South Africans Roast Photo of Economic Thabi Leoka’s Allegedly Fake PhD in Economics

South Africans Roast Photo of Economic Thabi Leoka’s Allegedly Fake PhD in Economics

  • Economist Thabi Leoka is in trouble after she was exposed for allegedly faking her PhD
  • Leoka, who serves as a member of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, claimed she obtained her PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics, but the University of London denied this
  • South Africans made fun of her and roasted her thoroughly

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News journalist with 8 years of experience, offered valuable insights into South Africa's business environment during his three years at Vutivi Business News.

Economist Thabi Leoka is in the spotlight after it was exposed that she may not have a PhD in Economic
Mzansi laughed at economist Thabi Leoka after the media exposed her allegedly fake PhD. Images: Jeffrey Abrahams/Gallo Images via Getty Images and Granger Wootz
Source: Getty Images

A Presidential Economic Advisory Council member, Thabi Leoka, is in the spotlight after being exposed for not having a PhD, as she claimed. The University of London, where she claimed to have received the PhD, denied giving her a PhD in economics or even having such a programme. South Africans grilled her allegedly fake qualifications and called her out.

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Economist Thabi Leoka's PhD questioned

Former Eskom CEO Matshela Koko posted a picture of what could appear to be her fake qualification on his X, formerly Twitter, account, @koko_matshela. Matshela alleged that the document could be fake. According to Polity, Leoka, a Presidential Economic Advisory Council member advising President Cyril Ramaphosa on economic policy, claimed she got her PhD at the University of London. This was after no evidence of her PhD could be found.

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Leoka served on MTN SA, Anglo American Platinum and Remgro boards and as a panellist on a panel that reviewed Mzansi's zero-rated VAT products. When asked to provide more information, she claimed someone with an axe to grind was against her. View the tweet of the qualification here:

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Netizens make fun of her PhD

South Africans made fun of Leoka and her allegedly fake qualifications.

Queen Nandi, her majesty wrote:

“It’s her intelligence that counts and abilities to execute and deal with problems, plus problem-solving skills.”

Ndabenhle Mkhaliphi said:

“The school doesn’t know this document, and for this reason, it is fake.”

Dr MuVenda exclaimed:

“A guy at a Sunnyside internet cafe could have done a better job here.”

Sthamber remarked:

“The path to acquiring an academic qualification is not easy. Many report to other means.”

Dan-Ghost added:

“This one is from Yeoville. Raleigh Street, to be more specific.”

Unpacked With Relebogile slammed for not doing background check on Dr Matthew Lani

In a story related to questionable qualifications, Briefly News reported that Relebogile Mabotja's Unpacked with Relebogile said the fake 'Dr' Matthew Lani's qualifications were irrelevant.

This was after it was revealed that Lani appeared on the show and claimed that his boyfriend abused him and infected him with HIV. South Africans criticised them for not doing a background check on their guests.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Tebogo Mokwena avatar

Tebogo Mokwena (Current Affairs editor) Tebogo Mokwena is a Current Affairs Editor at Briefly News. He has a Diploma in Journalism from ALISON. He joined Daily Sun, where he worked for 4 years covering politics, crime, entertainment, current affairs, policy, governance and art. He was also a sub-editor and journalist for Capricorn Post before joining Vutivi Business News in 2020, where he covered small business news policy and governance, analysis and profiles. He joined Briefly News in 2023. Tebogo passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative Email: tebogo.mokwena@briefly.co.za