More than 50 students at the University of Venda were left in the cold after it was discovered that they had used fraudulent matric certificates to gain admission to the university and to access study loans at the university.

Rumours of a fraudulent matric certificate syndicate at Univen started doing the rounds in 2012. The rumour, which was spoken in soft tones, finally surfaced last week when more than 50 students were identified as having used fraudulent certificates to gain entry to the university.

The latest revelation has shattered the dreams of the students, some of whom have already been expelled. Others are awaiting their time to face the disciplinary committee.

The fraud also helped students to access National Student Financial Aid loans, which amounts to hundreds of thousands of rands in losses. Each successful student gets a loan of up to R100 000 a year.

Univen spokesperson Mr Takalani Dzaga said they heard about the activities of a crime syndicate on campus last year and immediately launched an investigation, which has now yielded some good results. "We can now confirm that 50 students from different levels of their studies were identified as having used forged matric certificates to gain admission in different schools. Twenty students have already appeared before a disciplinary hearing and were dismissed," he said.

He said the number could rise as they were busy conducting further investigations which might even go back to before 2010, which means some might have already completed their degrees. He said information gathered suggests that a member of the SRC was the ringleader of the syndicate who had also helped students with their registration.

"After identifying the ringleader, we hauled him before the disciplinary committee where he was found guilty and subsequently dismissed. We also opened a criminal case against the student," said Dzaga. He indicated that the issue of fraudulent certificates is not confined to Univen. "We have tightened our screws and all certificates will be carefully scrutinized. We are also going to double check those who are graduating this year, and if we find that they used fraudulent certificates, we will be left with no option but to withdraw their qualifications."

He urged parents to check their children's results and assist them in registration, so that they do not fall into the trap of such syndicates. "Such acts will only damage the students' future as they will never be trusted anywhere, whether it is at work or academic institutions," added Dzaga.