Last year, the Democratic Alliance stated that as many as 640 public sector officials lied about their qualifications.
“The incidents of misrepresentation, which appear to be on the rise, will not be tolerated as they impact negatively on the reputation of the country, its institutions and the credibility of the National Qualifications Framework,” acting director general Donald Liphoko said.
The lucrative diploma milling industry gained traction in South Africa in 2011 – contaminating the credibility of qualifications.
Why is this so common?
Supply and demand
A simple search like “buy fake degree south africa” has over 4,490,000 search results. With this amount of results, it’s clear that the demand for this service is huge!
Lack of resources
There are some tips on how to spot a fake degree, but if you have 500 applicants for a position, you rarely have time to vet each and every résumé.
Scandalous Statesmen
According to some high profile individuals, the term “lead by example” doesn’t apply to them… Over the past two years, there’s been a shocking amount of scandals involving executives, state officials and fake degrees.
Ellen Tshabalala
Former SABC chairwoman Ellen Tshabalala claimed she obtained a BComm from Unisa. Jan van Wyk, executive director for legal services, told a parliamentary inquiry that although Tshabalala registered for the degree in both 1988 and 1996, she failed to obtain the qualification on both occasions.
Mohau Pheko
South Africa’s ambassador to Japan. Pheko claimed she had a PhD from the American La Salle University in 2000. However, the university closed in 1996.
Pallo Jordan
Senior member of the African National Congress and former MP Pallo Jordan lied about having PhD.
Fraudulent qualifications pose a threat to quality of work and the credibility of a company. Be sure to verify the credentials of your job applicants and avoid being played.
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