Shauwn MaMkhize Mkhize

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – NOVEMBER 11: Shauwn Mkhize during the 2020 Feather Awards on November 11, 2020 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The awards celebrate and recognize all who support, inspire and empower the LGBTIQA+ community. (Photo by Gallo Images/Oupa Bopape)

MaMkhize’s bogus ‘honourary doctorate’ prompts probe by DHET

Soccer boss Shauwn Mkhize was recently conferred an honourary doctorate in Philosophy, but the institution is not legitimate

Shauwn MaMkhize Mkhize

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – NOVEMBER 11: Shauwn Mkhize during the 2020 Feather Awards on November 11, 2020 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The awards celebrate and recognize all who support, inspire and empower the LGBTIQA+ community. (Photo by Gallo Images/Oupa Bopape)

Higher Education and Training Minister Dr Blade Nzimande has cautioned South African celebrities, and by extension, the general public to be careful, particularly when receiving honourary degrees – to make sure they come from legitimate institutions that have been registered. Nzimande’s call is in the wake of revelations that a college which conferred reality television star Shauwn Mkhize with an honourary doctorate, was not registered.

“The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande is concerned about the continuing and recently reported cases of bogus institutions awarding honorary doctorates to unsuspecting individuals, especially targeting local celebrities. Minister Nzimande urges members of the public to be always circumspect and not accept such qualifications,” the department’s Ishmael Mnisi said in a statement.

MaMkhize, as the flash businesswoman is often called, had already asked to be addressed as Dr and even changed her name on social media to reflect her new title. But it would soon be learnt that the Good Shepherd College of Religion, Culture and Training is so illegitimate: In addition to not being registered, the insitution doesn’t even have its own website or education domain and no authority to issue a PhD doctorate in philosophy, which MamKhize received.

“Kindly note that the Good Shepherd College of Religion and Training is not registered with the Department as a private higher education institution. We are currently investigating,” the DHET said at the time.

DHET: DON’T FALL PREY TO ILLEGAL OPERATIONS

Without making any reference specifically to Shauwn Mkhize, Minister Blade Nzimande urged students (and honourary degree recipients) to first verify the legality of any programme offered by institutions before enrolling, in order to avoid falling prey to illegal operations, particularly as the new academic year approaches.

Nzimande has already advised members of the public to visit the Registers of private higher institutions and private colleges, which can be found on the Department of Higher Education and Training website at www.dhet.gov.za.

“I have already requested the Council of Higher Education (CHE) to investigate and advise on appropriate action on all the reported cases of the awarding of these bogus honorary degrees,”

Higher Education and Training Minister Dr Blade Nzimande

Mkhize is yet to respond to her honourary doctorate being a bogus one and still refers to herself as Dr Shauwn Mkhize on social media.