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Thabi Leoka axed from Presidential Economic Advisory Council following PhD scandal

Thabi Leoka axed from Presidential Economic Advisory Council following PhD scandal
Victoria O’Regan
By Victoria O’Regan
22 Jan 2024
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South African economist Thabi Leoka, who was exposed for allegedly not holding a PhD in economics from a top UK university, is no longer a member of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, effective 22 January. She has also quit her position on both the Anglo American Platinum and MTN SA boards.

The Presidency terminated economist Thabi Leoka’s membership of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council on Monday, effective immediately.


“On Monday, 22 January 2024, the Presidency communicated to Ms Leoka the immediate termination of her membership in the Presidential Economic Advisory Council,” Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya told Daily Maverick.


“Ms Leoka was part of the 19-member panel of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, a non-statutory body, whose participation does not require formal vetting. The members volunteer their time, and they are not employed by the Presidency, nor are they remunerated by the state.”


Earlier on Monday, it was announced that Leoka had resigned from the boards of Anglo American Platinum and MTN South Africa to attend to her health and the questions surrounding her academic qualifications, the companies said.


“On her request, Thabi Leoka has resigned from her position as a non-executive director of the company [Anglo American Platinum] and consequently the board committees she serves on, with immediate effect, in order to attend to her health and the questions she has been facing in relation to her academic qualifications,” read an Amplats company statement to shareholders.

MTN SA said it had accepted Leoka’s resignation on Monday, effective immediately. 

“Leoka joined the board of the MTN Group subsidiary in 2019. She resigned to attend to her health and the questions she has been facing concerning her academic qualifications,” a company statement said.

Leoka is at the centre of a qualifications row after she was exposed for allegedly lying about holding a PhD from the London School of Economics (LSE). She has continued to defend her phantom doctorate, but the LSE can find no record of her being awarded a PhD by the institution.

Her undertaking to provide evidence of her PhD certificate and thesis to Daily Maverick has also come to nothing.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Economist Thabi Leoka’s PhD appears to be a figment of her imagination

Anglo American told Daily Maverick that “prospective non-executive directors are vetted before appointments are made”. However, it did not comment on whether Leoka, specifically, was vetted before her appointment in July 2020.

In response to queries on Monday, a media liaison for the company declined to comment further.

https://youtu.be/_Et-yLYoHow?si=icuI-_Hyz_nZ6Hqc

In February 2017, Leoka testified under oath before the Commission of Inquiry into Higher Education and Training that she had a PhD from the LSE. If she fails to prove that she has a PhD from the institution, she could face perjury charges and a fine or imprisonment.

Additionally, under the National Qualifications Framework Amendment Act 12 of 2019, it is a criminal offence to knowingly provide “false or misleading information” about your qualifications, carrying a sentence of up to five years’ imprisonment.

In a statement last Thursday, private healthcare group Netcare admitted it failed to adequately verify Leoka’s claimed PhD qualification before appointing her to its board in January 2022.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Exposed as a fraud — how companies can avoid bogus employee hires

A report by an external specialist integrity assessment firm commissioned by Netcare had listed Leoka’s highest qualifications as an MA and an MSc. However, the PhD qualification she claimed to have on her CV was not listed on the report, and Netcare did not interrogate her claim further.

Netcare’s group secretary, Charles Vikisi, said: “Valuable lessons have been learned, and our verification processes will be more robust and comprehensive going forward.”

Leoka remains a board member of the Small Business Institute.

She continues to serve on the Statistics South Africa Council, where she chairs the Economic Statistics Committee. DM

This article was updated at 6.30am to include comment from the Presidency.

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