Parliament dragging its feet on SABC Chairperson investigation
18 August 2014
It has been over a month since I formally requested the Chairperson of the Communications Portfolio Committee to initiate an inquiry into allegations that the Chairperson of the SABC Board, Ellen Tshabalala, misled Parliament about her qualifications.
I have written to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Joyce Moloi-Moropa, urging her to explain the delay in launching this important inquiry. I will raise the issue again at the Communications Portfolio Committee meeting tomorrow.
Correspondence received from Ms. Moloi-Moropa on 15 July 2014 indicated that the matter had been referred to Parliament's Legal Unit. When I raised the issue at the Portfolio Committee two weeks later on 29 July, Ms. Moloi-Moropa replied that the Committee would be notified of the Legal Unit's opinion in due course.
Despite Ms. Moloi-Moropa's written and verbal commitment to deal with the matter, there is no sign of any actual commitment find out whether Ms. Tshabalala did in fact lie to Parliament about her qualifications. According to a report in City Press, Ms. Tshabalala holds neither a BCom degree nor a postgraduate diploma in labour relations as stated on her Curriculum Vitae.
It is unclear why it is taking so long to receive an opinion from Parliament's Legal Unit on Parliament's mandate to investigate these allegations. Section 15 of the Broadcasting Act clearly states that the National Assembly has the power to conduct an inquiry into allegations of misconduct leveled against SABC Board Members.
President Zuma said last week that people who falsify their qualifications should be disqualified from employment in the public sector. Ms. Moloi-Moropa has an ideal opportunity to show that her party will act against qualifications fraud whether it is politically convenient to do so or not. We trust she will now move with the requisite haste and allow Parliament to conduct an inquiry, as it is empowered to do.
Statement issued by Gavin Davis MP, DA Shadow Minister of Communications, August 18 2014
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