In 2017, local media outlets reported that Prophet Walter Magaya had received a PhD from the University of South Africa (UNISA).
Recently, however, Magaya submitted a diploma from UNISA to the High Court, sparking significant controversy.
The National Diploma in Marketing that Magaya submitted raised numerous questions regarding its legitimacy.
A statement purportedly from UNISA is circulating online, indicating that Magaya is not listed as a former student of the institution.
Moreover, both the so-called “honorary doctorate” and the diploma do not appear in UNISA’s official records.
This situation arose as Magaya sought to contest his disqualification from the ZIFA presidential race after being ruled ineligible for lacking five O-Level passes.
He argued that ZIFA’s regulations permit qualifications of “any equivalent educational level” and presented his National Diploma to strengthen his case.
However, social media users quickly began scrutinizing the validity of the documents, pointing out irregularities in their format, student numbers, and qualification codes.
Media professional Maynard Manyowa took to Twitter to share his findings and the statement from UNISA:
“Unbelievable: On November 19, 2017, ZBC, Newsday, and The Herald reported that Prophet Walter Magaya had been awarded a PhD by @unisa. Just last week, he submitted a diploma from UNISA to the High Court. Yet, neither the ‘honorary doctorate’ nor the diploma appears in UNISA records. We contacted UNISA’s press office with images published by state-affiliated sources, as well as the diploma and details about Mr. Magaya. UNISA confirmed he does NOT appear in their databases, essentially indicating he submitted a false diploma in court. It seems he also participated in a staged graduation ceremony to feign his doctoral achievement.”
The situation has prompted a flurry of reactions on social media, where users have been calling for UNISA to intervene and clarify matters.
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@KMutisi remarked, “He was scammed by some people.”
@mugwagwashonge criticized a lawyer involved, stating, “So Thabani Mpofu submitted a fake diploma as evidence in court for his client’s case. So irresponsible!”
@NickMhofu questioned, “Does it mean he bought UNISA-branded materials, decorated a room, then pretended to receive a PhD? For a man of ‘God,’ this is both sad and disturbing.”
@Thandzlk added humorously, “Unbelievable! He actually put on a gown and traveled to SA to fake receiving a doctorate?? Dexter has competition 🤣 How did newspapers report on this without verification?”
@mekgatla declared, “This essentially implies that his qualification is fake! I highly doubt a man of the cloth would stoop to such levels. Could this letter have been forged?”
See statement below:
