Lie on your CV and you could land in jail

CV fraudsters beware – you are about to be publicly named and shamed, and risk jail time.

This comes after the new National Qualifications Framework Amendment Act was finally gazetted in August.

It aims to stop South Africans lying about their qualifications and to punish them if they do.

The act allows the South African Qualifications Authority (Saqa) to establish and maintain registers of those found guilty of falsifying professional designations, or misrepresenting or lying about their qualifications.

It came about because several high-profile SA officials and individuals were found to have misrepresented their qualifications.

Those found guilty risked fines and possible prison terms not exceeding five years, Saqa CEO Joe Samuels said.

Employee verification experts say the number of people lying on their CVs, especially prominent government officials, is very high in SA.