DA welcomes Ellen Tshabalala's resignation

17 December 2014

Ellen Tshabalala's resignation as SABC Chairperson today is to be welcomed. It means that we no longer have to wait for Parliament to remove her from office, a process that could only have happened in February when the House reconvenes.

Tshabalala's resignation is also an elegant solution for President Zuma who was under pressure to suspend her pending the outcome of the parliamentary process.

It has been five months since the DA requested a parliamentary inquiry into allegations that Tshabalala lied about her qualifications. It was an unnecessarily protracted saga caused by the various delaying tactics employed by Tshabalala and her legal team.

But it is not the end of the story for Ellen Tshabalala. The DA has laid charges of perjury against her, a criminal offence that carries a custodial sentence. We have been informed today that a detective has been assigned to the case and we are confident that the SAPS will treat it with the seriousness it deserves.

Credit is due to all the members of the Communications Portfolio Committee, especially our colleagues from the ANC. They pushed ahead with the parliamentary inquiry, despite the well-known connections that Ellen Tshabalala has in the upper echelons of the party.

Let this sordid saga be a lesson to other qualifications fraudsters inside and outside the SABC. The people of South Africa are not prepared to tolerate public officials who lie and cheat their way to the top.

Statement issued by Gavin Davis MP, DA Shadow Minister of Communications, December 17 2014

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