According to investigations, the University of South Africa (UNISA) diploma submitted by Walter Magaya to the High Court in order to stand for the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) presidency was found to be a forgery, and Magaya’s name is not in the university’s database.
Magaya had submitted a certified copy of a diploma in marketing.
Magaya, a strong candidate for the ZIFA presidency, was disqualified from the race for failing to meet the required educational qualifications, as ZIFA requires at least a high school diploma to run for president.
The investigation conducted by Zimbabwean journalist Maynard Manyowa uncovered the truth behind the matter. Manyowa sought confirmation from UNISA’s press office regarding the issue. UNISA responded as follows:
“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,”
“This effectively means that we do not have Mr. Magaya as a student of UNISA.”
Section 137 of the Zimbabwean Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act criminalizes forgery, with penalties including up to 20 years in prison and a fine.
Both penalties are expected to be applied for this offense.