Mabuyane stops investigation into his alleged fake degree

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has succeeded in halting a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) probe into allegations that he fraudulently registered for a postgraduate degree at the University of Fort Hare, after the High Court in Bhisho ruled that the investigation was unconstitutional and amounted to an abuse of power.

In a judgment delivered on 23 October 2025, Acting Judge Mtshabe found that the SIU acted outside the scope of its mandate and violated constitutional principles when it moved to investigate Mabuyane under Proclamation 84 of 2022. The court extended the period for Mabuyane to bring the review and ultimately set aside the SIU's decision to investigate him.

The court ruled that the SIU's conduct constituted "an abuse" and was "unconstitutional," further declaring the investigation "ultra vires" - meaning beyond the powers granted by the presidential proclamation. It ordered the SIU to pay costs on a punitive scale.

The matter dates back to allegations that Mabuyane fraudulently registered for a master's degree at Fort Hare under the supervision of Professor Edwin Ijeoma, the university's former public administration faculty dean. Ijeoma, who has since been dismissed, is accused of helping several political figures obtain degrees irregularly and of using a forged masters qualification from a bogus institution to secure his own PhD at the University of Pretoria.

Mabuyane was deregistered from his master's programme in 2021 after Fort Hare investigated Ijeoma's dealings. He later obtained an urgent court interdict preventing the SIU from probing him further. Yesterday's ruling effectively reinforces that interdict and halts the SIU's efforts against him.

The decision comes at a time when the University of Fort Hare is under intense scrutiny over historical academic fraud. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently signed eight proclamations - including an amendment to the original Fort Hare proclamation - giving the SIU expanded powers to investigate irregular admissions and qualifications dating back years.

The new proclamation, 194 of 2024, broadens the SIU's mandate from honours degrees to bachelor's, master's and PhD programmes. It allows investigators to probe the registration and awarding of degrees to individuals who were not academically eligible, including those without the required matric results or prior qualifications.

University spokesperson JP Roodt welcomed the expanded investigation, saying Fort Hare itself had approached the SIU in 2020 after uncovering alarming maladministration. He stressed that the proclamation was not an indictment of the university's academic standards but was aimed at cleaning up historical irregularities.

The amendments also empower the SIU to investigate allegations related to infrastructure maintenance, CCTV installations, student residence refurbishments, the appointment of senior staff, public funds administered through university programmes, and the Nguni Cattle Development Trust.

The widening of the investigations is expected to place several political figures back under the spotlight, as Fort Hare has been plagued by scandals involving the awarding of unmerited qualifications to prominent individuals.

While the court ruling has halted the probe into Mabuyane personally, it does not affect the broader Fort Hare investigation. SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago declined to comment on ongoing inquiries, consistent with the unit's policy not to provide updates on active cases.

The judgment represents a significant legal victory for the premier, but it also raises questions about the future of the sweeping academic fraud investigation at Fort Hare - an inquiry that continues to shake one of South Africa's most historic institutions.