By Zukile Majova
Political Editor
Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has emerged as the biggest fish in the infamous degrees-for-sale scandal at the University of Fort Hare.
A presidentially sanctioned investigation has followed a probe by new vice-chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu into years of fraud and corruption, and assassinations, at the university. Investigators have also stumbled on evidence that those behind the murders at UFH have promised a R5 million reward for the killing of Professor Buhlungu.
Mayors, members of the provincial legislature, members of the provincial executive, public servants and now Mabuyane are under investigation for acquiring fake degrees from the UFH.
The probe by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) also fingered Minister of Public Service and Administration Ms Noxolo Kiviet, also a former premier of the Eastern Cape. Minister Kiviet has a suspicious Master’s degree in Public Administration.
Mabuyane, a close political ally of President Cyril Ramaphosa, was the president’s choice of ANC deputy president during the party’s elective conference in December 2022.
Mabuyane’s involvement in the scam was revealed in papers filed at Bhisho High Court in response to Mabuyane’s attempt to block the SIU investigation.
Bongani Tshuku, the SIU principal forensic auditor, told the court they have “found evidence which, prima facie, shows that a team of university officials and researchers produced a thesis on behalf of Mabuyane, who was pursuing Master’s and doctorate qualifications at the relevant time without having been awarded an honours degree or its equivalent”.
“It appears that Mabuyane was irregularly registered and admitted for a Master’s degree without satisfying the prerequisite of having an honours degree. It further appears that Mabuyane was already enrolled for a PhD degree at the time he registered for the Master’s degree.”
The SIU investigation has also implicated the former UFA public administration faculty dean Prof Edwin Ijeoma in Mabuyane’s irregular Master’s thesis.
Mabuyane said the investigation into his qualifications was only meant to embarrass him and had no chance of finding any irregularities on his part.
The elite SAPS investigators are also looking into the abuse of taxpayers money by Eastern Cape government officials.
“Those matters include, among others, maladministration in the affairs of the university’s faculty of public administration in relation to the awarding of honours degree, management funds and sourcing of public servants for study into various faculty programmes by an individual for personal gain,” said Tshuku.
Caption: The Special Investigating Unit has confirmed it is investigating Premier Oscar Mabuyane’s Master’s degree
Source:@OscarMabuyane
