ECONOMIST Thabi Leoka could face jail time if it is found that she has no PhD.
Three days after the matter started making headlines, it emerged that Leoka has still not produced proof that she is an academic doctor despite threats that she would show that she had completed her studies at the London School of Economics (LSE).
Leoka has been hogging the news this week after the scandal broke and demands have been rife for her to provide that proof, failure of which could pave the way for her to be prosecuted.
According to the Qualification Framework Amendments Act that was passed last year, Leoka could be facing five years in jail or be subject to a fine if she is found to have lied about her qualifications.
The law states: “If a person is found to have falsified their qualifications, they face jail time, a fine or both.”
Leoka has denied the accusations.
But according to reports, the LSE has no records of Leoka’s PhD or Master’s.
Yet she maintains that she completed her studies at LSE and was awarded a doctorate in economics in 2008.
According to the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, which has now been questioned, Leoka is an economist who has worked for various organisations in the financial sector.
It stated that in 2019 she was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to the Public Investment Corporation Commission of Inquiry.
“She was also appointed by the Minister of Finance to review the zero-rated products in order to support the poor and vulnerable in the country after an increase in the VAT...
“She is a non-executive director of various companies. She also serves on the Statistics SA Council where she chairs the Economic Committee,” the website read.
Pretoria News