Higher Education minister says VUT’s fraud scandal won’t affect 2026 academic year

VANDERBIJLPARK - The Minister of Higher Education, Buti Manamela, has assured Vaal University of Technology students that he will not allow the recent exposure of fraudulent qualifications to compromise the 2026 academic year at the Vanderbijlpark university. The higher learning institution is currently at the centre of a major scandal. It involves a syndicate selling fraudulent degrees and registrations to foreign nationals since 2018. Manamela’s spokesperson Matshepo Seedat said in a statement the Minister has written to the VUT Council to request a supplementary brief on interim measures to safeguard the 2026 registration process. The Minister has said that he is deeply concerned that the oversight body of the institution was kept in the dark regarding allegations that threaten the core academic integrity of the university. He also noted and endorsed the council’s resolution to firstly reject the preliminary report submitted by University Management as wholly inadequate and secondly to institute an immediate independent forensic investigation into the alleged syndicate and the timeline of management’s response. While the Minister accepts the council’s request for a three-month period to conclude this forensic investigation, the Ministry cannot allow the upcoming academic year to be compromised by the same alleged vulnerabilities.

VUT has not responded to the 90.6 FM News Team's request for comment on the matter. The News Team will report on any response as soon as it is received.