Thabi Leoka, an economist under scrutiny, has stepped down from her role on the board of directors at telecommunications group MTN after a tenure exceeding four years. Leoka’s resignation follows media queries about the validity of her academic credentials.
Earlier this month, Business Day reported that Leoka was implicated in a scandal concerning the false representation of qualifications. This matter was allegedly a contributing factor to her separation from Johann Rupert’s investment business, Remgro, in December.
Controversy arose recently when Thabi Leoka’s claimed PhD in Economic History was scrutinized due to questions surrounding her supposed qualification from the London School of Economics. Despite her claiming to possess a PhD, publicly available records suggest she obtained a master’s degree in 2004.
MTN released a statement saying, “MTN South Africa today accepted the resignation of independent non-executive director Thabi Leoka, effective immediately.” It continued, “Leoka joined the board of the MTN Group subsidiary in 2019. She resigned to attend to her health and the questions she has been facing concerning her academic qualifications.”
Leoka previously served as an independent non-executive director at Netcare from January 2022 to March 2023. The private healthcare group announced her voluntary resignation effective March 8, 2023, citing potential conflict of interest due to her impending appointment to the Remgro board, a significant shareholder in a direct competitor of Netcare.
Netcare admitted its oversight, acknowledging that it should have looked further into the discrepancy between Leoka’s claimed qualifications and a report by an external specialist integrity assessment firm, which listed her highest qualifications as an MA and MSc. Netcare General Counsel and Group Secretary, Charles Vikisi, said the company had learned valuable lessons and would strengthen its verification processes in the future.
Moreover, Anglo American Platinum also announced Leoka’s departure. The mining group informed shareholders that Leoka had resigned as a non-executive director and as a result would be leaving the board committees she served on, effective immediately.
