UNISA Denies Issuing Honorary Doctorates to Malawian Celebrities
But Mphande defended himself in a lengthy statement, saying he was contacted earlier this year by "individuals who have been awarding honorary doctorates on behalf of UNISA."
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - The University of South Africa (UNISA) has denied conferring honorary doctorate degrees to three high-profile Malawians, triggering accusations of an elaborate years-long scam perpetuated under the university's watch, writes Winston Mwale.
UNISA said in a statement that it did not grant honorary doctorates to socialite Pemphero Mphande, musician Patience Namadingo, or businessman Mansoor Sharif Karim.
The university said it "distances itself from any ceremony conferring these degrees."
But Mphande defended himself in a lengthy statement, saying he was contacted earlier this year by "individuals who have been awarding honorary doctorates on behalf of UNISA."
"If UNISA is denying this today, either they are a part of the scam or they too are being scammed," Mphande said. He added that he would be happy to cooperate with UNISA to "get to the bottom" of the matter and suggested meeting with officials.
Mphande posted a photo of a well-attended ceremony where he and others from countries like Zimbabwe, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa and Nigeria were awarded degrees.
"This ceremony was organised and conducted by the same individuals that have been doing this for years," Mphande said in his statement.
The socialite said he and the others were "victims" in the scam, which he found shocking and could happen on UNISA's campus repeatedly and apparently without the university's knowledge.
"Our team will investigate and would love to meet with officials from UNISA to understand how this has happened under their nose for years," Mphande said.
Musician Namadingo echoed the shock in a brief statement, saying it was hard to believe an elaborate fake ceremony was held in UNISA's main hall just to fool Malawians.
"We don't think Doc organised this big event with the professor himself. And filled the UNISA Great Hall with South Africans just to fool Malawians?" Namadingo said.
UNISA has not provided details on how the alleged scam involving honorary doctorates had gone on for years on its main Florida campus in Johannesburg.
The scandal made headlines in South Africa this week, where honorary degrees are highly coveted.
Local civic organisations have called for the university to urgently investigate what happened and what went wrong in its vetting procedures for conferring honorary degrees.
South African universities have strict protocols for awarding honorary doctorates, including vetting a nominee's background and achievements.
The degrees are seen as honourable distinctions reserved for deserving recipients who have made significant contributions to society.
With UNISA denying involvement, questions remain on whether the alleged scam was an inside job or a breach of protocol.
Or whether the Malawian celebrities and others were duped by a convincing con.
For now, the embarrassing scandal has left a contentious cloud over the Malawian celebrities' credentials as they defend their reputations.