When editor Brent Wilson of ITI News called Columbia University to find out about Dr Danisa Baloyi, he found that they had no record of her completing a doctorate, which raises further questions about corporate governance in SA.

Bruce Whitfield:
The Danisa Baloyi story is very much still in the spotlight. She got booted by Absa last week, it seemed that she found the concept of a conflict of interest related to her time at Fidentia and as a trustee of Living Hands quite hard to grasp when we spoke to her last week on the program.

The Don Group then on Friday came out (where she is chairperson) and said they have decided to keep her on, and then over the weekend it emerged that the University of Fort Hare said it had agree to let her step aside at her own request. Then this morning, ITI News, a website based in Cape Town, where Brent Wilson is the news editor, published a story saying, well, we sent an email to her alma mater which is the Columbia University saying has she got a doctorate. Brent Wilson, the Editor of that website is with us now and Brent, what was the response did you get from the University?

Brent Wilson:
The issue is not about whether she has a degree or not, it is about what kind of degree she has. At this point, we cannot confirm that she has a doctorate at all. So the question is still up in the air, and until I have had a reply from that side, I will not be able to comment any further.

Bruce Whitfield:
But certainly you did get a response in which they said to you that she has two masters degrees, but they have no record of a doctorate. She had sighed up for a doctorate, but they had no record of whether or not she completed a doctorate.

Brent Wilson:
That is true.

Bruce Whitfield:
And so as far as we know at this stage, she actually does not have a doctorate from Columbia University?

Brent Wilson:
Until we can confirm otherwise, yes.

Bruce Whitfield:
And you have tried to confirm this by going to the University itself, they have said to you, she has no doctorate on our records, you tried to confirm it with her as well today?

Brent Wilson:
Yes of course, but the story goes far further than that, it goes to corporate governance. I feel that if somebody appoints a person to a board, and that person is in the public eye, and obviously that is subject to public scrutiny. That person’s credentials should be checked out further. And we need to make sure that our corporate governance procedures are carried out in this country.

The story that I published on ITI News, and of course it is carried by Moneyweb, is as a matter of fact, about corporate governance. And we published a story, shall we say facetious, which took the mickey out of the whole appointment procedure, and I feel that humours is a good way to treat it.

Bruce Whitfield:
Certainly you have highlighted the issue, Brent Wilson thanks very much, the editor of ITI News.

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