Johannesburg - Gauteng MMC for Transport, Funzi Ngobeni, says he has taken note of reports that Johannesburg Roads Agency CEO faked his qualifications.
This comes after a recent news report on the Daily Maverick alleging that the CEO of JRA, Tshepo Mahanuke, is not suitable to run the agency due to his questionable qualifications.
Mahanuke is alleged to have claimed to have an honorary doctorate from the Trinity International University of Ambassador in the US, something that has since been called into question following the Daily Maverick expose.
In August, Ngobeni announced Mahanuke as JRA CEO in a bid to usher in a new wave of service delivery and help stabilise JRA as an institution.
“I assure the six million residents of the City of Joburg, the executive mayor, Councillor Mpho Phalatse, the multi-party government as well as employees of the city and the JRA, that I take the allegations contained in the news article seriously,” Ngobeni said in a statement on Tuesday.
Ngobeni said the allegations against the CEO were serious enough to dent the image of JRA in the eyes of the public.
“These allegations have the potential to sully the good work done thus far to bring stability to an organisation that, in recent times, has not lived up to the responsibility for which it was created,” he said.
Mayor Phalatse also added that she also took these accusations seriously.
“We take these allegations very seriously,” she emphasised, noting that she had asked Ngobeni and JRA chairperson Thabo Motloung for a full report on the matter. “We will keep the public informed of any decision and steps taken on the matter. This matter must be addressed urgently and with full integrity,” asserted Phalatse.
Speaking to Bongani Bingwa on Radio 702, Mahanuke denied having misrepresented his qualifications from Harvard University.
The publication also alleged that he had an honorary doctorate from the Trinity International University of Ambassadors.
“This is not correct. I have a degree including a national diploma in operations management from Vaal University of Technology. I have a degree that is also plugged online. I never went to Bible College. I distance myself from the comments,” he said.
The Star