Johnathan Shoniwa Governance Issues
The problem of senior managers and executives falsifying (overstating) their qualification has really not been an issue in Zimbabwe, mainly because of the high integrity of the education system and the checks and balances in the system or simply because we have not yet caught up with the culprits.

However, as we integrate globally, more and more, this may need to be revisited.

The increase in the number of senior people in South Africa who have overstated their qualifications, one way or the other, is, to say the least, cause for concern. I quote here some of the reported cases as a way of background/introduction.

The latest being the South African Airways acting chief executive Nico Bezuidenhout, who is one of the high-profile executives and politicians who have been exposed for overstating their qualifications.

According to the Sunday Times, Bezuidenhout claimed to have a BCom degree and an MBA, when, according to the admission by SAA, he only has Matric. This is after the discovery that SAA board chairperson Dudu Myeni had also misrepresented that she had a degree in administration from UNISA.

The known fact now is that she has no qualifications from UNISA.

I surely hope none of their pilots has falsified their qualification (that superiority complex you have when checking in at the airport and you are in an SAA line and not Airzim one, could very well be overinflated). Next time they ask you to fasten your seat belt surely do!

SABC Chief Operations Officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng claimed he had Matric, yet known facts now are that he has no qualification (yowe!). Give the guy his dues, one must be pretty clever to pull this one off (just imagine him in a strategic review session – please don’t laugh!). Now this is the equivalent of our very own ZBC! In the midst of all the chaos at least we have not had such a case (never mind the familiar “we are unable to bring you that news clip at the moment”).

We surely need to count our blessings (feel like singing the hit song “Verenga Zvikomborero”, aren’t we too critical of ourselves!

But wait, we are not done with SA, that is not all! In another recent case, the affable former communications minister “Dr” Pallo Jordan resigned from Parliament and apologised to the ANC following reports that his qualifications were false. Jordan claimed to have a postgraduate qualification and a doctorate.

Yes, he was Dr Jordan, yet the known fact now is that he has no tertiary qualifications! Reminds me of a video doing the rounds on Facebook: ‘MaSibanda the Original Fake’! (Now if you want a really good laugh you must watch this one!

The question is: If this is happening next door in South Africa, how exposed are we as a country? We have had our cases (such as the TM Supermarket supervisor who was only discovered after 11 years – courtesy of a tip-off) but not at this SA magnitude.

A lot needs to be done to protect our economy from those who may be tempted to overstate their qualifications.

According to one website I googled (I also google serious stuff by the way) “statistics show that nearly 40 percent of employment applications (read CVs) have errors, or are falsified in some way”.

For organisations, it means they need to pay special attention to the recruitment processes and that the employee files must be updated on a regular basis and kept in a secure place. Apart from taking the necessary in-house due diligence, there are independent houses that can confirm qualifications and it is advisable to use such to verify your prospective employee qualifications. Again the importance of using a good employment agency cannot be overemphasised.

Over and above this, there are, however, two main challenges to deal with.

One is the appointment of senior staff which appears in most cases to be shrouded in secrecy and to which human resources executives are at times not involved in (barred is the word).

This is where things go wrong. For good governance it is recommended that an appointments committee be in place.

For executives this should at least include the CEO and HR executive. This will ensure that the process is not only transparent but is allowed to interrogate the salient points in the candidate’s application, qualification and otherwise.

For board appointments it is recommended that there be an appointments committee made up of executive and non-executive board members.

Apart from addressing the qualification issues, this will ensure that appointments based on patronage are eliminated or at least kept to a minimum.

The second challenge is in how to manage the verification of expatriates coming into the country.

There are two issues to verify, one is that they indeed hold the qualification they purport to hold and that the qualifications are relevant and can be rated (establish its local equivalent) based on the local qualifi- cations.

This is even more imperative where such certificates are in other languages. Imagine your O-Level certificate issued by Zimsec written in Shona and they ask you to interpret it in another country – I’m sure after the interpretation it may end up being an A-Level certificate with Mathematics A, Physics A and Chemistry B (oh yes B – just in case someone becomes suspicious).

So to avoid this scenario, I have in mind a body that can be established to verify the contents of such foreign courses and authenticity and then give them a Zimbabwe equivalent or exemption. More like how our kids studying in SA are required to obtain a Matriculation Exemption Certificate. I remember when I went to Zambia to work as an accountant, many years ago, the requirement then (not sure whether it still the same) was that I had to be registered with the Zambian Institute of Chartered Accountants first (of course yours truly was duly registered – “ko kutyeyi iwo mapapers ari tii”). The rationale was that only a relevant professional body was competent to verify my qualifications; not Immigration.

Other countries require that transcripts be sent direct from the examining body to the relevant authorities/employer.

The above proposals will ensure that our organisations are led by properly qualified leaders and that we do not expose the economy to unnecessary risks. As my sister would invariably say when we were growing up (reminds of “those that are close to me and my lifestyle”): prevention is better that cure!

Till next time “Ndini uyoooo!!!!”

  • Johnathan Shoniwa is an independent management consultant and writes in his personal capacity. He can be contacted on email: [email protected].

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