Johannesburg - The DA on Sunday called for a complete overhaul of the recruitment policies and procedures of the SA Airways.
This followed news that acting chief executive Nico Bezuidenhout lied about his qualifications.
"Reports ... 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 chairpeson of the portfolio committee on public enterprises Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba requesting that a parliamentary inquiry be conducted into the circumstances surrounding Bezuidenhout's appointment.
Michael said the following questions must be answered:
How is it that Mr Bezuidenhout reached such high office without his qualifications ever being verified by SAA?
Was anyone aware that these qualifications were false?
What actions will be taken to remove Mr Bezuidenhout?
What HR policies are in place to ensure this does not happen again?
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.
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.
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.