Parliament\u2019s communications portfolio committee on Wednesday unanimously resolved to call for SABC chairwoman Ellen Tshabalala\u2019s removal from office.<\/p>\n
An inquiry by the committee into whether Tshabalala lied about her academic qualifications found her guilty on two charges of misconduct.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe recommend the removal of Ms Tshabalala\u2026 from the SABC board as the chairperson and as a board member,\u201d committee chairwoman Joyce Moloi-Moropa said.<\/p>\n
Tshabalala had 14 working days to respond to a report containing the committee\u2019s findings and recommendations. The report and Tshabalala\u2019s comments would be sent to the National Assembly for approval.<\/p>\n
The House would be able to adopt the report only after Parliament re-opened in February. If the Assembly adopted the committee\u2019s recommendations it would be sent to President Jacob Zuma. Only Zuma, the appointing authority, could fire her.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, MPs would ask the Speaker to write to Zuma to immediately suspend Tshabalala.<\/p>\n
The committee reached its findings after a University of SA (Unisa) official told the inquiry that its records show that although Tshabalala registered for both a BComm degree and a labour relations diploma, she failed to obtain either qualification.<\/p>\n
Unisa executive director for legal services Jan van Wyk testified that Tshabalala registered for her BComm degree in both 1988 and 1996, but did not complete her studies.<\/p>\n
According to the Unisa files, she registered for a diploma in labour relations in 1995. During the academic year, she passed two, failed two, and did not write two of the modules.<\/p>\n
In January 1996, she was allowed to rewrite the two she could not write the previous year.<\/p>\n
She got 13 percent for her human resources module, and 35 percent for labour relations. Unisa then wrote to Tshabalala informing her she would not qualify to redo the course.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat it [the letter] says is when this [the results] came out you [Tshabalala] did so poorly you will not be allowed to be readmitted again,\u201d Van Wyk said.<\/p>\n
Tshabalala was accused of two charges of misconduct.<\/p>\n
The one charge relates to her stating on her CV that she obtained the two qualifications when she applied for the job as SABC chairwoman.<\/p>\n
The other charge relates to an affidavit she submitted to Parliament stating her qualifications had been stolen during a burglary at her home.<\/p>\n
Tshabalala was not present at Wednesday\u2019s inquiry.<\/p>\n
A plea of not guilty was entered on her behalf after the committee denied a request by Tshabalala\u2019s attorney for a postponement.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Michael Tillney, for Tshabalala, read out an affidavit from his client in which she cites \u201cprocedural unfairness\u201d as a reason for not being at the inquiry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are allegations of procedural unfairness in the convening of this meeting today [Wednesday] and also there\u2019s the application for leave to appeal,\u201d said Tillney.<\/p>\n
Tshabalala had filed notice of leave to appeal a Western Cape High Court order refusing her bid to halt the parliamentary inquiry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe effect of this should be to postpone the hearing of the inquiry pending the outcome of the appeal,\u201d Tshabalala said in her affidavit.<\/p>\n
Tshabalala wanted time to produce forensic evidence in her defence.<\/p>\n
An irate Moloi-Moropa indicated MPs had already \u201cbended over backwards\u201d to accommodate Tshabalala, and would not delay the inquiry any further.<\/p>\n
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