Politicians and individuals who received unmerited qualifications from the University of Fort Hare, including Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane, may again come into the spotlight after the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) was given the green light to expand its investigation into academic fraud.

This after President Cyril Ramaphosa recently signed six new and two amended proclamations, authorising the SIU to probe allegations of corruption and maladministration at Fort Hare and the national and provincial departments of transport, health and sports, arts and culture.

Regarding Fort Hare, the SIU got an amendment of Proclamation No.R.84 of 2022, which is now Proclamation 194 of 2024.

The SIU investigated the awarding of degrees specifically focused on honours qualifications under the previous Proclamation. It has now been expanded to include bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees.

Fort Hare spokesperson JP Roodt said the university welcomed the amendments to the Proclamation. Roodt said it was the university’s management that approached the SIU for assistance in investigating malfeasance in 2020.

“The amended Presidential Proclamation is therefore another important milestone for council and university management and is pivotal to the project of steering the university on a path of renewal.

“The amendments to the original proclamation are in no way an indictment of the university’s academic project or the credibility of our qualifications. The accreditation and quality of the university’s programmes have always been, and continue to be, beyond reproach.

Instead, the proclamation specifically targets irregular practices, most of which are historical,” Roodt said.

He further said: “In response to some of these historical practices and the current investigation, the university, over the last few years, has done significant work to reposition the university by enhancing efficiencies, improving governance, and streamlining operations through various mechanisms, including policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), consequence management, and the restructuring of academic departments.”

The SIU would also probe the registration and admission of non-eligible persons to study for or awarded degrees, including bachelor’s degrees, honours degrees, master's degrees and PhD degrees, or in a manner that was contrary to manuals, policies, procedures, prescripts, instructions and practices applicable to the university.

“Without limiting the scope of non-eligibility grounds, this includes persons who did not have the requisite degrees or matriculation results to enrol for, study for, or be awarded the degrees in question,” read the amendment.

Mabuyane, who holds an economics degree from Fort Hare, was deregistered and excluded from a master’s degree in 2021 after an investigation by the university into his research supervisor and former faculty dean Professor Edwin Ijeoma.

Ijeoma was also accused of irregularly registering former Eastern Cape health MEC Sindiswa Gomba for an honours degree in public administration even though she did not have an undergraduate degree.

Mabuyane last year won an urgent court interdict to prevent the SIU from probing him in relation to allegations that he registered for a master’s degree fraudulently. Mabuyane approached the court to interdict the SIU and declare the SIU investigation unlawful and set it aside. The second part of the application was due to be heard earlier this year but was struck off the roll.

The amendment also authorised the SIU to probe:

The maintenance of the University’s infrastructure from 1 January 2022 to 31 March 2023; the installation of CCTV cameras and associated security features at the university’s staff village in Alice in the Eastern Cape Province from 18 March 2022 to 2 June 2022; and the refurbishment and maintenance of student residences at the University’s Alice campus in the Eastern Cape Province during the year 2009

Capacity Building Programme for the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature

The appointment of a Head of Department in a manner that was contrary to manuals, policies, procedures, prescripts, instructions or practices of, or applicable to, the University

Serious maladministration and malpractices, as well as conduct which may seriously harm the interests of the public, in the affairs of the University about the Nguni Cattle Development Trust

Serious maladministration and malpractices, as well as conduct that may seriously harm the interests of the public in the affairs of the University regarding the administration and payment of allowances for food, accommodation, books, stationery, cash and study-related costs to qualifying students

Serious maladministration and malpractices, as well as conduct which may seriously harm the interests of the public, in the affairs of the university about the university’s Faculty of Health Sciences about the Albertina Sisulu Executive Leadership Programme in Health and Master of Public Health Programme, including the registration or admission of non-eligible persons to enrol for, study for or be awarded degrees, about the programmes above. Without limiting the scope of non-eligibility grounds, this includes persons who did not have the requisite degrees or Matriculation results to enrol for, study for, or be awarded the degrees.

Spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago declined to comment, saying the SIU does not give an update on the ongoing investigations.

Sunday Independent

manyane.manyane@inl.co.za

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