Bribery bust at Unizulu

A student was arrested and a staff member fled his office when University of Zululand Protective Services personnel busted a registration bribery scam on campus. Unizulu spokesperson Thabo Leshoro confirmed the incident and said an investigation has been launched and full details would be released once this has been completed. He said the bribery was uncovered because the university has introduced effective monitoring systems to curb bribery and corruption on campus to eliminate the kind of illegal activities which tarnished the institution’s reputation in the past. In the nineties Unizulu’s image took a massive knock when officials were fingered selling degrees to students - a scandal which had international repercussions. A university source said the investigation is likely to implicate more students and staff members, leading to more arrests. The bribery entails prospective students paying key staff amounts of up to R2 000 to illegally register them on the system. The new monitoring initiatives, however, are designed to expose such activities. The university recently announced that all students must register through the Central Applications Office in Durban, a centralised facility used by all KZN tertiary institutions. Leshoro said after the arrest notices were immediately distributed on campus warning students not to hand over cash to any staff members.