By Thapelo Molefe
Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela has welcomed the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) Council’s decision to institute an independent forensic investigation into allegations of a syndicate selling fraudulent degrees and registrations, a scandal the university allegedly failed to act on for more than a year.
This follows a formal response from the VUT Council after Manamela demanded answers last week about why credible whistleblower evidence, first raised in August 2024, was never escalated to the oversight body.
According to Council Chairperson Professor Mandlakhe Radebe, the allegations only reached the Council after media enquiries surfaced in November.
“It is deeply concerning that the oversight body of the institution was kept in the dark regarding allegations that threaten the core academic integrity of the university,” Manamela said on Wednesday.
The Minister had previously given VUT until last Friday to explain the alleged 12-month delay, provide proof of consequence management, and outline safeguards to prevent manipulation of the 2026 academic intake.
The ministry said it was particularly troubled by claims that an employee had been arranging fraudulent qualifications, primarily for Congolese students, dating back as far as 2018.
The whistleblower, a VUT graduate, repeatedly warned the institution that implicated individuals continued accessing campus and had allegedly been recruiting students for 2026.
In its formal response, the VUT Council rejected a preliminary report submitted by University Management, calling it “wholly inadequate”.
It has since resolved to appoint an independent forensic team to investigate both the alleged syndicate and management’s handling of the complaint.
Although the Council requested three months to complete the probe, Manamela said the Ministry cannot allow the upcoming academic year to be exposed to the same vulnerabilities flagged by the whistleblower.
The Minister has written back to the Council seeking a supplementary briefing on immediate interim measures, including verifying the credentials of foreign applicants and those claiming recognition of prior learning.
“We expect immediate consequence management for any staff members implicated, to prevent them from accessing the university’s IT systems while the investigation is underway,” he said.
Manamela said that the integrity of South Africa’s qualification system remains “sacrosanct” and stressed that the Department will support VUT in “rooting out any criminal elements operating within the institution”.
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