Parliament resolves to suspend SABC board chairwoman

Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Communications today unanimously recommended the suspension of SABC board chairwoman Ellen Tshabalala for allegedly faking her qualifications.

“Portfolio Committee today resolved to suspend SABC Chairperson Ellen Tshabalala pending the outcome of the Inquiry into her qualifications,” tweeted the DA’s Communications Shadow Minister Gavin Davies.

The SABC board was today in parliament discussing its quarterly report and the issue of both the public broadcaster chairwoman and its CEO’s qualifications in the Communications Portfolio Committee this morning.

Tshabalala also called for revived calls for the funding model of the public broadcaster to be reviewed.

While briefing Parliament’s communications portfolio committee, Tshabalala said the broadcaster was being “monopolised” by advertisers, hampering its ability to increase local content on its channels.

“The funding model is a problem because 86% (of) funding comes from advertising. It cannot be right,” she said.

In her CV before parliament Tshabalala said she graduated from the University of SA (Unisa) with a BCom and a postgraduate diploma in labour relations.