Chwaita Chiefta|Published
MK Party eThekwini mayoral candidate Apostle Mxolisi Phakathi says he holds no formal qualification beyond a Biblical Studies diploma, contradicting a party representative’s claim that he has a Master’s degree in Public Administration.
This comes after MK Party representative Professor Thamsanqa Mkhize said during the IOL elections debate on Wednesday, that the party’s eThekwini mayoral candidate held a Master’s degree in Public Administration.
Mkhize was responding to a question about political interference in tender procurement and the qualifications required for municipal leadership.
He said the MK Party did not believe in cadre deployment and that appointments should be based on merit.
Mkhize was asked what the minimum requirement should be for a mayor and whether the MK Party was applying that standard to its own mayoral candidate.
“For mayor, the minimum qualification should be the Masters,” he responded.
EFF mayoral candidate Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi then challenged Mkhize to provide details of the qualification.
“He must be clear because he is not the mayoral candidate, he must tell us where his mayoral candidate got that qualification and at which faculty,” Mkhaliphi said.
Mkhize replied: “I have just answered that one, that he’s got Masters in Public Administration, are you happy? Those are his qualifications, we have got no doubt.”
Action SA’s Zwakhele Mncwango then alerted Mkhize to an earlier dailynews.co.za article which reported that Phakathi only had a biblical studies diploma.
“I am not saying my father here (Mkhize) is lying, but I did read a dailynews.co.za story on Tuesday that the mayoral candidate of MK Party did not have a qualification beyond Biblical studies after matric.
“So, when the candidate himself says he doesn’t have any qualification, then where does it come from that he’s got a Masters?” Mncwango asked.
Mkhize then responded that the information should be checked with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), arguing that relying on a newspaper report was not sufficient.
The debate moderator, Yogas Nair, subsequently asked Mkhize to email the SAQA report relating to Phakathi’s qualifications to ActionSA.
When dailynews.co.za followed up with Mkhize on Thursday about Phakathi’s qualifications, he said he had relied on information from Phakathi’s former comrades in the African Transformation Movement (ATM).
He said he had assumed the information was correct because he considered Phakathi intelligent and believed he possessed the qualities of a good leader.
Responding to the discussion about his qualifications at the debate, Phakathi said he had been honest about his educational background during the October 13 interview.
“I spoke with you during the recent interview honestly, and I disclosed that I do not have a formal qualification except a Biblical diploma. I am just a Pastor, it’s important to tell the people the truth,” he said.
Phakathi maintained that the absence of further formal qualifications did not make him unsuitable for the mayoral position.
“However, being a pastor does not deem me unfit to become a Mayor, because qualifications alone do not guarantee ethical leadership. I have the necessary experiences and a proven record in the legislature that qualifies me,” he said.
He added that he was not opposed to education but argued that academic qualifications did not necessarily translate into ethical leadership.
Candidates differ on the value of qualifications
During the debate, Mkhaliphi told Mkhize that she had a Masters degree.
“Baba Mkhize I also have a Masters degree in Labour law, so I know how it feels being a slave within the system. I will make sure no one becomes a slave with these Masters,” she said.
In addition Mkhaliphi is a PHD candidate at Unisa and also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Minority Front mayoral candidate Shameen Thakur-Rajbansi said: “I have heard enough of the discussion about the criteria for becoming a mayor.”
Asked what stood out for her in the debate, she said: “They have one Master’s and I have two, both in public and private sector, and they are from reputable universities.”
Thakur Rajbansi holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA): University of KwaZulu-Natal (2015) and
Master of Management: University of Witwatersrand School of Governance 2020. Qualifications and leadership
KZN political analyst Zakhele Ndlovu said tertiary education was important for people entrusted with legislative and governance responsibilities, including oversight of budgets and public institutions.
However, Ndlovu cautioned that qualifications did not automatically demonstrate competence or integrity, noting concerns about fraudulent academic credentials.
“ We do need to acknowledge that our education has been compromised. We have Mas and PhDs that are not worth the paper they are written on. Some are even fraudulent,” he said.
Political analyst Dr Ntsikelelo Breakfast said there was no constitutional requirement for political parties to select mayoral candidates based on academic qualifications.
“It is not illegal not to possess a qualification. It is up to the political party whether they employ people based on qualifications or not,” Breakfast said.
He also referred to the Revised White Paper on Local Government and the emphasis on merit and the skills needed to oversee municipal institutions.
Breakfast cautioned against treating academic qualifications as a guarantee of ethical leadership, arguing that corruption could also involve people with advanced degrees.