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.

A new crisis hits the SABC board - nobody wants to be on it. Parliament concerned over only 24 applications for 2 positions; postpones process.

With the severely damaged public reputation of the SABC and ongoing drama at the beleaguered public broadcaster another crisis has been created: South African citizens are no longer willing to serve as readily on the unstable SABC board marred by acrimonious in-fighting and plagued by government interference as people once were.

A new crisis has hit the SABC and the SABC board: nobody apparently wants to be on it.

From hundreds of applications in the past when an SABC board position opened, its plunged to only a shocking 24 applications which were received - for two positions.

Meanwhile instability continues with the SABC board still without a permanent SABC board chairperson - a vacancy which has also not yet been filled.

Prof. Obert Maguvhe has been serving as acting SABC chairperson for almost half a year now after the shamed Ellen Tshabalala abruptly resigned in mid-December 2014 after being exposed for fraudulent credentials.

Ellen Tshabalala lied about tertiary qualifications she didn't have but claimed she "did nothing wrong" despite being found guilty on two charges by parliament's portfolio committee on communications, tasked with oversight of the struggling public broadcaster.

The call for applications for a new SABC chairperson led to 97 applications received but in the months since her departure has not yet been filled.

While five candidates out of the 97 were shortlisted by parliament not a single interview for new SABC chairperson has taken place.

Meanwhile the public broadcaster continues to make daily news headlines for all the wrong reasons similar to struggling and crises-riddled parastatals SAA and Eskom.

Since the beginning of the year other another three SABC board members - Rachel Kalidass, Ronnie Lubisi and Hope Zinde - were all fired by the minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, saying she can do so under the Companies Act because the SABC is a state-owned firm, instead of the Broadcasting Act which directs the workings of the public broadcaster.

Besides those three SABC board posts not yet filled - only 24 applications were received for the vacant positions of yet another two "empties": that of Thembinkosi Bonakele and Prof. Bongani Khumalo.

Thembinkosi Bonakele quit the SABC board almost a year ago in June 2014 with Faith Muthambi taking months to tell parliament. A fed-up Prof. Bongani Khumalo, tired of government interference in the SABC board abruptly quit in January 2015.

The crisis with a lack of people with experience and a background in broadcasting and management willing to serve on the SABC board, is raising fears that people have now become scared to damage their career CV's if the potential exists for their names ending up in lurid headlines, or getting removed as a board director if there's backstage drama.

The crisis with too few applications for the SABC board which originally had 12 members, has now led parliament's portfolio committee on communications to postpone the process of finding and replacing SABC board members.

Portfolio committee chairperson Joyce Moloi-Moropa admitted yesterday that there exists a perception problem, since the position of permanent SABC chairperson has not yet been filled, while further vacant positions for SABC board positions had been advertised.

Gavin Davis, Democratic Alliance (DA) MP and member of the portfolio committee yesterday requested that the vacant positions for SABC board members be readvertised. "I must be honest, I can't find that much quality among these 24 candidates and that is going to leave us with a problem."

Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP and member of the portfolio committee said that the low number and quality of applications reflect a crisis for the SABC and the country.

"If the vacancies were properly advertised then this country is in a crisis because these CV's were difficult," he said.

The portfolio committee on communications now wants to relook at the 97 applications received for SABC chairperson, to possibly use and sift through those to fill the growing gaping holes on the SABC board.

Joyce Moloi-Moropa said parliament's legal advisors will be asked about the legality of including the 97 CV's for the SABC chairperson position.

Programming note: FINAL DAY of SABC board nominee interviews

Programming note: The final day of interviews of the candidates up for positions on the new permanent SABC board is happening TODAY and kicks off at 10:00.

You can watch the proceedings LIVE (i do and enjoy it tremendously!) on The Parliamentary Service (DStv 408). It should continue until around 16:00 today.

What makes it fun is the sometimes RIDICULOUS STATEMENTS that some of the candidates utter. Let's hope the government appoints more people like Pippa Green whose interview yesterday went very long because - ta da! - she ACTUALLY KNEW WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT and the government officials who grilled her, knew that and wanted to know more.

Programming note: Watch the SABC board nominee interviews

Programming note: Today's interviewing process with the rest of the 31 candidates on the short list for the new SABC board has just started.

Just like yesterday (and it will continue tomorrow, the final day) you can watch it LIVE on The Parliamentary Service channel (DStv 408).

The proceedings today, just like yesterday, will take place during the day until 17:00.

Programming note: Watch the SABC board nominee interviews

Programming note: It starts today and remember that you can watch the interviews with the 31 candidates nominated for the new permanent SABC board on TV.

The Parliamentary Service channel (DStv 408) will broadcast all the proceedings LIVE, TODAY, Wednesday and Thursday from about 10:00 until 17:00.

BREAKING. Interviews of SABC board candidates will be broadcast live - and I've got the complete list of names

You're reading it here first. I can give you the details of where you can watch it next week, and publish the complete list first.

I'm talking of the candidates (and scroll down for the COMPLETE list) who made the shortlist as nominees for the new permanent SABC board. The interviews will take place next week, so first this programming note:

The Parliamentary Service channel (DStv 408) will broadcast all the proceedings LIVE on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week from about 10:00 until 17:00 daily.

Watch it, it will surely make for interesting viewing to see and assess the knowledge they have (or DON'T have!) about the inner working of the SABC.

Here's the list of names:

1. Andile Mbeki

2. Baldwin Ngubane

3. Barbara Masekela

4. Cedric Gina

5. Clare O'Neill

6. Danfred Titus

7. David Masoma

8. David Niddrie

9. Desmond Golding

10. Haroun Moolla

11. Jane Barrett

12. John Matisson

13. Kenneth Herold

14. Khotso Khumalo

15. David Lewis

16. Max du Preez

17. Michael Louis

18. Nkomotane Motsepe

19. Ntebo Peri

20. Peter Harris

21. Pippa Green

22. Sheila Mmusi

23. Sibongile Shongwe

24. Suzanne Vos

25. Tebogo Makgatho Mello

26. Tselane Tambo

27. William Gumede

28. Zola Fihlani