Bisho, Eastern Cape – Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has successfully obtained an interdict from the Bisho High Court, preventing the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) from proceeding with the investigation into allegations of academic fraud surrounding his qualifications from Fort Hare University. The court appearance took place on Tuesday.
Premier Mabuyane filed an application at the Bisho High Court, seeking to declare the SIU’s investigation unlawful and invalid. He argued that the investigation was an abuse and an embarrassment to him. In recent months, several internal investigations into the Premier’s qualifications were leaked selectively to certain media outlets. Mabuyane claimed that his appeals to the university to present his side of the story went unanswered before the SIU’s involvement. He vehemently maintained his innocence, asserting that this was a political maneuver orchestrated by Fort Hare University management to tarnish his reputation.
Judge Thandi Norman presided over the case and ruled that all parties involved would bear their own costs. She stated, “I grant the following order: the Special Investigation Unit is interdicted from enforcing the proclamation 84 of 2022, published in government gazette, number 47199 on 5 August 2022, insofar as the SIU is taking steps that are directed at the application pending part B. Each party is to bear its own costs. I hand down the judgment.”
The interdict effectively halts the SIU’s investigation into the allegations of academic fraud against Premier Mabuyane, leaving the outcome of the case uncertain. The Premier’s successful legal maneuver raises questions about the credibility of the allegations and the future of the investigation.
The University Convocation during a press conference earlier had argued that the investigation on academic fraud will earn credibility only if it is conducted by the Ministry of Higher Education and Technology (DHET) a view later echoed by its Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande.
ECToday understands that the Minister is scheduled to visit the institution on Friday, 23 June to meet with key stakeholders including the University convocation and Council.
