SIU to further probe alleged academic fraud at Fort Hare

This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa amended the Special Investigating Unit's (SIU) proclamation on Friday.

The SIU will probe maladministration in the affairs of the university's Faculty of Public Administration in relation to the awarding of honours degrees, management of funds, and sourcing of public servants for study in various faculty programmes.

The amendment results from the SIU’s investigations which revealed that the SIU needs to investigate further areas that the existing proclamations did not cover.

SIU spokesperson Kiazer Kganyago said the amendment authorises the SIU to investigate, among others the awarding of qualifications at the university.

"Registration or admission of non-eligible persons to enrol for, study for or be awarded degrees, including Bachelors’ degrees, honours degrees, Masters’ degrees and PhD degrees,

"or in a manner that was contrary to manuals, policies, procedures, prescripts, instructions or practices of, or 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.

"Awarding degrees, including Bachelors’ degrees, honours degrees, Masters’ degrees and PhD/doctoral degrees, in a manner that was contrary to manuals, policies, procedures, prescripts, instructions or practices of, or applicable to the University", said Kganyago.

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane's qualifications will also be in the spotlight despite having won his case interdicting the SIU from investigating the qualifications he obtained at the same university.

Mabuyane is accused of being registered for a master’s degree without completing his honours.

But he insists that he obtained his qualification through legitimate means.

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