Presidency requests economist Thabi Leoka to address claims over her qualifications

JOHANNESBURG - The Presidency says it has requested that economist,  Thabi Leoka, expeditiously address the matter of her qualifications following reports of her lying about holding a PhD from a prestigious international institution.  

Leoka is caught in a qualification scandal after the Business Day reported that she had lied about holding a PhD from the London School of Economics. 

However, Leoka, who has served on the boards of listed companies including MTN, Anglo American Platinum and Remgro, denied any wrongdoing, saying she did have the PhD. 

When President Cyril Ramaphosa announced his Economic Advisory Council in September 2019, Dr Thabi Leoka was listed among the names with her detailed profile. 

But following an expose by the Business Day, Presidency spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said that as the presidential advisory council was a non-statutory body, formal vetting was not a requirement. 

The Presidency also said that in the interest of transparency, Leoka had been requested to address the matter of her qualifications expeditiously. 

As it stands, public records have only shown Leoka’s 2004 awarding of an MSc in economic history from the London School of Economics but no PhD. 

She insists the reason why her name cannot be found among PhD holders from the school is because she changed it at home affairs.