Durban — EThekwini Municipality deputy city manager for human capital Kim Makhathini’s fight with Damelin over claims of a fake qualification has received a boost from another person who studied the same course as her.
Makhathini claims to have obtained a six-month human resources management diploma from Damelin in 1996.
But Damelin, in response to a probe by eThekwini’s investigation arm, the City Integrity and Investigations Unit (CIIU), has denied ever offering a short course diploma in human resources management, saying the qualification was not SAQA accredited and therefore it did not have an NQF level or credit value.
As a result, the CIIU concluded that Makhathini had produced a fake qualification when she was offered the job of deputy city manager for human capital in 2021, and was therefore guilty of fraud. The CIIU prompted the city to appoint an independent investigator to probe Makhathini. The city also wanted to suspend her but the council could not reach an agreement.
In support of Makhathini, Shaun Mark Johns from Glenwood in Durban deposed an affidavit stating that he too had studied for and obtained the same diploma from Damelin in 1996.
In his affidavit, Johns wrote: I have attended the Field Street campus of Damelin Management school in Durban where I completed the diploma course in human resource management as a part-time student, that is for the year 1996, and awarded acknowledgement on March 12, 1997.
Makhathini’s attorney, Kathy James, said her client has suffered extreme reputational harm as a result of the claim that her qualifications were fraudulent.
She said in terms of a court order, the municipality was precluded from taking disciplinary action against her client until a review application had been determined.
“Notwithstanding this, however, in accordance with what is recorded in the agenda of the Council meeting that was held on July 13, 2023, the supplementary report was filed outside the time period of advocate Jabu Thobela-Mkhulisi’s mandate and to this extent the supplementary report is invalid and ought to be set aside on that basis alone,” said James.
Last week, Makhathini scored a court victory against the municipality when the court set aside the findings of a private investigator that she did not have the Damelin qualification. The report was supplementary to her main report where the investigator had said she could not conclude (the reports) because Damelin had not co-operated.
Makhathini’s legal team argued in court that she was not given an opportunity to make a presentation on the new information that had led to the supplementary report.
The supplementary report had apparently come as a result of the purported letter from Damelin to the verification agency MIE on June 27 which denied that Makhathini had obtained the diploma.
Her attorneys argued that the letter appears to have been correcting the verification report by the MIE in 2020 which confirmed that Makhathini had obtained the qualification.
The eThekwini council was expected to discuss the report and the court order at Tuesday’s council meeting.
WhatsApp your views on this story to 071 485 7995.
Daily News