Daily Dispatch

Cheating to get ahead endemic

IT is the nature of the beast that when you are desperate to go places, you may resort to all manner of deceit to realise that goal.

In recent years we have seen a number of high-profile individuals who believe that if they profess they have the necessary qualifications for a certain job, they should not be doubted and should be taken on their word.

But that is simply not acceptable because it allows cheating which flouts our constitutional principles for government leaders to be truthful, fair and judicious.

We have seen the case of former SABC chairwoman Ellen Tshabalala, who fudged the truth about having a BCom degree and postgraduate diploma in labour relations from the University of South Africa.

Then, after years, ANC bigwig Pallo Jordan was outed by the Sunday Times in 2014 for having a doctorate and wrongly assuming the title “doctor”.

Recently, public protector Thuli Madonsela found that then SABC acting chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng had lied about his matric qualification – and he is still there. But it just will not end. Now we have another case of deception when in September this year, Luyanda Chiliza was elected president of Walter Sisulu University’s student representative council in Mthatha.

Chiliza, who represented the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) in the elections, was voted to the top post and entrusted with the council’s R5.2-million budget.

The process appeared aboveboard except for one worrying detail – Chiliza has never been registered as a student at the institution.

It is further alleged that he had not even been listed as a candidate in the run-up to the September elections.

According to WSU, Chiliza had applied in 2014 for the following academic year but was never registered. The university said it was in the process of removing him as SRC president.

Chiliza, who has maintained his innocence, blames his situation on political rivals who want him out and stated that he had no student card because the university “had run out of material to print cards”.

If true that he is not a student, it boggles the mind how he was able to walk onto the campus and campaign for the SRC position without red flags going up. It appears no formal processes were put in place to verify the veracity of his claims.

The ANCYL’s Thobile Bam branch said Chiliza last year told them he was admitted to study towards a bachelor of law degree and was granted membership based on his word, and only now has learnt differently.

“It was under his leadership and other comrades that the ANCYL achieved great results in the post-SRC elections,” a statement by the ANCYL said.

Chiliza, who disappeared off campus when the claims first emerged, has since returned to assume his role.

The lesson is that blind faith in the word of someone who may or may not have other intentions should be avoided at all costs.

This whole sorry saga means the SRC elections have been thrown into disarray. But it should not have come to this if more vigilance had been exercised.