Johannesburg – MTN South Africa on Monday announced that it has accepted the resignation of independent non-executive director Thabi Leoka, effective immediately.
Leoka has been embroiled in a scandal over her claim to have a PhD in economics that many media houses have failed to prove exists.
The University of London, where she claimed to have received the PhD, denied giving her such a qualification in economics or even having such a programme.
Leoka has blamed a mix-up in her names, which she said she changed, as the reason for the difficulty in confirming her PhD.
MTN said Leoka joined the board of the Group subsidiary in 2019.
“She resigned to attend to her health and the questions she has been facing concerning her academic qualifications,” MTN said in a terse statement.
Leoka is in the U.S.A. where she is receiving treatment for Glaucoma that has affected one of her eyes.
In a related development, E. Viljoen, company secretary for Anglo American Platinum issued a short statement announcing board changes that included the exit of Leoka.
“In compliance with paragraph 3.59 of the JSE Limited Listings Requirements shareholders are advised that, on her request, Thabi Leoka has resigned from her position as a non-executive director of the company and consequently the board committees she serves on, with immediate effect, in order to attend to her health and the questions she has been facing in relation to her academic qualifications,” said the statement.
