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Johannesburg - The DA on Sunday called on SA Airways to suspend its acting chief executive Nico Bezuidenhout pending the outcome of an inquiry into his appointment.
"Reports today confirm that Mr Bezuidenhout has misled SAA and does not hold a BCom degree or an MBA as previously cited on his CV and the SAA annual report," Democratic Alliance MP Natasha Michael said in a statement.
"Mr Bezuidenhout has clearly misled the airline, and therefore his appointment must be set aside."
She said she would write to the chairperson of the portfolio committee on public enterprises Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba requesting that a parliamentary inquiry be conducted into the circumstances surrounding Bezuidenhout's appointment.
According to the Sunday Times SAA admitted this week that its 2011 and 2012 annual reports were wrong to state that Bezuidenhout had a BCom in transport economics and industrial psychology as well as an MBA.
Academic records
The airline, which reportedly spoke on Bezuidenhout's behalf, provided a 10-page CV on Friday which said he had enrolled for a BCom at the then Rand Afrikaans University (now the University of Johannesburg) in 1995, a year after completing matric.
His academic records revealed that he dropped out the following year.
In 1997, he registered with the University of SA for a BCom majoring in industrial psychology and transport economics.
According to Bezuidenhout's CV one subject, taxation, had been outstanding for 14 years.
He then reportedly registered for an MBA with Milpark Education, but did not submit the required thesis.
Michael said SAA's recruitment policies and procedures needed to be overhauled.
"This is an embarrassment"
Bezuidenhout was the second high ranking official, after SAA chairperson Dudu Myeni, to have misrepresented their qualifications.
"This is an embarrassment to the already-embattled airline. We need stability and competence at SAA to rescue the failing airline," Michael said.
Earlier this month, Sunday Times reported that Myeni had listed a bachelor's degree in administration as one of her qualifications when she was appointed in 2009, but she mysteriously removed the degree in last year's annual report.
At the time SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali told the paper Myeni said she had listed the degree because she had been studying towards it.
Tlali said Myeni had not misled the public because she had disclosed in 2009 that she had two majors outstanding.
