The controversial and lying SABC chairperson Ellen Zandile Tshabalala who today was a total no-show at the parliamentary inquiry into her lack of claimed qualifications about which she blatantly lied on her CV was found guilty of misrepresenting herself before parliament as well as of perjury.
Parliament's portfolio committee on communications - after several attempts by Ellen Zandile Tshabala to stall the process including getting a court interdict which was overturned - finally heard what a total failure the SABC's chairperson was in her studies at Unisa and how she had failed her courses. Badly.
In a unanimous decision, parliament's portfolio committee on communications found Ellen Zandile Tshabalala guilty of misconduct for lying to parliament about her qualifications.
The committee will now, for a second time, ask the speaker of parliament in a memorandum to have Ellen Zandile Tshabalala removed as SABC chairperson.
Ellen Zandile Tshabala claimed to have had tertiary degrees: a B.Comm from Unisa as well as a diploma in labour relations when she was appointed as the new SABC chairperson at the end of last year.
In fact the lying Ellen Zandile Tshabala had neither.
Today in parliament Ellen Zandile Tshabalala was a total no-show, refusing to show up for the parliamentary inquiry into her bogus qualifications which she had stalled for 5 months already.
Ellen Zandile Tshabalala's legal representative, Michael Tillney, said Ellen Zandile Tshabalala would not be at the parliamentary inquiry because she claims "procedural unfairness".
Joyce Moloi-Moropa, the chairperson of parliament's portfolio committee on communications said the committee had already "bent over backwards" for Ellen Zandile Tshabalala and her multiple, ongoing requests for postponements.
"We recommend the removal of Ellen Zandile Tshabalala from the SABC board as the chairperson and as a board member," Joyce Moloi-Moropa said.
Parliament on Wednesday heard what a total academic failure Ellen Zandile Tshabalala was.
Jan van Wyk, Unisa's executive director for legal services, could finally speak after having flown to Cape Town multiple times the past months only for the inquiry to be adjourned and postponed.
Jan van Wyk revealed to parliament that Ellen Zandile Tshabalala failed two modules during her academic year, and did not write two.
Ellen Zandile Tshabalala scored only 13% for her human resources module and only 35% for her module in labour relations.
Unisa wrote to Ellen Zandile Tshabalala telling her will not qualify to redo the course because she didn't write all the modules and failed the others badly.
"What it says is when this [scores] came out you did so poorly you will not be allowed to be readmitted again," Jan van Wyk told parliament.
The Support Public Broadcasting Coalition (SOS Coalition), a broad-based civil society pressure group representing a vast group of stakeholders concerned about public broadcasting in South Africa, says it's "deeply disappointed" in Ellen Zandile Tshabalala, "heartily welcomes" today's finding, and demands that Ellen Zandile Tshabalala "pay back all fees that were accrued in her role as SABC chairperson".
"We are deeply disappointed by, and take no satisfaction in Ellen Zandile Tshabalala dragging this process to the extent where she has been so publicly humiliated - most especially after our repeated calls for her to do the honourable thing and resign".
"We further call on the president of South Africa and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to initiate a criminal investigation into her contravention of the Justices of the Peace and Commissioners of Oaths Act," says the SOS Coalition.
"It is vital that the president moves to suspend Ellen Zandile Tshabalala without delay," says Gavin Davis, the Democratic Alliance political party's shadow minister of communications in a statement.
"The longer Ellen Zandile Tshabalala stays in office, the more likely it is that she will take decisions that will adversely affect the SABC."
"Her recent decision to give Hlaudi Motsoeneng the pwers of SABC CEO is an example of the damage she is capable of doing at the SABC," says Gavin Davis.
SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago, responding to a media enquiry seeking comment on Wednesday afternoon over Ellen Zandile Tshabalala. tells TV with Thinus "we are not commenting on this matter".
The news story was covered on all of the TV news channels - eNCA (DStv 403), SABC News (DStv 404) and ANN7 (DStv 405).
The SABC surprised with a very good, fully comprehensive, very objective and balanced report, filed by SABC reporter Zalene Merrington from parliament which was broadcast on the SABC's terrestrial TV news bulletins, as well as on the SABC News TV channel during primetime.
