Limpopo DA leader lied in his CV – claim

ANOTHER DA leader has been accused of having lied in his CV while applying for a position in the party.

Limpopo MPL Risham Maharaj allegedly enhanced his CV when applying for a position as a member of the DA Limpopo provincial disciplinary committee in 2019, according to a party insider.

Maharaj, who is also DA political leader in the Vhembe District, was successful in the position and it was ratified on February 8 last year.

In a CV seen by the Pretoria News, Maharaj states that he obtained a Management Advancement Programme Certificate at the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science in 2009.

He claimed the qualification was an abridged MBA, despite that the position he had applied for did not require the qualification.

The Pretoria News can also reveal that the institution does not offer abridged MBA courses.

An official at the institution said: “Mr Maharaj successfully completed the Absa Management Programme in 2010. This programme is accredited at NQF Level 5 by the SA Qualifications Authority under code 67249 as the Foundation Management Development Programme and carries 120 credits.

“The qualification is also recognised by the Financial Services Board allowing you entry to the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act examinations.”

According to the whistle-blower within DA ranks, Maharaj was boasting through party corridors that he had an MBA.

“Believe it or not, there’s so many staff gunning for him at the moment. They all claim he said he had an MBA or something,” said the mole.

Contacted to respond to the accusations, Maharaj said: “This was not my application for MPL. Also note that the bridging course in 2000 had different rules, which allowed you to do the Management Advancement Programme before doing the MBA.

“It is only in recent years that the rule has changed, hence Mancosa allowed me to register for the MBA. I never indicated that I have an MBA. I was also studying towards an MBA through Mancosa, but indicated on my CV that it was not complete.

“This is what I was advised when we did the Management Advancement Programme and how it was sold to us by Absa and Gordon Institute as an abridged and mini MBA – this was not used in my application for the DA or for an MP.

“I have it on my CV as an incomplete MBA by Mancosa and a Management Advancement Programme through Gordon Institute.”

The DA has been embroiled in a qualification scandal in recent months, starting with former Western Cape leader Bonginkosi Madikizela, who admitted to not completing his degree even though his biography suggested otherwise.

Saldanha mayor Marius Koen was said to also have lied about his qualifications.

Most recently, it was reported that Cape Town councillor Xanthea Limberg misrepresented her qualifications. DA spokesperson Siviwe Gwarube referred questions to the party’s federal council chairperson Helen Zille, who had yet to respond by late yesterday.