CRIME

University of Zululand Professor killed over fraudulent PhDs

Published

4 Dec 2018

04/12/2018

The University of Zululand’s dean of the faculty of arts, professor Gregory Kamwendo, was allegedly killed after he uncovered a fraudulent PhD syndicate at the institution.

Gregory Kamwendo was shot dead at his home in Empangeni in May.

Two men, including a lecturer at the same institution, were arrested for his murder at the weekend.

Kamwendo’s colleague, who may not be named until he has appeared in court and pleaded, allegedly hired a hitman for R10 000 to kill the professor because he had uncovered a fraudulent PhD syndicate in the university that involved three members of the academic staff.

A source close to the investigation, who may not be named to protect his identity, said the university was facing a crisis of fraudulent PhD degrees being granted to students and the academic in question had been suspended for the alleged criminal activities.

“The professor was fighting against this corruption. There is a lot of people who have received PhDs through fraud,” said the source.

“They arrested the men late last week. It was a joint operation with the Empangeni tracing team, a detective from Sandton and Bheki Thusi, a private investigator from KwaZulu-Natal,” said the source.

The source said Gregory Kamwendo had received death threats before he was killed.

“An employee that was arrested is a professor at the university. He was bitter and telling him that he was going to kill him.

“The professor ended up opening a case of intimidation against him.”

Kamwendo, who was 53, was originally from Malawi and had been at the university since 2016.

His academic career began at the University of Malawi in 1990 where he was employed as a staff associate in the Department of English.

He was seconded to the Centre for Language Studies as a Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Director for six years.

After receiving his PhD from Helsinki University in 2004, he returned to Malawi where he worked briefly before joining the University of Botswana’s Faculty of Education as a Senior Lecturer in Language Education.

In 2007, he was appointed Head of the Department of Languages and Social Sciences Education and was also promoted to the rank of Associate Professor.

A further promotion in 2010 saw him reach the rank of full Professor of Language Education at the university where he served as Head of Department of Languages and Social Sciences.

Police say he was shot and killed in the driveway of his home. He suffered multiple fatal shots to his upper body.

It has been alleged that the academic in police custody confessed to hiring and paying a hitman to kill Kamwendo.

Col Thembeka Mbhele confirmed that two men were arrested last week.

“On Thursday, November 29 2018, detectives arrested two suspects aged 50 years for murder. They will appear tomorrow [today] in the Empangeni magistrate’s court,” Mbhele said.

Captain Nqobile Gwala said police were unable to divulge more information relating to the case because it was at a sensitive stage.

The spokesperson for the university Gcina Nhleko said: “The university is unable to comment on the arrest of two suspects and its related matters as we are not aware of this development.”

Related Topics:Gregory Kamwendo University of Zululand

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CRIME

Zimbabwe Opens One-Month Amnesty for Illegal Firearms

Police say anyone holding unlicensed or illegally acquired guns can hand them in without prosecution until 12 November, with checks to follow.

Published

20 Oct 2026

20/10/2026

AIZ News Editor

Zimbabweans holding unlicensed or illegally acquired firearms have until 12 November to hand them in to police without facing questioning or prosecution, under an amnesty announced by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP).

According to the police statement, issued on Monday 19 October by spokesperson Paul Nyathi, the amnesty began on 12 October and covers both individuals and institutions. It extends to firearms and ammunition that are unlicensed, smuggled or otherwise illegally obtained. Anyone who surrenders a weapon at their nearest police station will be given an official safe custody receipt.

Police said the amnesty is being run under the Southern African Development Community protocol on the control of firearms, ammunition and related materials.

The ZRP linked poorly secured and unregistered weapons to serious crime, naming armed robbery and murder, though it did not publish figures. It said some licensed owners have failed to renew their certificates or update their records. It also pointed to guns that stay in private hands after a company closes, a gun club membership lapses, or a licence holder dies.

Police also accused some licensed dealers and gun clubs of keeping unclaimed firearms they had been holding for safekeeping, which they said breaches the Firearms Act.

The statement carries a warning. Once the amnesty ends on 12 November, police said they will carry out physical checks and verification exercises aimed at people suspected of holding illegal firearms. Licensed owners were told to update their records promptly.

The police statement has been carried by ZimLive and NewZimbabwe. Neither reported statistics on how many illegal firearms are believed to be in circulation.

Sources: Zimbabwe Republic Police statement as reported by ZimLive and NewZimbabwe.com.

CRIME

Murder trial of Zimbabwean scientist Dr Fortune Gomo set for January 2028

A 21-year-old has pleaded not guilty to the racially aggravated murder of Dr Fortune Gomo in Dundee. The trial is due to start in January 2028.

Published

13 Oct 2026

13/10/2026

AIZ News Editor

A trial date has been set in the case of Dr Fortune Gomo, the Zimbabwean scientist killed in Dundee, Scotland, in July last year.

A 21-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to murdering Dr Gomo, 39, and to a separate charge of having a knife in a public place, according to The Scotsman and Voice Online. Prosecutors allege she was repeatedly struck on the body with a knife in Dundee on 5 July 2025. They say the attack was aggravated by prejudice relating to race, nationality or ethnicity. The accused is not named here because the two outlets spell his name differently.

Both outlets report that the trial is due to begin in January 2028 at the High Court in Dundee.

Dr Gomo was an environmental and water resources scientist who had recently started work with Scottish Water. Both outlets say she held a PhD from the University of Dundee. The Scotsman reports she had studied in both Scotland and Zimbabwe, graduating from the National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe; it cites social media for her academic record.

The accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty, and no evidence has yet been tested in court.

Sources: The Scotsman; Voice Online.

CRIME

Ndodana Tshuma pleads guilty to gun charges in Johannesburg, clearing way for UK extradition

The British-Zimbabwean man wanted over the deaths of his wife and two daughters in Bedfordshire has admitted firearms and immigration offences in a South African court. He has not entered a plea to the murder charges.

Published

10 Sep 2026

10/09/2026

AIZ News Editor

Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma has pleaded guilty in a Johannesburg court to illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition, and to an immigration offence — a step that clears the way for South Africa to extradite him to Britain.

Tshuma, described by the Associated Press as a British citizen of Zimbabwean heritage, is wanted by police in the United Kingdom over the deaths of his wife and their two daughters at the family home in Bedfordshire in July. Prosecutors in Britain say he will face three counts of murder.

The Associated Press reports that the guilty pleas formed part of a plea deal with South African prosecutors, and that South African authorities have said they will move to extradite him once his local court case is concluded. Eyewitness News, whose report was carried by NewZimbabwe.com, said a plea and sentence agreement between Tshuma and the State was before the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court.

He was arrested in Johannesburg in July after fleeing the UK, and was found in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

It is worth being precise about what Tshuma has and has not admitted. His guilty pleas relate only to the South African firearms and immigration charges. He has not entered a plea to the murder charges, and his lawyer, Chrispen Machingura, has indicated it is unlikely to become public soon how his client intends to plead in Britain, according to Eyewitness News.

The case has been followed closely by Zimbabwean communities in Britain and South Africa since the summer. AllInZimbabwe reported last month that the extradition matter had been rolled over to September in Johannesburg.

Sources: Associated Press, via ZimLive; Eyewitness News, via NewZimbabwe.com.