SOWETAN | Dodgy, fake degrees make SA look bad

At the weekend actor Sello Maake kaNcube posted pictures receiving an honorary doctorate from Trinity International Bible University.

Not long afterwards, the department of higher education revealed that the institution which has been conferring such certificates to several celebrities was not legally authorised to offer qualifications or honorary degrees.

The department said it had written to the institution and warned it before about continuing to operate illegally. Yesterday we revealed that the list of those who have been equally taken for a ride with the purported honorary doctorates was longer and included trade unionist Zwelinzima Vavi.

While many have found the humorous side of this story which has left recipients embarrassed, it is no laughing matter.

In fact, it is so serious that we all ought to be concerned despite the obvious signs that those who now claim to have been duped should have read.

The phenomenon of bogus colleges is nothing new in this country and institutions like Trinity appear to have taken full advantage of the fertile ground that exists to conduct their dodgy affairs.

One of these grounds enabling such institutions to flourish is poor regulation and enforcement of the laws of this land.

Trinity claims to be internationally accredited, which is highly problematic considering it admits to not being registered in SA. In fact one of its so-called international accrediting associations listed on its website has its address in Kroonstad in the Free State. That is as dodgy as it gets.

The reality however is that the conduct of the institution can have far-reaching implications for our country if you consider the recent grey listing of SA.

It is these kinds of institutions that are not regulated where there is no transparency that expose the country to potential criminal activities.

We are not saying Trinity itself is a criminal entity although it is illegal in SA. But the seriousness with which we must take its conduct is that those that don’t fall within the rules are usually used for such acts. When we pressed Trinity on why it was operating unlawfully it claimed to teach religion which it insists does not require being registered.

This is patently false and deliberately misleading as the constitution is the supreme law in this country. No institution or belief system is exempt from the laws of our land.