Former PRASA engineering head set to be sentenced for fraud, misrepresenting qualifications
Daniel Mthimkhulu is due to be sentenced at the Palm Ridge Commercial Crimes Court after he was found guilty of nine counts of fraud.
Picture: @Dotransport/X
JOHANNESBURG - The former head of engineering at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA), Daniel Mthimkhulu, is set to be sentenced on Tuesday for fraud and misrepresenting his qualifications.
Between 2010 and 2015, Mthimkhulu was employed as the head of engineering at PRASA, receiving an annual salary of R2.8 million.
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However, it was later revealed Mthimkhulu’s academic qualifications - which included a diploma, degree, and a doctorate in engineering – were all fake.
Mthimkhulu is due to be sentenced at the Palm Ridge Commercial Crimes Court after he was found guilty of nine counts of fraud.
In 2015, a newspaper report by Rapport detailed how PRASA purchased locomotives that were too tall to operate on South Africa’s railway lines.
The report would signal the beginning of the end of “Doctor” Daniel Mthimkhulu’s fraudulent career at the parastatal.
Despite receiving backing from then-PRASA CEO Lucky Montana, Mthimkhulu failed to provide any proof of his qualifications.
In 2019, Mthimkhulu was ordered by the Gauteng High Court to repay PRASA R5.7 million in monies he received under false pretences.
Over the years, Mthimkhulu has maintained his innocence, saying he is a victim of a political agenda.