The University of Fort Hare on Tuesday confirmed that the registration of Eastern Cape health MEC Sindiswa Gomba for an honours degree was “irregular”.

This follows a Sunday Times exposé which revealed how Gomba was allowed to register for three academic years despite not meeting the criteria for a postgraduate qualification since she did not possess a junior degree.

The university said it was investigating how this happened as Gomba was registered from 2013 until 2015.

“Her admission to the BAdmin (Honours) programme in 2013 was irregular as it was not preceded by the submission and approval of a portfolio of evidence (POE) as part of the recognition of prior learning [RPL] process,” university management said on Tuesday.

“The university is addressing the infringement of its rules for admission. Our rules are clear, and any identified transgression will be addressed procedurally through formal university processes.  

“Ms S Gomba is currently not a registered student of the University of Fort Hare. She enrolled for a BAdmin (Honours) programme in 2013 and was last registered in 2015.”

Gomba's case came into sharp focus recently when a faculty board meeting flagged her admission for the course, and officials within the institution accused the university of trying to cover up the irregularity.