Fake CV lands high-ranking 'engineer' in prison for 15 years

September 5 (BBC/GNA) – A man who was chief engineer of South Africa's state-owned passenger rail company has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for falsifying his qualifications.

Once hailed for his successful career, Daniel Mthimkhulu was head of engineering at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) for five years, earning an annual salary of around 2.8 million rand ($156,000; £119,000).

On his CV, the 49-year-old claims to have held several qualifications in mechanical engineering, including a degree from South Africa's highly respected University of Witwatersrand and a doctorate from a German university.

However, the Johannesburg court heard that he had only completed secondary school.

“This sentence sends a strong message that perpetrators of white-collar crimes will not go unpunished,” said Phindi Mjonondwane, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

Mthimkhulu was arrested in July 2015, shortly after his web of lies began to unfold.

He had started working at Prasa 15 years earlier, rising through the ranks to become chief engineer, thanks to his fake qualifications.

The court also heard how he forged a job offer letter from a German company, which encouraged Prasa to increase his salary so the agency would not lose him.

He was also behind a R600 million deal to buy dozens of new trains from Spain, but they could not be used in South Africa because they were too expensive.

“The court took into account the seriousness and prevalence of the fraud, the significant financial loss suffered by Prasa and Mthimkhulu’s betrayal of his employer’s trust,” Mjonondwane said.

In a 2019 interview with local television station eNCA, Mthimkhulu admitted that he did not have a PhD.

“I failed to correct my perception of that title. I just got used to that title. I didn't anticipate any damage as a result,” he said.

Lieutenant General Seswantsho Godfrey Lebeya, head of the South African police's elite Hawks unit who helped bring the charges, also welcomed the sentence.

“This should serve as a lesson to potential fraudsters: crime does not pay,” he said.

The Hawks said the case was related to “state capture”, a term used in South Africa to describe widespread corruption that occurred under Jacob Zuma when he was president from 2009 to 2018.

GNA/Credits: BBC