The CV of candidates shortlisted for positions on the new South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board will be posted on Parliament's website for the public to comment, MPs decided on Tuesday.

This was one of the decisions Parliament's communications portfolio committee took to decide on the process of appointing the board. MPs had to whittle 363 candidates down to 12.

Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Gavin Davis raised the issue of disgraced former board chairperson Ellen Tshabalala who was found to have lied about her qualifications.

With the new board, each candidate on the shortlist would be vetted and their qualifications would be verified.

Most of Tuesday was spent debating how much time would be spent interrogating each of the 36 candidates who would make it onto the shortlist.

Interview process

Economic Freedom Fighters MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi suggested 40 minutes for each candidate, stretched over two 12-hour days.

Davis suggested an hour for each candidate over four days.

"I don't think this is something we can rush," he said.

Ndlozi said it would be unfair to the candidates interviewed on the first day. The later candidates would have time to prepare based on what they saw the committee doing with the first interviews, as the process would be open to the public.

"There has to be fairness as well as quality," said Ndlozi.

DA MP Phumzile van Damme said the interim SABC boards had done well, but that the permanent boards had been problematic.

"We can't drop the ball with the permanent board," she said.

Committee chairperson Humphrey Maxegwana ruled that a maximum of 45 minutes would be spent on each candidate, and that interviews would take place over three days.

Each MP would be allocated a set amount of time to interrogate each candidate.

The committee had not yet started to compile a shortlist, as they had not yet had time to peruse the 363 candidates' CVs yet.

MPs only got these on Monday, August 14 and expressed unhappiness about the fact that Parliament's administrative staff had had them since June 30.