COSATU welcomes resignation of SABC Chairperson
The Congress of South African Trade Unions welcomes the resignation of the SABC board chairperson, Zandile Ellen Tshabalala, who lied to Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Communications by fabricating her CV to say that she holds a degree and a senior diploma from UNISA, which the university insists is not true.
COSATU regrets that it has taken so long for someone in such as important position to do what she should have been done as soon as this serious allegation was made. As our affiliate the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has said, her misrepresentation of her qualifications further tarnished the image and reputation of the public broadcaster.
COSATU now calls for the Chairperson's resignation to be followed by that of SABC Chief Operations Officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng, who faces similar allegations of lying about his qualifications, allegedly stating that he had passed matric when he had not. He has also been accused of raising his salary from R1,5 million to R2,4 million over the course of one year and purging senior staff .
The federation demands that as well as promptly appointing a new Chairperson, the Minister of Communications should insist on a thorough review of all the corporation's ongoing governance and financial problems, including those identified by the Public Protector in her report "When governance and ethics fail", which implicated members of the board, executives of the SABC and senior management in maladministration and abuse of power.
Action must be taken against individuals who, according to the Public Protector, admitted to wrongdoing, and that all appointments that were made without advertising the positions be reversed and disciplinary action be taken against individuals responsible.
COSATU fully agrees with the CWU that "The SABC board and its chairperson must be seen to be leading by example in the drive to extricate the institution from its current sorry state of affairs characterised by crisis after crisis which is brought about by sheer maladministration and lack of good governance".
Statement issued by Patrick Craven, COSATU national spokesperson, December 19 2014
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