INVESTIGATIONS have revealed that a University of South Africa (UNISA) diploma submitted by Prophet Walter Magaya to the High Court last week is a forgery, while his name does not appear in any of their databases.
Magaya submitted a photocopied and certified diploma in marketing to the High Court as he sought to fight his way back into standing for the ZIFA presidency.
Once a front-runner for the top ZIFA post having been involved in football administration for over two decades, a lack of proper educational documents saw him being barred from contesting.
ZIFA had set an Ordinary Level qualification as a prerequisite.
RELATED: High Court dismisses overqualified Magaya’s application challenging elimination from ZIFA Presidential race
Investigations by Zimbabwean journalist Maynard Manyowa, of UK-based Dug Up, exposed the fraud. The publication sought clarification and confirmation from UNISA’s press office.
“Kindly be advised that based on the details you provided; our system could not trace either a student number or date of birth for Mr. Magaya,” read UNISA’s response to Manyowa in a letter dated January 28, 2025.
“This effectively means that we do not have Mr. Magaya as a student of UNISA.”
In 2017 state owned papers reported Magaya had been awarded an honorary PhD by the same institution.
Despite Magaya seeking to prove otherwise, that he did not have an O’level qualification has always been an open secret.
ZIFA’s strict conditions for presidential candidates saw him presenting two more diplomas whose authenticity is yet to be confirmed.
Section 137 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act criminalises forgery and places a fine or 20-year imprisonment or both as punishment.
Magaya owns Yadah FC which plays in the Castle Lager premiership.
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Source link : https://allafrica.com/stories/202501290049.html
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Publish date : 2025-01-29 05:18:23
