Former SABC board chairperson Ellen Tshabalala has died from Kidney failure. She passed away in the early hours of Saturday morning. Her family confirmed that she died after a long illness caused by her kidney problems.
“It was a long illness, and it was the culmination of a disease she had called DVT (deep vein thrombosis), which led to complications later in life and Covid-19 compounded it and it led to kidney failure.”
Tshabalala sparked controversy when it was found that she had not achieved a Bcom qualification from Unisa, a qualification she included when she was interviewed for the board chairperson position.
Former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng believes Tshabalala should not be remembered for her qualification controversy but rather remembered for transforming the public broadcaster. Motsoeneng who was also found not to have any qualifications when he was appointed as the chief operations officer, said Tshabalala transformed the SABC.
“When she joined the SABC as the chairperson of the board, she came at a difficult time when the previous board had resigned. I stood very firm wen she came, and the last board suspended me. When she came back, we discussed the challenges at the SABC. I was taken back to do what I do best at the SABC.
“We had a very good relationship, but what I liked about her is that she transformed the SABC, which is why she supported me. We did transform it.”
Tshabalala faced a criminal investigation after it had been found that she lied about her qualification when she applied for the SABC top job.