9 September, Ellen Zandile Tshabala informed parliament's portfolio committee on communications, the oversight body of the SABC, that she is still trying to locate her certificates.

Parliament's portfolio committee on communications will now invoke Section 15 of the Broadcasting Act and constitute an inquiry into whether Ellen Zandile Tshabalala lied or has the qualifications which she claimed. if she doesn't she will be removed as SABC chairperson.

"There is strong prima facie evidence that Ellen Zandile Tshabalala lied to parliament about her qualifications during the application process," says the Democratic Alliance political party in a statement today.

"In the CV submitted t o parliament, Ellen Zandile Tshabalala claimed to have a B.Com and diploma in labour relations from Unisa. A letter from Unisa's legal department indicates that Ellen Zandile Tshabalala has neither a degree nor diploma from Unisa," says the DA.

"The chairperson of the SABC board, as the custodian of public broadcasting in South Africa, needs to be held to the highest standards of ethics and accountability".