If it is discovered that ECONOMIST Thabi Leoka lacks a PhD, she may have to serve jail time.
Leoka threatened to show that she had finished her studies at the London School of Economics (LSE), but three days after the story broke, it became clear that she still had not supplied documentation proving she is an academic doctor.
Following the incident, Leoka has been all over the news this week. People are clamoring for her to produce the evidence, and if she doesn’t, it may lead to her being charged.
Leoka may face five years in prison or a fine under the Qualification Framework Amendments Act, which was passed last year, if it is discovered that she lied about her qualifications.
According to the law, “a person faces jail time, a fine, or both if they are found to have falsified their qualifications.”
Leoka has refuted the charges.
However, rumors state that Leoka’s master’s and doctoral degrees are missing from the LSE.
However, she insists that she received her doctorate in economics in 2008 after finishing her studies at LSE.
As per the now-questioned Presidential Economic Advisory Council, Leoka is an economist with experience working for multiple financial sector organizations.
“She was also designated by the Finance Minister to examine the zero-rated goods in an effort to assist the nation’s impoverished and defenseless following a hike in the Value-Added Tax…
She serves as a non-executive director for a number of businesses. According to the website, she is the chair of the Economic Committee on the Statistics SA Council.
It said that she was appointed to the Public Investment Corporation Commission of Inquiry by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2019.
