Harare – The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) has confirmed that former Zanu-PF Member of Parliament for Chegutu West, Dexter Nduna, falsely claimed to have graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree.
Nduna, a controversial figure within the ruling party’s Central Committee, participated in a recent UZ graduation ceremony, complete with academic gown, only to have his claims swiftly debunked, Zimlive has reported.
The UZ’s Department of Undergraduate Programmes issued a circular explicitly naming Nduna among students who failed to meet graduation requirements due to outstanding courses.
The circular stated: “The following students were meant to graduate in 2024 but could not meet the graduation requirements since they had some outstanding courses. They are therefore requested to register the failed courses with the Students and Registration Office so that they can repeat them in the 2024/2025 academic year.”
Nduna, when contacted for comment, deflected responsibility, directing inquiries to UZ Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Mapfumo. “I beg you to speak to Professor Mapfumo. I did not see that memo that you are referring to. Ndokumbirawo mutaure navaMapfumo,” he said.
Professor Mapfumo unequivocally confirmed that Nduna did not graduate.
“He (Dexter Nduna) was not on the list (of graduating students); which means he did not graduate. You can check the list to see all the graduates, I can’t speak any further than that but yes, he was not on the list,” the Vice Chancellor stated.
This incident is not Nduna’s first brush with controversy. In 2018, he was sworn into parliament despite official Zimbabwe Electoral Commission results indicating he had lost to his opposition challenger, Gift Konjana. He subsequently enjoyed the full benefits of his parliamentary position despite the electoral discrepancy.
Unabashed, Nduna celebrated his purported graduation on social media, posting over the weekend: “Congratulations to me today, UZ law class of 2024.” This brazen act has ignited widespread criticism and accusations of abuse of power. Many allege Nduna leveraged his political influence to pressure the university into granting him a degree despite his academic shortcomings.
The incident has severely damaged the university’s reputation, raising serious concerns about the integrity of its academic leadership. An anonymous source within the university shed light on Nduna’s academic struggles, revealing persistent difficulties with core law subjects.
The source stated: “Dexter Nduna has had challenges since level 1.1. He struggles so much with technical law courses such as Contract law, Administrative law and commercial law. Instead of applying legal principles and concepts or case law he instead wrote political language and couldn’t learn fast from the law school style of writing. He kept repeating, threatening lecturers instead of learning.”
The source’s account paints a picture of a student who consistently struggled with the demands of his legal studies, resorting to intimidation tactics rather than focusing on his academic performance.
The ruling party member may have got away with a rigged election, but rigging a degree is much harder, particularly when one is notorious for undesirable, disruptive, or bad conduct.
Nduna, tried to use politics and influence to demand a remarking, claiming he was failed maliciously targeted due to his political affiliation, but that was rejected. So he could not graduate with others recently as so much desired. Unable to stand the failure, he pulled off a bizarre stunt:
He paid the US$100 graduation fee, bought a grown and then attended the ceremony; sat among the graduands, yet at a safe distance from his class. He then took photos and posted then on social media for all to see that he has “graduated”.
It took his classmates to call him out and provide evidence he had not graduated, but then Nduna persisted with his charlatan antics, forcing the Faculty of Law and the UZ itself to come out to provide the correct position… That he did not graduate as he failed.
Throughout the ceremony he had hung around even if he knew his name was not on the graduation book. Inevitably, he did not received a graduation certificate, but still he acted as if it was business as usual, refusing to allow reality to take its course or detractors to rain on his parade.
Nduna may have succeeded in becoming an MP after losing the election in 2018, but he failed to graduate with failures.
The revelation of Nduna’s academic failings and his subsequent attempt to deceive the public and the university has raised serious questions about accountability and the potential for political interference in academic institutions.
The incident continues to fuel public debate about the integrity of the political process and the importance of upholding academic standards.
