The University of South Africa (UNISA) has re-established examination centres in Zimbabwe after they were suspended in January this year as a result of alleged tempering with examination papers, Mirror has established.

Following the suspension of examination centres, UNISA centres in that country engaged in protracted negotiations with the UNISA Examinations Council and appealed to the institution to re-establish the centres in the country. The university issued a directive in January this year, informing all UNISA students who are resident in Zimbabwe that they would have to register at examination centres in South Africa. At the time, UNISA’s Examinations Council failed to explain why the university had opted to take such a decision, but hinted that it was necessary to maintain their standards.

Mirror later established that there was an incident in Harare where examination papers were allegedly sold to students. The scandal led to the institution’s subsequently deferring the registration process this year. The move also affected local students who had no travel documents to cross the border for registration in South Africa.

“I failed to register this year because of the conditions set by UNISA in which we were now supposed to cross to South Africa for registration. I don’t have a passport and therefore I couldn’t register and so I had no choice but to defer. I am, however, glad now that the decision has been re-versed, which effectively means that we are now going to register locally, although it is already too late for me to do so,” said Lorraine Khumalo, a local UNISA student.

“I welcome the (UNISA) decision by our university to reverse the unjustifiable decision. We feel it is necessary for the university to treat all of us as equals, regardless of whether you are Zimbabwean or South Africa,” said Lyton Ndou, another student.

Local students with passports had to travel to the nearest examination centre in Louis Trichardt for registration, following the suspension of the activities at local centres.

UNISA has since reduced the number of centres in Zimbabwe to two, with one in Bulawayo and another in Harare.