Overview
- On 23 October 2025, the Bhisho High Court set aside the SIU’s Fort Hare investigation under Proclamation R84 of 2022 as unconstitutional and an abuse, and it ordered the unit to pay costs.
- The SIU says the ruling concerns a superseded instrument and confirms the probe continues under Proclamation 194 of 2024, with any criminal evidence to be referred to the NPA.
- The University of Fort Hare says the court order relates only to the original proclamation and does not invalidate the amended mandate.
- The ANC in the Eastern Cape welcomed the judgment as vindication of Premier Oscar Mabuyane, while indicating it accepts the amended proclamation and that he will cooperate.
- Mabuyane has instructed lawyers to challenge his deregistration and the forensic report, as allegations in court papers claim improper admission to a master’s and outsourced proposal work.