SowetanLive reports that trade unionist Zwelinzima Vavi says he feels cheated after he learnt that the honorary doctorate he cherished for six years was conferred by an unregistered institution.

The Trinity International Bible University, which has been found to be bogus, honoured Vavi at a function held in the Eastern Cape in 2018 where he and others were handed certificates. But, the Bible college has come under sharp scrutiny after the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) advised that it was not registered. This came after the circulation of photos of actor Sello Maake Ka Ncube attending the university's event where he and other celebrities received their honorary doctorates. On Sunday, Vavi spoke of his shock when he found out that his doctorate was not legally recognised. "All these years I thought I was a doctor of something and I was proud that my contribution to fight the plight of workers had been recognised by an academic institution. Even though not many people referred to me as doctor, but knowing that I had been honoured gave me a sense of accomplishment ... but all of that fell flat in the weekend when minister [Blade] Nzimande said the university was not registered.“   Also speaking on Sunday, DHET Minister Blade Nzimande said Trinity awarded honorary doctorates to unsuspecting celebrities as a strategy for it to gain credibility status with the public. Trinity board member Modjadji Letsoalo claimed the institution was credited by international bodies.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Koena Mashale & Lindile Sifile at SowetanLive

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