Dear Editor
Premier Oscar Mabuyane must come clean about the details surrounding his research proposal to obtain a master’s and PhD in Public Administration as the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) expands its probe into academic fraud at the University of Fort Hare (UFH). The expanded mandate again places his alleged fraudulent admission to the master’s degree program in the spotlight.
While these are not new allegations, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed an amended proclamation last week, allowing the SIU to extend its investigations to bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD qualifications, which brings renewed attention to the Premier’s academic record.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) believes that Premier Mabuyane must act with transparency and integrity as the leader of the Eastern Cape government.
Not only are the allegations extremely serious, but they also raise serious questions about the ethical conduct of the Premier and, left unanswered, bring his term of leadership into serious dispute. As long as these allegations remain, they will continue to cast a shadow over his office and the provincial government.
We cannot allow unresolved accusations of academic fraud to undermine the credibility of the Eastern Cape’s leadership. The Premier must allow the investigation to take its course, and if he has nothing to hide, he should have no hesitation in cooperating fully with the SIU.
The DA calls on Premier Mabuyane to prioritise his office’s reputation and the trust of the people of the Eastern Cape. He can bring much-needed clarity and demonstrate his commitment to accountability and ethical governance by addressing these allegations head-on.
The people of this province deserve a leader who is beyond reproach, and it is now up to Premier Mabuyane to prove that he is fit to continue in office.
The DA will continue to monitor this situation closely and ensure that the rule of law is upheld throughout the investigation.
Regards
Dr. Vicky Knoetze MPL
DA Leader of the official opposition in the Eastern Cape Legislature
Biscuit Meg
Van is getting married, but he and his fiancee have never done the deed – in fact he\’s never been with any woman before. He\’s getting more and more nervous as the big day approaches, so he confides in his friend. His friend says \’No worries man. I\’ll come by the honeymoon suite before you guys get there, and I\’ll hide behind the curtain, and I\’ll whisper instructions to you.\’
\’You\’d do that for me?\’
\’Sure thing man!\’
So the wedding day arrives, it was a lovely service (so I was told, I wasn\’t there myself) and Van\’s friend sneaks into the honeymoon suite as promised and hides behind the curtain.
Van and his new wife arrive in the room, get settled on the bed, and things are getting steamy.
But Van is still super nervous and his tummy is bubbling, so he murmers to his wife, \’Listen babe, I\’m just gonna go to the bathroom quick. I think it\’s that wors roll from earlier.\’
\’Sure thing babe.\’
So Van goes into the bathroom, and he\’s taking quite a long time. And his wife is starting to feel the nerves herself. And it\’s getting worse. She can\’t hold it in. But she doesn\’t want to go after he\’s gone and totally ruin the mood. So she looks around and finally finds a shoebox. Quickly, she does her business in the shoebox, and she shoves it under the bed just as Van comes back from the loo.
Van gets back on the bed and they go at it again. But after a minute or so Van smells something not so lekker.
\’What\’s that smell?\’
\’Nothing babe,\’ he wife tries to assure him.
\’No man there\’s definitely something not so lekker in this room!\’VSo Van starts looking around the room, in the corners, in the cupboard, and finally he looks under the bed, and sees the shoebox.
He pull it out, and opens it up, and in horror he shouts \’Sies! Daar\’s kak in hierdie doos!\’
And from behind the curtain his friend yells, \’NEE MAN, DRAAI HAAR OM!\”
Green Ghost
Fun South African Fact: Vilakazi Street in Soweto has been home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners. A tour through Soweto will always stop at Vilakazi Street to reveal a number of heritage sites of great importance to democratic South Africa. Both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu lived here at some point in their lives. In 1984, Archbishop Desmond Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition for his non-violent fight against the apartheid regime. Nine years later in 1993, Nelson Mandela shared the Nobel Peace Prize with then-president F.W. de Klerk as an award for their role in bringing about the peaceful end of apartheid. Nelson Mandela then went on to become South Africa’s first democratically elected president in 1994.