If one is unable to achieve a matric pass of 30%, go for the next best: purchase a fake one and an honours degree or two.

Yet another heavy-weight ANC official has been exposed in this scam perpetrated on South Africa’s citizens: the honourable Dr Pallo Jordan. Due to his bookish demeanour, the title Doctor was not challenged. But what is his fraudster? He is no better than the whole slew of DJs styling themselves as Dr. So-and-so. In their case, it is merely a moniker and forms part of their stage persona. In the case of Mr Jordan as he should henceforth be called, it served as a badge of distinct in keeping with his intellectual utterances and disposition.

Shame on you, Dr – I mean – Mr Jordan.

But Mr Jordan is but one in a whole plethora of similar imposters: Chippy Shaik, the brother of the briber, Shabir Shaik who claimed to be the recipient of a PhD in Engineering, Carl Niehaus, whose CVs were a flight of fantasy and the animal abuser and North West Premier, Thandise Modise who claimed to be studying for a Master’s in Economics.

In all these cases, the amoral claimant was making fanciful claims about academic and other achievements in order to perhaps buttress their own lack of self-esteem but definitely to unfairly obtain preference in employment.

Apart from the aforementioned persons, South Africa has a whole slew of applicants to senior positions who despite admitting to their lack of educational ability are nevertheless appointed to senior positions. Mr Hlaudi Motsoeneng who has been appointed COO at the SABC is a recent case in point. For such a senior position, it was not deemed to be a requirement to possess a Matric Certificate.

Gone are the days where South Africa’s President would possess some professional qualification like being a lawyer, now all that is required is Jacob Zuma’s Standard Three Certificate. Yet another egregious example is Jacob Zuma’s 25 year old daughter obtaining a very senior position in a government department.

After the ANC had successively reduced the Matric Pass Rate to a paltry 30%, the current Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga is today quoted as claiming that “It is an absolute disgrace that you can pass matric with a mark of 30%”

I wonder whether her predecessors are now sharpening their knives at this very time.

Being South Africa, all of the culprits in the fake qualification scams have faced no censure. There were no consequences and hence various candidates will continue to perpetrate the same scam with impunity.

At the very least, the miscreant should have been dismissed but more importantly, they should have been debarred from future employment in the civil service.

Personally I contend that both phenomena have at their core the same fallacious desire: to obtain something which the claimant wants without expending any effort.

Both highlight the moral turpitude of South African society.

Probity is not amongst their attributes and traits.