Johannesburg - Acting SA Airways Nico Bezuidenhout at no time misrepresented his qualifications to the Mango Airlines board, Mango said on Monday.
It was disheartening to note media coverage this weekend, as a consequence of an error by Mango's shareholder, SAA, Mango chairman Rashid Wally said in a statement.
The coverage related to Mango CEO Bezuidenhout, and the alleged misrepresentation of his academic qualifications.
“As Mango board member and later as chairperson, I confirm that the academic narrative contained in Mr. Bezuidenhout 's CV, as presented to the Board prior to Mango's launch in 2006, was factually correct and accurate.”
Bezuidenhout has led Mango for eight years since its inception, with both the vision and the integrity that was incumbent of a CEO.
“Under his leadership the business has performed beyond expectations in a challenging and highly competitive market,” said Wally.
“Under his leadership the airline showed solid growth coupled with commercial sustainability that saw record profits in the past financial year.”
The Sunday Times reported on Sunday that Bezuidenhout was the latest in a series of high-profile executives and politicians who have been exposed for overstating their qualifications.
SAA admitted this week that its 2011 and 2012 annual reports were wrong to state that Bezuidenhout had a BCom in transport economics and industrial psychology as well as an MBA.
The airline, which reportedly spoke on Bezuidenhout's behalf, provided a 10-page CV on Friday which said he had enrolled for a BCom at the then Rand Afrikaans University (now the University of Johannesburg) in 1995, a year after completing matric.
His academic records revealed that he dropped out the following year.
In 1997, he registered with the University of SA for a BCom majoring in industrial psychology and transport economics.
According to Bezuidenhout's CV one subject, taxation, had been outstanding for 14 years.
He then reportedly registered for an MBA with Milpark Education, but did not submit the required thesis.
Last year, the SAA board asked Bezuidenhout to oversee the group's operations after then acting CEO Vuyisile Kona had been placed on precautionary suspension.
SAA at the time said Bezuidenhout had never made it a secret that he did not complete his degrees in industrial psychology or transport economics. He chose to rather start working.
The company said due to an editing error SAA's 2011 and 2012
annual reports mistakenly stated that Bezuidenhout had completed his degrees.
Earlier this month, Bezuidenhout was again appointed as acting CEO to stand in for suspended CEO Monwabisi Kalawe.
Sapa