Man Who Worked at Umgeni Water With Fake Engineering Degree for 8 Years Ordered to Pay Back Over R2m

• A man who worked for Umgeni Water for eight years with a fake engineering degree has been ordered to pay back all the money he earned
• Sheldon Naidoo conned his way into a graduate programme in 2006 and only resigned in 2016 when questions were raised about his degree
• When Naidoo applied for the graduate programme, Umgeni Water failed to verify his degree

PIETERMARITZBURG - A man who conned his way into a graduate programme at Umgeni Water has been ordered to pay back the money he earned while working there.

Sheldon Naidoo got into the graduate programme in 2006 using a fake chemical engineering degree and worked at Umgeni Water until he resigned in 2026 when questions were raised about his qualification.

In the eight years that Naidoo worked at Umgeni Water, he earned over R2.2 million, which the Pietermaritzburg High Court ordered him to repay, News24 reported.

Read also

Policeman dies in crash returning from investigating accident scene, SA reacts: "Tragedy on top of tragedy"

In his plea to the court, Naidoo insisted that he had a B.Sc. degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and provided proof through a degree certificate and academic record.

However, Peter Anthony Gray Thompson, Naidoo's former boss and the managing director at Umgeni Water, said when the company called UKZN in 2016, they had no record pf him receiving a degree from the institution.

Though Naidoo did attend UKZN, the acting head of central student record, Nonhlanhla Gladness Mofokeng, verified that Naidoo's degree certificate was invalid.

In fact, Naidoo was excluded from the university's Faculty of Engineering in 2004 for a poor academic record and declined the opportunity to be readmitted in 2006, EWN reported.

Judge Rob Mossop ruled that Naidoo's degree and academic record were falsified and ordered the man to pay back R2 203 565.04 with interest.

Read also

SANDF to be deployed at Eskom power stations, SA reacts: "So Eskom needs soldiers more than engineers?"

This is what South Africans had to say about Naidoo's foiled con:

@MuvhusoShozi commented:

"Payback time for shortcuts."

@LBakadicina speculated:

"For sure he is a member of a political party or he got helped by politicians."

@MarcSouthon asked:

"Is it any wonder then that this country has failed under the ANC?"

@s_inggs laughed:

"And he is going to repay it? Ha ha ha ha ha ha."

Woman becomes 1st family member to graduate college but her relatives say nothing, people show love

In another story, Briefly News reported that it is hard to break generational curses. One woman did this by becoming the first college graduate in her family, and no one cared.

When you become the first in your family to do something, you are either celebrated or resented. This poor woman felt isolated when she graduated from college.

Twitter user @nauticakjm shared how not a single family member congratulated her on graduating, which hurt. She thought she was making her family proud, but they did not even care.

Source: Briefly News