Lumko Mtimde kicked off SABC board shortlist
This decision was made because Mtimde failed to submit proof of his education qualifications in time.
CAPE TOWN - Former South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)
board member Lumko Mtimde, who was seen as a frontrunner to take up former chairperson
Ellen Tshabalala's place on the broadcaster's board, was disqualified for the position
on Tuesday.
This decision was made because Mtimde failed to submit proof
of his education qualifications in time.
Parliament's oversight committee on communication agreed on
a shortlist of five names to take up Tshabalala's place, but Mtimde was not one
of them.
While the Democratic Alliance (DA) objected to Mtimde's
nomination because of his vocal support for a media tribunal, it was his
failure to submit proof of his qualifications in time that scuppered up his
chances.
Committee chairperson Joyce Moloi-Moropa made it clear the
committee didn't want to deal with another qualifications saga.
"We need to be very clear that we have all the qualifications
based on the past experience and we don't want, for any reason, to have
anything that might also make our work to be washed away."
Tshabalala resigned in December after it was found she did
not have the BCom Degree and Postgraduate Diploma in Labour Relations she
claimed to have.
The committee found she lied under oath about her
qualifications being stolen.
Mtimde and most of his colleagues on the SABC board resigned
in 2013, resulting in the dissolution of the board.
At the time, Mtimde and majority of board members
clashed with then chairman Ben Ngubane over a decision to remove Hlaudi
Motsoeneng as the acting Chief Operations Officer at the SABC.
Mtimde and others wanted Motsoeneng to step down from
the acting position and to return to his previous, less senior position.
