Malaika Masina PHD: Malaika Mahlatsi has denied allegations that she wrote a PHD for Mayor Ekurhuleni Mayor Mzwandile Masina. The allegations were peddled against her by ex boyfriend Katlego Mamabolo after a public spat. Part of the statement she made read:
Malaika on writing a PHD for Mayor Ekurhuleni Mayor Mzwandile Masina
In several of his posts, Mamabolo makes the damning allegation that he has evidence that I am doing a PhD for my boss, the Executive Mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni, Cllr Mzwandile Masina. Mamabolo claims that he is in possession of a recording in which I claim to be doing this, and to be paid for it. The malice in this is immeasurable and necessitates engagement. It is true that I am in the employ of the City of Ekurhuleni, in the Office of the Executive Mayor. I work as a Speechwriter, which incorporates a research and editing element. My boss is in the process of completing a PhD, and I too am pursuing a Masters degree and another postgraduate qualification. It is in the nature of scholarship that scholars exchange their written work for review and engagement. My boss sent me a chapter of his work and requested my opinion on it, and I saved this on my laptop desktop. At the time when Mamabolo was at my house, he repeatedly made use of my laptop to watch Netflix, and would do so in both my absence and presence. He might have seen this chapter on my computer and made the assumption that I was writing it when in fact, I was merely reviewing it and making commentary. I am a Geographer by qualification and know little about the subject matter that my boss is researching about, which is on local government. It would be a Herculean task for me to write a credible dissertation on it, and this is why my intervention is solely at the level of commentary around the strength of the argument as well as grammatical and syntax issues.
Mamabolo’s assumption that assisting someone with this is indicative of doing their dissertation for them is reflective of his lack of understanding of scholarship and the ideational space as it were. It is not uncommon and in fact, it is at the heart of scientific rigour that scholars review and engage with the work of their peers. This is something that anyone pursuing or holding a Masters or doctoral qualification would know. Mamabolo doesn’t know this because he has never operated at this level academically. This is therefore unfamiliar territory to him. His claims that I told him I’m doing a PhD for my boss are a complete fabrication, and one I take serious exception to because they cast aspersions on the person of the Executive Mayor, a man who has at all times conducted his academic work with integrity. Despite everything else that he posted, albeit with the aim of embellishment, he has failed to produce the voice-note he claims to have, in which we engage in the discussion about my boss’s PhD, for the simple reason that it does not exist. That he continues to cast aspersions on both my and the Mayors credibility and ethical conduct is damaging and has implications that go beyond reputational damage. It is, quite frankly, an attack on scholarship.
NEXT: Malaika opens criminal case against Mamabolo
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