Johannesburg -The ANC and its former MP Pallo Jordan could not be reached on Sunday to comment about a report in the Sunday Times that Jordan resigned two days before the newspaper's exposé on him.
The publication reported that it had seen Jordan's resignation letter, dated August 1, addressed to ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe.
It claimed Jordan backdated his resignation as an MP to July 29 - the day on which the newspaper told him that it would publish the report on August 3.
In his letter, Jordan said he was going through a “stressful time” and that he committed “two or three” errors relating to his qualifications.
Jordan apparently said he always knew it would “blow up in my face” one day.
In the letter, he said he believed the perpetuation of the lie that he held a PhD would be of help to the liberation struggle. He said he had never derived any personal financial benefit from claiming to have a doctorate.
Last Monday, Mantashe said Jordan offered to resign from the ANC's national executive committee and parliament.
His resignation from Parliament was accepted, but that to the NEC and ANC was referred to the “structures of the organisation”, said Mantashe.
The Sunday Times exposé published that two universities Jordan claimed to have attended had denied conferring a degree or doctorate on him, and that he had falsely gone by the title 'Dr'.
Sapa