A bad week for Thabi Leoka
No PhD and no more Remgro directorship for economist
A good week for Donald Trump
It was hardly unexpected, but Donald Trump’s victory in the Iowa caucuses this week was so overwhelming that there seems little to stop him from becoming the Republican candidate in the US presidential election in November. Voters in the state came out in numbers to support Trump, in spite of the bitter cold and his mounting legal jeopardy. Caucuses, unlike primaries in most other states, are quaint “neighbourly gatherings” and Iowa’s are a strong indication of how candidates will fare later in the race. All signs in Iowa point to Trump being a GOP shoo-in.
A bad week for Thabi Leoka
Thabi Leoka’s fall is as steep as it is unremarkable. South Africa has a history of overreached ambitions leading to a fall. Leoka was a respected economist — even “celebrated”, according to one print publication — serving on the president’s economic advisory panel, and on the boards of Remgro, MTN and Anglo American Platinum. But Business Day reported this week that Leoka may not actually have a PhD from the London School of Economics as she claimed. And if it’s found that she misrepresented her qualifications, her difficulties may not be over. The National Qualifications Framework Amendment Act says misrepresenting academic qualifications is a crime.