By Staff Reporter
Controversial prophet Walter Magaya’s diploma from the University of South Africa (UNISA), which he submitted to the High Court, has been revealed to be fake. Investigations confirmed that his name does not appear in any of the university’s databases.
In an attempt to halt the recent Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) elections after being disqualified as a presidential candidate for failing to provide an Ordinary Level certificate, Magaya submitted a photocopied and certified diploma in marketing to the High Court.1
ZIFA had set an Ordinary Level qualification as a mandatory requirement.2
Zimbabwean journalist Maynard Manyowa, reporting for the UK-based outlet Dug Up, uncovered the fraud during his investigations. The publication sought confirmation from UNISA’s press office for clarification.
“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,” UNISA responded 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 newspapers claimed that Magaya had been awarded an honorary PhD by the same institution.
It now appears that Magaya staged a graduation ceremony and pretended to have been awarded a doctorate.
