NPA spokesperson Bulelwa Makeke has been cleared of allegations of unethical conduct for possibly misrepresenting her qualifications, but sources in the agency claim that the probe was a whitewash.
Makeke stated in her curriculum vitae that she holds a diploma in public relations management from the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (Prisa), which later proved to be a certificate for a two-week course.
Detractors smell a rat
While Makeke explained the discrepancy as an error, disgruntled insiders in the NPA have questioned why she committed the same mistake twice. When her qualifications raised concerns in 2023, she allegedly submitted the same curriculum vitae for vetting.
“The NPA picked this up during vetting investigations in 2023 and requested her to submit
her CV.
“She provided the same copy of her CV, stating that she holds a diploma in public relations, which was not attached.
“When she was approached by the integrity management unit since it was escalated to it, she claimed that it was an error,” said the source.
The diploma is actually a certificate
According to the NPA’s integrity management unit report, dated October 14, Makeke had not in any way disputed that the public relations management diploma that Prisa had issued to her was not a diploma.
Instead, she stated that the course’s goal was to improve her knowledge and practice, which resulted in her certification as a Chartered Public Relations Practitioner, a highly regarded status in the industry.
“The discrepancy between the information captured in the curriculum vitae and the actual qualification has been plausibly explained as an error, resulting in the qualification being
mistakenly listed as a diploma and there is no evidence to suggest that the certificate was presented as a primary qualification for purposes of being considered for the advertised post of executive manager: communication nineteen (19) years ago,” the report by director for fraud, corruption and investigation Milton Ntshehi said.
Ntshehi concluded: “An element of dishonesty to present the certificate as a primary qualification could not be established, and in fact the evidence revealed that the certificate in question, which was erroneously captured as a diploma, was brought into the picture as a supplementary qualification for her bachelor’s degree and the vast communication and
managerial skills and expertise.
“So, the bachelor’s degree and experience stood her in good stead; otherwise, without them, her eligibility would have been put into question.”
The deputy national director of public prosecutions for strategy, operations and compliance,
Advocate Antony Du Plessis, received a report from the unit, in which Ntshehi recommended the matter be closed.
Dishonesty could not be established
Ntshehi said the certificate in public relations management awarded to Makeke by Prisa could not have reasonably influenced and induced her 2005 appointment as executive manager of communication.
“Therefore, the allegation of possible misrepresentation of qualification should be
dismissed as an improbability on the basis of the qualification of the bachelor’s degree
possessed by the candidate, considered in conjunction with the relevant experience
acquired in the field of communication,” Ntshehi ruled.
Makeke said the certificate in question was attached to her CV. She questioned, “Why would I, intentionally and with a motivation to mislead, submit a document as proof that says something different if it’s not a simple error?”
She noted she only became aware of the problem when the investigation was almost complete, suggesting that a simple inquiry could have avoided the unnecessary resource use. The certificate was not essential to her qualifications, as her bachelor’s degree already met the minimum requirements.
When asked about the error’s repetition in 2023, she explained, “I have simply never needed to go back and review my CV back that far.”
She criticised the leak of the investigation report as “really quite vile and concerning.”
