TINASHE MAKICHI
The trial of University of Zimbabwe Vice Chancellor Levi Nyagura (pictured), who is facing charges of corruptly awarding a PhD degree to former First Lady Grace Mugabe in 2014, has been set for next month.
Nyagura was arrested on allegations of abuse of office involving the awarding of a Doctor of Philosophy degree to Grace. Nyagura and former Sociology Department chairman, Claude Mararike, who reportedly was Grace’s supervisor, have been under investigation over how the degree was awarded.
The investigation was triggered by a complaint by 15 lecturers from the department, who claimed they never saw Grace’s study transcripts, progress reports or thesis. Grace was awarded the “earned” degree when her husband former President Robert Mugabe was also chancellor of all State universities.
A well-placed source at the Prosecutor General’s office confirmed that the trial will commence next month. It was scheduled to start today but has been postponed to September 5,2018 and will be allowed to run smoothly to avoid delays in the prosecution of other high-profile cases.
“The trial and prosecution of Nyagura which was set for today has been postponed to next month and the prosecution team is now ready to handle the matter,” the source said yesterday.
Nyagura is being accused of awarding a Doctor of Philosophy degree without following due processes laid down by both the University Council and the Senate Committee. He recently blasted lecturers in the Department of Sociology for challenging the awarding of the contentious doctorate, saying they were “ignorant Messrs and doctors”, with no academic capacity to supervise a PhD student.
Nyagura was of the argument that Mugabe’s thesis was supervised by two professors, who also supervised former Vice President Joice Mujuru. Early this year he was arrested. His arrest came after a Harare magistrate had issued a warrant arming the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission to search and seize all documents relevant to its probe on whether or not he corruptly awarded Mugabe the doctoral degree.
Provincial magistrate Elisha Singano directed the University of Zimbabwe registrar or any other senior official at the institution to provide a set of relevant documents, records and articles to the investigators.
