Pretoria – Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) boss Tshepo Mahanuke has been placed on special leave with immediate effect following allegations that he submitted fake qualifications to land the CEO job.
Mahanuke is alleged to have submitted fake qualifications from Harvard University and the Trinity International University of Ambassadors following his application for the CEO position, which he landed in August this year.
In a statement on Thursday, Thabo Motloung, the JRA board chairperson said Mahanuke was placed on special leave after the board convened a special meeting to consider the issues pertaining to the allegations around the credentials of the CEO.
“The resolution reached was to place the CEO on special leave, effective immediately until the outcome of the re-authentication process is finalised,” Motloung said.
Motloung added that the process is expected to be complete on 30 November 2022.
In the meantime, an interim CEO has been appointed.
According to the Daily Maverick, Mahanuke bought his doctorate and his degree, purportedly from Harvard University, which does not exist.
The publication reported that Mahanuke’s honorary doctorate could be bought for a small ‘support honorarium’ from the Trinity International University of Ambassadors and that his Master’s degree in competitive intelligence from ACI College is not actually offered at Harvard.
Furthermore, Mahanuke holds a diploma after finishing an engineering technician course and not an engineering degree.
Speaking to 702’s Bongani Bingwa, Mahanuke said he holds a diploma in mechanical engineering and a bachelor’s of technology degree in operations management from Vaal University of Technology.
He said he was aware of the allegations and they were untrue.
IOL