Qualification fraud rears up after church founder stumbles

The University of South Africa (UNISA) is taking legal action against top Zimbabwean church founder Walter Magaya, who claims he earned several diplomas as well as a PhD from the institution.

UNISA said no evidence could be found that Magaya had ever been registered as a student at the university. As a result, any certificate he may present claiming to be from UNISA is fraudulent. The university said Magaya brings its brand into disrepute, and it reserves the right to take appropriate corrective action.

Magaya’s troubles with the authenticity of his academic qualifications started when he was disqualified from participating in elections held on 25 January 2025 to choose the president of the Zimbabwe Football Association.

In disqualifying him, the football governing body said the religious leader, who has tens of thousands of followers across Africa, did not possess the requisite Zimbabwe Ordinary Level school certificate, the minimum basic requirement.

Magaya then approached the courts, challenging his disqualification by claiming he had a higher qualification, and diplomas from UNISA in marketing and theology. The High Court threw out his application, and now UNISA claims that both the PhD and diplomas that Magaya, the founder of the Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries, says he possesses are fraudulent.

No honorary award

“The university has never conferred any honorary doctorate on Mr Magaya and strongly condemns this false claim. Relevant authorities within the university have, therefore, been requested to take the necessary legal action in this regard,” the statement read.

Magaya’s spokesperson, Admire Mango, did not respond to questions from University World News.

The church founder was not the only one who ran into trouble for producing allegedly fraudulent academic documents to participate in the Zimbabwe Football Association presidential election.

Prominent local businessperson Gift Banda was arrested and granted bail by a Bulawayo magistrate on a charge of producing fraudulent qualifications, The Chronicle reported online. Experts say this is a huge problem in Zimbabwe.

Problem rife in Zimbabwe

In November last year, University World News reported that the High Court in Zimbabwe had directed the withdrawal of all honorary degrees private institutions conferred mostly on government officials and business people following a lawsuit initiated by the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE), a case that brought to the fore the use of fraudulent qualifications in the country.

The council, that was established to regulate teaching standards, examinations, academic qualifications, and research in higher education institutions, initially ordered the International Institute of Philanthropy (IIP) to stop awarding honorary doctorates, saying it was in violation of the law as the institution was not registered and accredited with the council.

It also ordered the organisation to publicly withdraw all awarded degrees and inform recipients accordingly.

Public cannot use titles

However, the IIP, which has honoured government ministers and business people, defied the order, saying the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters it was issuing was an award, and not a qualification. It said its honorary doctorates were awarded in recognition of recipients’ significant contributions to humanity and philanthropy.

The matter then went to court, with ZIMCHE arguing that the IIP is undermining the credibility of the higher education system in the country and seeking a court order stopping members of the public from using titles awarded by the unregistered institution.

Engineer Jacob Kudzayi Mutisi, the former chairman of the Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers (ZIE), said at the time that the prevalence of fake academic qualifications in Zimbabwe is a pressing issue that continues to undermine public trust in government and institutions.

No effective verification

Mutisi said the absence of a reliable qualification verification system in Zimbabwe has allowed this misconduct to flourish. “ZIE developed a verification system through its ICT division, aimed at addressing the rampant issue of fake qualifications. However, the rollout has faced significant resistance. Many individuals who were supposed to endorse the system were, themselves, found to have falsified qualifications, creating a conflict of interest that stalled its implementation,” he said.

According to Mutisi, “Recent audits have revealed that numerous senior managers across various sectors possess fake qualifications, further highlighting the urgent need for reform. If a thorough verification process were implemented to check the credentials of all government and council officials, it is likely that only a handful would pass scrutiny.”

He added that dealing with the crisis of fake qualifications is essential for restoring integrity and accountability in Zimbabwean higher education governance.