By Munacho Gwamanda- Controversial preacher Walter Magaya is under fire after his claims of holding academic qualifications from the University of South Africa (UNISA) were debunked.

The university publicly refuted assertions that Magaya had a Marketing Diploma or an honorary PhD from the institution, declaring any certificates he presented as fraudulent.

The university issued a statement on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, clarifying that their records show no evidence of Magaya ever being registered or graduating from UNISA.
Reads the statement:
The University of South Africa (Unisa) notes with serious concern information doing the rounds in the public domain as well as in a recent video circulating on social media, where it is purported that a certain Zimbabwean national, Walter Magaya, is a graduate or alumnus of the university. Responding to a media query from a certain international media platform, the university confirmed that, based on the information provided by the said media platform, the system of the university could not find any record showing that Mr Magaya was ever registered or graduated with Unisa. This effectively means that Unisa does not have Mr Magaya either as a student or a graduate. Any certificate/s he produces which he claims to be from Unisa is/are therefore fraudulent. Subsequent to the issuing of the media response, the university also came across a video clip in the social media domain, wherein Mr Magaya also claims to have received an honorary doctorate from Unisa.
The university has never conferred any honorary doctorate on Mr Magaya and strongly condemns this false claim. We believe that conduct of this nature damages and brings our brand into disrepute and we reserve the right to take appropriate corrective action. Relevant authorities within the university have therefore been requested to take the necessary legal action in this regard.

Magaya’s deceit was brought to light after he was disqualified from contesting the presidency of the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) for failing to meet the minimum educational requirement of five O-Level passes.

He then attempted to use a purported UNISA diploma as proof of his qualifications in a bid to overturn the ruling despite the diploma’s questionable authenticity.

This scandal adds to a string of allegations and controversies surrounding Magaya, including accusations of rape, attempted murder, and the infamous claim to have discovered a cure for HIV/AIDS.

His credibility continues to be questioned, not only in the religious community but also in the public eye, as his leadership in both the church and football remains overshadowed by these serious allegations.