Your CV should convey the truth and nothing but the truth to avoid prison

MBOMBELA – The National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Act, has been amended to require all organs of state, employers, educational institutions and skills development providers, to verify all qualifications through the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), in order to eradicate misrepresentations by employees.

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In terms of Section 32B of the NQF Amendment Act of 2019, an employee is guilty of an offence if he or she knowingly provide false or misleading information for the purpose of financial gain; a fine or imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years or both might be imposed on the perpetrator.

The NQF amendment Act states in Section 3 that every qualification must be registered with the NQF in accordance with the Act and if found to be misrepresented, SAQA must record such finding in a register, in terms of Section 4 (e)(1B).

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This implies that a qualification which is not registered, must be referred to SAQA for verification. The verification will be overseen by SAQA for a prescribed fee. You might also jeopardise your chances of finding employment if the employer discovers that your name is recorded on SAQA’s misrepresentation register.

There is thus a fine line between displaying your positive qualities on social media and on your CV and lying about your actual qualifications, in order to procure employment under false pretenses. If an employment candidate deliberately indicate that he or she has a qualification, which does not exist, this evidently insinuates intentional misrepresentation which is an offence.

An April 4 article by Zululand Observer noted that according to statistics compiled by the South African Fraud Prevention Services, employment fraud remains widespread.

False employment histories, forged salary advices and non-existing employers, are among the most prevalent during job applications recorded for 2017/18.

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It appears from the NQF amendment Act, that you might avoid prosecution if you completed a qualification in good faith while believing it was an accredited course. Evidence for a possible acquittal of the charges of contravening the Act can be presented in such a case.

According to Statistics South Africa, the unemployment rate has increased from 27,6 per cent during the first quarter to 29 per cent in the second quarter of the year. With nearly a third of all South Africans unemployed many are tempted to lie on their job applications to provide for their families.