Former Fort Hare senate members claim Mabuyane’s deregistration ‘irregular’

Dailydispatch · Apr 29, 2026 · 808 words · By Asanda Nini

University administrative irregularity Legal Dispute over Academic Credentials Political Reputation Management

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Generate a natural audio summary of this story

Daily briefing

What to know about University administrative irregularity

Fresh claims by two former University of Fort Hare senate members have added weight to Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane’s long-running challenge to his 2021 deregistration from a master’s degree programme, just weeks before the matter returns to court.

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

The former student leaders, Fezile Mtyhida and Sibusiso Zonke, have both submitted sworn affidavits alleging that the decision to deregister Mabuyane was irregular and did not follow proper university processes.

Common ground

Their claims focus on the conduct of suspended vice-chancellor Prof Sakhela Buhlungu, who they allege bypassed established academic procedures and effectively dictated the outcome to the senate.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this University administrative irregularity story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Fezile Mtyhida and Sibusiso Zonke, have both submitted sworn affidavits alleging that the decision to deregister Mabuyane was irregular and did not follow proper university processes?
How does this story connect University administrative irregularity with Legal Dispute over Academic Credentials over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailydispatch.co.za/news/2026-04-29-former-fort-hare-senate-members-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4

check_circle Corroborated 3

help Insufficient Evidence 1

cancel Disputed 1

check_circle

Claim 1: “Fezile Mtyhida and Sibusiso Zonke, have both submitted sworn affidavits alleging that the decision to deregister Mabuyane was irregular and did not follow proper university processes.”

CORROBORATED

The Sowetan and other web search results explicitly state that Fezile Mtyhida and Sibusiso Zonke submitted sworn affidavits alleging the deregistration was irregular.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has been deregistered from pursuing a Master’s Degree at the University of Fort Hare (UFH) after it emerged that procedures on his admission for the course in Publi…
https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/mabuyane-confirms-deregist…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane. (FILE).Mabuyane, who holds an economics degree from the university, was deregistered and excluded from a master’s degree at Fort Hare in 2021. He denied any wrongd…
https://www.dailydispatch.co.za/news/2025-11-16-investigatio…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Former student leaders Fezile Mtyhida and Sibusiso Zonke have submitted sworn affidavits alleging that the decision to deregister Mabuyane was irregular and did not follow proper university processes.
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-04-29-for…

+ 1 more evidence source

help

Claim 2: “Last week, Mabuyane launched an urgent defamation lawsuit against Malema after he accused him publicly of improperly obtaining the qualification.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to support the claim that Mabuyane filed a defamation lawsuit against Julius Malema.

info

Claim 3: “Mabuyane confirmed on Tuesday that his application to have the deregistration reviewed and set aside would be heard on June 18”

SINGLE SOURCE

Only one specific web search result mentions the June 18 court date for the review application. Other sources discuss the SIU probe or the deregistration generally, but do not confirm this specific date.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lulama Ngcukayitobi (born December 1972) is a South African politician from the Eastern Cape. He has been the provincial secretary of the African National Congress (ANC) in the Eastern Cape since Octo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lulama_Ngcukayitobi

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane (born 24 February 1974) is a South African politician who has been serving as the seventh Premier of the Eastern Cape since May 2019. He was previously Member of the Executive …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Mabuyane

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The June 2025 South Africa floods were caused by torrential rain, heavy winds, and snow that swept through Cape Town, South Africa, causing dozens of deaths and displacing thousands. A powerful cold f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2025_South_Africa_floods

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 4: “Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane’s long-running challenge to his 2021 deregistration from a master’s degree programme”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources, including the Sowetan and several web search results, confirm that Oscar Mabuyane was deregistered from a master's degree programme at the University of Fort Hare in 2021.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Fundile David Gade (born 11 October 1968) is a South African educator and politician serving as the Eastern Cape MEC (Member of the Executive Council) for Education since May 2019. He has been a Membe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundile_Gade

menu_book

+ 4 more evidence sources

info

Claim 5: “Zonke, who also served on the senate between 2017 and 2022”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result explicitly states that Sibusiso Zonke served on the senate between 2017 and 2022. Other results (LinkedIn/Twitter) confirm his identity but not the specific senate dates.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Zonke, who also served on the senate between 2017 and 2022, makes similar claims in a separate affidavit, describing the handling of the matter as unprecedented.
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-04-29-for…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Sibusiso Zonke’s Tweets. Interested in @SIBUSISOZONKE's Tweets? Turn on account notifications to keep up with all new content. Opting out is easy, so give it a try.
https://twitter.com/sibusisozonke

