Eastern Cape Premier implicated in academic fraud scandal

Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane is reportedly embroiled in a scandal over his attempt to fake his way into a PhD programme in public administration at the University of Fort Hare (UFH).

According to a forensic report obtained by News24, Mabuyane is said to have enlisted the help of a tainted UFH professor, Edwin Ijeoma, and his team of ghostwriters to compile and submit his research proposal and other key documents.

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In October 2020, the University of Fort Hare suspended Ijeoma on a precautionary basis after allegations surfaced that he had unlawfully enrolled Sindiswa Gomba, the ousted Eastern Cape MEC, for an honours degree in public administration.

Ijeoma was also previously involved in the alleged irregular admission and registration of Mabuyane for a master’s degree at the university.

Research proposal a sham

The investigators reported that they had found that the PhD research proposal was a sham, conceived of and authored by Ijeoma and his researchers.

Academic protocol stipulates that since Mabuyane currently only holds a BCom degree and without an honours qualification, he would not have been eligible to enroll at the university for a master’s degree, let alone a PhD.

However, investigators revealed that Ijeoma irregularly registered him for a master’s degree he did not qualify for before upgrading it to a PhD.

The report went on to state that Ijeoma allegedly played puppet master, coaching Mabuyane on how to present his proposal to a university panel, taking notes, and overseeing a ghostwriting team that made corrections.

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Ijeoma’s secretary, Candyce Dawes, was also said to have been implicated in the scheme and was subsequently dismissed, the News24 report stated.

Minimal effort

A Special Investigations Unit (SIU) report looking into Mabuyane also revealed that with minimal effort, the premier came close to the highest echelons of academia.

Meanwhile, UFH confirmed that all internal and external investigation reports, as well as physical, forensic, and digital evidence, were handed over to the SIU several weeks ago in relation to the serious academic fraud that occurred in the Department of Public Administration at the Bisho campus involving public servants.

Speaking to News24, Mabuyane denied the accusations and said he would challenge the forensic report in court if needed.