South Africa's parliament and politicians abruptly scuppers the urgent shortlisting of names for empty seats on the SABC board; now suddenly wants to do 'exit interviews' with former members ... who quit months ago.

In a shocking (not shocking) display of ineptitude regarding the struggling SABC as well as apparently sheer parliamentary incompetence, the South African government on Tuesday abruptly halted the shortlisting of the 24 candidates it still said on Monday it would shortlist on Tuesday to interview for the vacant seats on the SABC, with politicians that now first want to do exit interviews with the former SABC board members who had resigned ... months ago.

How badly South African politicians and parliament's portfolio committee on communications, entrusted with doing so-called "oversight" of the South African Broadcasting Corporation work (don't work) was once again laid bare on Tuesday in a jaw-dropping display of politician incompetence you won't find in any professional corporate environment.

On Monday, parliament's portfolio committee on communications - supposed to look after the crumbling and commercially insolvent SABC - said it would shortlist on Tuesday the 24 candidates who will be interviewed for SABC board vacancies after Mathatha Tsedu, Krish Naidoo, Khanyisile Kweyama and John Mattison quit months ago in December 2018.

The unstable SABC board is currently inquorate, South Africa is in a national election year with the election day and run-up to 8 May that the SABC and SABC News must cover - and with the public broadcaster once again hovering on the edge of a financial cliff.

Urgent intervention to try and right-size the SABC is very long overdue.

On Monday parliament said the shortlisted 24 candidates would be interviewed from 5 to 7 March with the names of the 8 best candidates recommended to the Nasional Assembly and president Cyril Ramaphosa before parliament shutters for the national election in 3 weeks' time.

Cue Tuesday - and trash.

Parliament's portfolio committee on communications in a statement suddenly said it "has resolved to put on hold the shortlisting of 24 candidates who were going to be interviewed to fill the 8 vacancies at the board of the SABC".

"Given the history of challenges at the SABC board, the committee decided to conduct exit interviews with those who resigned from the current board."

"The remaining 4 non-executive members in the current SABC board will be invited to provide progress reports on investigations into SABC board member Dinkwanyane Mohuba's qualifications (also known as Kgalema Mohuba), the turnaround strategy, labour relations issues and progress with implementing the recommendations of the ad hoc committee. The exit interviews will be conducted on 5 March 2019."

Hlengiwe Mkhize, chairperson of the committee, didn't say why parliament now suddenly wants to do exit interviews with long-departed SABC board members who had left months ago. Exit interviews are done immediately before people leave employment or immediately after - not months later.

Hlengiwe Mkhize didn't say why, if exit interviews are to take place, why this can't happen in parallel with the process of shortlisting, interviewing and appointing new SABC board members which are urgently needed to stabilise the SABC.

Parliament's apparently lazy portfolio committee on communications has been criticised for having taken months to start the process to sift and begin interviews with shortlisted candidates for the positions.

Parliament's portfolio committee on communications lied, saying it would return in early-2019, and then lied again to the South African public saying it would start the process of interviews in mid-January. Neither happened.

Parliament's current term ends on 20 March.

SABC board member, Kgalema Mohuba, placed on special leave by the University of Limpopo that is investigating claims around the doctorate degree he was working on.

The SABC has not suspended, placed on leave or removed its board member Kgalema Mohuba who has now been placed on special leave by the University of Limpopo where he is the publicist, amidst an investigation into the doctorate degree he was busy with and that the university decided not to award.

The University of Limpopo said Kgamela Mohuba was placed on special leave in late-May and will remain on leave until the investigation is completed.

Scandal erupted around Kgamela Mohuba after reports to the university that Kgamela Mohuba allegedly hired two Zimbabweans to write his doctorate in commerce (DCom) thesis, and also allegedly paid for their flight tickets.

The University of Limpopo is also investigating how Kgamela Mohuba managed to complete the doctorate he was working on within 2 years.

Earlier this year Kgalema Mohuba went to court to halt the University of Limpopo's graduation ceremony after the University of Limpopo decided to no longer confer a doctorate degree on him, pending an internal investigation.

Judge Matsoro Semenya struck Kgalema Mohuba's case off the roll, ruling that Kgalema Mohuba "is not entitled to receive the degree" - a doctorate in commerce (DCom).

Judge Matsoro Semenya in his ruling said "It is evident that the applicant has not studied for a minimum period of two years for the doctor of commerce degree after enrolling in August 2016."

The scandal around Kgalema Mohuba is not the first time that someone on the SABC board is being mired in controversy around qualifications.

The disgraced former SABC chairperson and academic failure Ellen Tshabalala was exposed for her shocking lies about having tertiary qualifications from Unisa like a B.Com degree and in fact failed badly, and then had the audacity to blame Unisa for allegedly "losing" all records of her degrees after she was investigated by parliament for her lies.

Yet another SABC board member engulfed in university degree scandal as University of Limpopo refuses to give Kgalema Mohuba his doctorate degree.

Yet another SABC board member has become engulfed in a university degree scandal after the University of Limpopo and a court refused to give SABC board member Kgalema Mohuba his doctorate degree, following allegations that he allegedly hired two Zimbabweans to write his doctorate thesis.

Ironically Kgalema Mohuba is also the spokesperson for the University of Limpopo.

So far there's been no statement from the SABC, where the new SABC board and its executives said they were adamant about cleaning up and rooting out the systemic corruption and mismanagement inside the struggling South African public broadcaster.

The scandal engulfing Kgalema Mohuba has echoes of the disgraced former SABC chairperson and academic failure Ellen Tshabalala who shockingly lied about having tertiary qualifications from Unisa like a B.Com degree and in fact failed badly, and then had the audacity to blame Unisa for allegedly "losing" all records of her degrees after she was investigated by parliament for her lies.

According to newspaper reports, Kgalema Mohuba went to court to halt the University of Limpopo's graduation ceremony after the University of Limpopo decided to no longer confer a doctorate degree on him, pending an internal investigation.

Judge Matsoro Semenya struck Kgalema Mohuba's case off the roll, ruling that Kgalema Mohuba "is not entitled to receive the degree" - a doctorate in commerce (DCom).

Judge Matsoro Semenya in his ruling said "It is evident that the applicant has not studied for a minimum period of two years for the doctor of commerce degree after enrolling in August 2016."

"Whether the applicant has complied with all admission requirements for the DCom is an issue that forms part of the subject matter of the investigation and cannot be admitted."

The University of Limpopo decided to no longer give Kgalema Mohuba his doctorate degree after allegations that he hired two Zimbabweans to prepare and write his thesis on his behalf, and allegedly also paid for flights for them.

The University of Limpopo started an investigation in March into Kgalema Mohuba's doctorate degree after an anonymous tip-off, and last week the university decided to no longer award his degree.