SABC chair Zandile Tshabalala lied to parliament about her qualifications, City Press reported on Sunday.

In her CV before the parliamentary portfolio committee on communications, Tshabalala said she graduated from Unisa with a BCom and a post-graduate diploma in labour relations.

The claim was repeated in a statement by the presidency announcing her appointment.

However, according to a Promotion of Access to Information Act application sent by the newspaper, Unisa said Tshabalala had neither of the qualifications.

Unisa’s executive director of legal services and information, Jan van Wyk, wrote in a letter this week: “According to our records, no qualification was awarded to the mentioned individual.”

City Press’s attempts to get comment from Tshabalala were unsuccessful.

Presidency spokesman Mac Maharaj on Friday said parliament had recommended candidates for the SABC board and President Jacob Zuma acted on those recommendations.

About Tshabalala’s qualifications Maharaj was quoted as saying in City Press: “This is a matter you must take up with her directly… A university degree is no prerequisite for the appointment.” — Sapa