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Experience: University of Fort Hare · Location: 8001. View SIBUSISO ZONKE’s profile on LinkedIn, a professional community of 1 billion members.
https://za.linkedin.com/in/sibusiso-zonke-962507268

check_circle

Claim 6: “He has previously gone to court to block attempts by the university and the Special Investigating Unit to probe his admission outside the scope of a presidential proclamation.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that Mabuyane took legal action to block the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) from probing his studies and that the High Court in Bhisho stopped the probe.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) said a court order barring the corruption watchdog from investigating Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane’s university admission won’t stop its probe.
https://www.ewn.co.za/2025/11/17/siu-says-court-order-barrin…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Premier Oscar Mabuyane scored a dramatic legal victory on Thursday after the High Court in Bhisho stopped the Special Investigating Unit from digging into his studies at the University of Fort Hare.
https://scrolla.africa/court-stops-special-investigating-uni…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Premier will also be seeking legal relief to set aside both his de-registration and the forensic report that the University of Fort Hare relied upon in making its determination,” says Mabuyane’s S…
https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/anc-welcomes-court-ruling-…

cancel

Claim 7: “Mabuyane, who obtained a commerce degree from Fort Hare in 2002”

DISPUTED

There is a conflict in the evidence regarding the date of the degree: one source states he obtained a commerce degree in 2002, while another source mentions his court application indicated he obtained it in 2003.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane is a South African politician who has been serving as the seventh Premier of the Eastern Cape since May 2019.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Mabuyane

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mabuyane, who obtained a commerce degree from Fort Hare in 2002, was admitted to the master’s programme despite not holding an honours degree — a move he says was in line with established policy.
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-04-29-for…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — UFH lawyers had argued that they had electronic evidence implicating Mabuyane in the fraudulent scheme. Before he dropped Ramaphosa as a respondent, Mabuyane’s court application indicated that he obta…
https://www.atnews.co.za/siu-takes-hammering-in-mabuyane-fak…

info

Claim 8: “Mtyhida, a former Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania (PASMA) SRC leader who served on the senate at the time”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results about Baidu (a Chinese search engine) and does not contain any information regarding Fezile Mtyhida's roles.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 18, 2024 · 对于企业和开发者来说，百度官方网站也是一个重要的平台。他们可以在这里了解百度的开放平台和技术，比如百度AI开放平台、百度地图开放平台等，通过这些平台可以接入百度的技术和服务，从而开发出更具创新性的应用和产品。
https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/1778712607594096420.html

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Sep 5, 2024 · 百度一下首页一、答案百度首页是一个搜索引擎的入口页面，提供搜索、知识、资讯等多种服务。用户可以在首页进行搜索操作，获取所需的网页、图片、视频等信息。同时，首页还会展示热门新闻、实时天气、热点事件等内容，为用户提供便捷的信息获取渠道。二、详细解释 1. 百度首页概述 ...
https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/1443068820757944139.html

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Aug 11, 2024 · 答案： www.baidu.com 是百度公司的官方网站，即百度搜索引擎的网址。详细解释：一、百度公司概述百度是中国最大的互联网搜索引擎和技术公司之一，为用户提供搜索、广告、云计算和其他技术服务。其官方网站的网址就是 www.baidu.com。二、百度搜索功能介绍在 www.baidu.com 上，用户可以输入关键 ...
https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/820968371071599172.html

info

Claim 9: “Mabuyane argues that he followed the necessary processes to be admitted to the programme, including through the university’s recognition of prior learning policy, which allows admission without an honours degree.”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result mentions that Mabuyane claims his admission was in line with established policy regarding the lack of an honours degree, but the provided evidence does not independently verify the existence or specifics of the 'recognition of prior learning' policy itself.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The official website for application to higher education studies in Sweden. Study bachelor's and master's courses and programmes taught in English.
https://www.universityadmissions.se/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — “The University of Fort Hare has a standing policy which prescribes that it cannot disclose names of students and academic records in the interest of the Protection of Personal Information Act.”
https://www.theherald.co.za/news/2021-03-19-oscar-mabuyane-t…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Sandisiwe Ntunzi is the first in her family to graduate from university, but it is that family’s support that helped her overcome the odds. She received her Bachelor of Education in Senior Phase and F…
https://www.ufh.ac.za/news/the-joy-and-dedication-of-being-t…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.