August

From September 1, the National Identity Number (NIN) shall become mandatory for all transactions involving the identification of individuals in the country. To that end, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), which is in charge of NIN issuance, has urged Nigerians to avail themselves the opportunity of enrolling in the national identity database to get their NIN. These transactions, pursuant to section 27 (1) and (2) of the NIMC Act, 2007 include application for, and issuance of International Passport, opening of individual and|or group bank accounts. Also affected are all consumer credits, purchase of insurance policies, purchase, transfer and registration of land by any individual, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), such transactions that have social security implications, registration of voters, payment of taxes and pensions, among others.

Another stark reminder of how seriously our justice system takes qualifications fraud presented itself when former police spokesperson, Vincent Mdunge was sentenced to five years imprisonment. Mdunge was caught red-handed when he presented a fake matric certificate in order to further his studies at UNISA and gain promotion in the police. While the Judge acknowledged that he was a first time offender, she still threw the proverbial book at him during sentencing. How then is it possible that the criminal record expungement debate has reared its head again, with the possibility of even further amendments to the law? It seems contradictory to allow for more criminal record expungement while we deliver a rightfully heavy blow to those that lie on their CVs to get the jobs that they aren 't qualified for. A poorly thought out criminal record expungement process could have disastrous consequences.

"According to Ina van der Merwe, Director and CEO, Managed Integrity Evaluation (MIE), qualification fraud is fast becoming a significant problem in South Africa - increasing by 200% over the last five years (2009 - 2014) and impacting even the highest executive levels.

"The massive increase in the last five years refers to qualifications we have found to be falsified, invalid or inconsistent. This includes those which have been purchased from a 'degree mill, altered or simply included on a CV with no physical or recorded evidence," van der Merwe explains. "Unfortunately, as these fraudsters enter the workforce, a number of honest and legitimately qualified individuals are side-lined for the respective position," she adds. The biggest culprits Van der Merwe shares that the sector recording the highest percentage of qualification fraud is the trade industry."