Imposter Top Engineer Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison, Didn’t Go Past High School
The former chief engineer at South Africa’s state-owned passenger rail company has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for falsifying his qualifications.
Daniel Mthimkhulu once praised for his successful career, was head of engineering at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) for five years, earning an annual salary of about 2.8 million rand (Sh20,128,508 million).
_“The most sought-after Engineer in the world_” is going to jail for 15 years. The man who knowingly enabled it (I said what I said) is now a Member of Parliament, earning R1.2m per annum plus benefits (housing,car,travel,medical aid,pension fund)… pic.twitter.com/jy2bX8DjBF
— Itumeleng Nkoane🇿🇦 (@TUMI02GP) September 3, 2024
On his CV, the 49-year-old claimed to have several mechanical engineering qualifications, including a degree from South Africa’s prestigious Witwatersrand University and a doctorate from a German university.
However, the Johannesburg court heard that he had only graduated from high school.
“The sentence sends a strong message that the perpetrators of white-collar crime will not go unpunished,” said Phindi Mjonondwane, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
Metamorphosis Integrated Solutions CEO Zanele Luvuno says qualification misrepresentation cases happen more often and, unfortunately, many people get away with it. This comes after former head of engineering at Prasa Daniel Mthimkhulu received a 15-year jail sentence for… pic.twitter.com/856mCDOHoS
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) September 3, 2024
Mthimkhulu was arrested in July 2015, just as his web of lies began to unravel.
He had started working at Prasa 15 years ago, rising through the ranks to become chief engineer thanks to his forged credentials.
The court also heard how he forged a job offer letter from a German company, which prompted Prasa to raise his salary so that the agency would not lose him.
He was also at the forefront of a 600 million rand deal to purchase dozens of new trains from Spain, which could not be used in South Africa due to their high cost.
“The court took into account the seriousness and prevalence of fraud, the significant financial loss to Prasa and Mthimkhulu’s betrayal of his employer’s trust,” Ms Mjonondwane said.
In a 2019 interview with local broadcaster eNCA, Mthimkhulu admitted that he did not have a PhD.
“I failed to correct the perception that I have it. I just became comfortable with the title. I did not foresee any damages as a result of this,” he said.
Lt-Gen Seswantsho Godfrey Lebeya, the head of South Africa’s elite Hawks police unit, who assisted in the prosecution, also praised the sentence.
“This should serve as a lesson to would-be fraudsters that crime doesn’t pay,” he said.
The Hawks said this was a case of “state capture,” a term used in South Africa to describe widespread corruption that occurred under Jacob Zuma, who was president from 2009 to 2018.
Mthimkhulu is reportedly planning an appeal.
Imposter Top Engineer Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison, Didn’t Go Past High School
