Cape Town - In a letter to the ANC, party stalwart Pallo Jordan apparently resigned from all party positions just two days before the news broke that he did not have a PhD as stated in his CV.
According to the Sunday Times, a letter, dated 1 August, was sent to ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, informing him that Jordan had decided to resign.
His resignation was backdated to 29 July - the day the newspaper told him they were publishing the story on 3 August.
In the letter he states that he was going through a “stressful time” and that he had committed “two or three” errors relating to his qualifications.
Helping the struggle
He did not go into any details but said that he knew it would “blow up in my face” one day. He also said in the letter that he at one stage thought the perpetuation of the lie that he held a PhD would be of help to the liberation struggle.
Attempts by the newspaper to contact Jordan have proved fruitless. Jordan continued to keep a low profile this week but was believed to be in Cape Town.
The ANC has meanwhile accepted his resignation from parliament but the National Executive Committee (NEC) has yet to make a decision.
The ANC said last week that the allegations regarding the academic qualifications of Pallo Jordan is nothing but a publicity gimmick, News24 reported.
In a statement on Monday it said: “With or without academic qualifications, Comrade Jordan to us remains a source of great pride not only as an intellectual giant but for the immense contribution and sacrifices he has made and continues to make for our nation and its young democracy.”
ANC: Reaffirm unshakeable respect
On 3 August the Sunday Times claimed that Jordan, who has routinely used the title of “Dr”, was a fraud.
The newspaper reported that the acclaimed writer appears to have never even finished university - despite an official government CV of his suggesting he graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the London School of Economics. Jordan did, however, study at Wisconsin-Madison but did not graduate.
In response, the ANC said: “We reaffirm our unshakable respect, admiration and confidence in him as one of the movement’s most treasured assets with a unique and unparalleled knowledge and experience on a wide range of social, economic and political matters.”
The party says academic qualifications are not among Constitutional requirements to qualify for membership of Parliament, and therefore, the matter has nothing to do with Parliament.