The woman that the late public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan appointed as his chief of staff, earning R1.2-million per annum, opted to resign from her new job after Sunday World reported about her questionable qualifications.
Today we can exclusively reveal that Nthabiseng Borotho resigned in December last year after we reported that she was appointed as the chief of staff for transport minister
Barbara Creecy with a one-year diploma in public management from Regenesys, while the
minimum requirement for the job is a bachelor’s degree or an advanced diploma and
experience.
When Gordhan appointed Borotho as his chief of staff in August 2019, she didn’t possess “an NQF7 qualification required” or “the minimum requirements for the position of chief of staff”.
But Gordhan persuaded then public service and administration minister Senzo Mchunu to approve her appointment.
When Creecy appointed Borotho as her chief of staff, she told parliament that the former Gordhan’s trusted employee met the requirements for academic qualifications.
But a Sunday World investigation revealed that Borotho didn’t have a degree but a one-year national diploma, which was paid for with taxpayers’ money.
Transport department spokesperson Collen Msibi confirmed that Borotho had obtained a 15-month diploma in public administration from Regenesys as well as a one-year postgraduate diploma in public management from the same institution.
“It is important to mention that her national diploma is NQF level 7,” Msibi said.
But shortly after our exposé, insiders told Sunday World this week, that human resources management in the department started squeezing Borotho about her qualifications.
“She was given 90 days to produce her academic qualifications and explain how her one-year diploma is equivalent to a bachelor’s degree as per the minimum requirement for the position of chief of staff but then she opted to resign because things didn’t add up,” one source said.
Borotho secretly resigned in December, “telling her close confidants that she is going to the private sector”.
Sunday World can also today reveal that Borotho allegedly left with a government laptop, iPad, phones, hard drives, screens and accessories for laptops, which returned after she was asked to do so.
Msibi yesterday confirmed Borotho’s resignation.
“I can confirm that Ms Borotho submitted her resignation letter in December 2024,” he said.
Msibi also confirmed that “Borotho did return the laptop and iPad” as requested.
He, however, denied allegations that she was given 90 days to submit her qualifications as “she had already done so during her appointment”.
Borotho couldn’t be reached for comment.
