MTN Director, Thabi Leoka, Resigns Over Scandal

Thabi Leoka, the businesswoman accused of lying about her academic qualifications, has resigned from the board of MTN South Africa.

As the scandal that has engulfed the corporate sector continues to grip Thabi Leoka, the businesswoman who was accused of misrepresenting her academic credentials, she has resigned from the board of MTN South Africa.

Leoka tendered his resignation as a non-executive director of the organisation with immediate effect, MTN South Africa announced via email late Monday evening.

The telecommunications operator appointed her to its board in 2019.

The reason for her resignation, according to MTN South Africa, was to address concerns regarding her academic credentials and her health.

She purported to possess a doctorate from the London School of Economics in economics.

Simultaneously with the announcement of Leoka's departure from the board of directors, Anglo American Platinum received the resignation.

Business Day (paywall) reported last week that she resigned from the Remgro board in December, in part because she allegedly misrepresented her qualifications. This news sparked the scandal.

She claimed to hold a doctorate in economics from the London School of Economics, but has not provided any evidence to support this claim to date.

Initially, she reiterated the assertion, confiding to Business Day that she, in fact, possessed a doctorate from the LSE, despite the LSE's denial to the publication that this information was in its records.