The ANC in the Eastern Cape said it was glad after the Bisho High Court ruled that the Special Investigating Unit must stop its probe into Premier Oscar Mabuyane’s study record. The court set the probe aside and said it was not in line with the law. The court also told the SIU to pay the legal costs for the case.
Mabuyane said he would speak on the ruling at a later time. ANC spokesperson Yanga Zicina said the call made the party feel more sure of his lead. Zicina said the school made claims with no base and that the SIU had acted on aims pushed by unnamed groups who want to harm the Premier.
Zicina said the ANC stood firm with Mabuyane and hit back at what it called a bid to hurt the Premier and the group. He said the court’s call showed the SIU must not use its power to chase plans it hides from the public. Mabuyane’s law team also moved to fight the steps that led to him being cut from the school.
Legal Dispute Over Deregistration
Mabuyane’s spokesperson Sonwabo Mbananga said the Premier told his law team to fight how Fort Hare chose to drop him as a Master’s student. He said the team would also try to set aside the report the school used in its call.
The Premier said the school did not use the right steps set out in law.The SIU put out a note saying it saw the court call but that the ruling did not stop its wider probe. The Unit said the call was tied to Proclamation 84 of 2022, which has since been changed. It said the court order only stopped the part linked to Mabuyane for a short time while the court looked at the key points of the case.
SIU Position on its Mandate
The SIU said a June 2023 court call by Judge T.V. Norman said the Unit could ask the President for a new proclamation if there was proof of wrong acts in how the Master’s degree was given.
The Unit said the ruling did not find bad faith in how it acted and said the first proclamation did not clearly list Master’s or PhD degrees.
The SIU said Proclamation 194 of 2024 was later put in place, which grew its reach. This change let the Unit look into wrong school entry and degrees at the school, from first-year to postgrad. It said the shift came after new proof was found in past work.
The Unit said the 23 October 2025 ruling did not stop it from looking into degrees given at Fort Hare, which also includes those linked to Mabuyane. It said it would keep its work under the SIU Act, which lets it send crime proof to the NPA and file civil cases if it finds wrong acts.
The SIU said it would work within the law to deal with fraud, weak admin and acts of harm. It said its probe into Fort Hare’s degree steps was still in full force.
