Unisa ex-registrar disputes e-mail that got him fired

Email allegedly circulated internally with the subject 'Below is proof of people Mothata sent' before forwarding to attorneys as evidence. Former University of South Africa’s (Unisa) registrar, Prof Steward Mothata has opened a criminal case alleging an e-mail used by the university against him in high court proceedings was fabricated and falsely attributed to him. Mothata, who served as registrar until his dismissal in June 2023, claimed to be a victim of identity fraud, impersonation and the possible fabrication of electronic evidence, after an e-mail allegedly sent in his name became central to the litigation brought against him by Unisa. Mothata lodged criminal complaint at Sunnyside in March He lodged the criminal complaint at Sunnyside police station in March, alleging the e-mail purportedly sent from [email protected] to 36 recipients was fraudulently created and later relied upon by Unisa during legal proceedings. The e-mail, dated 19 January, which The Citizen has seen, contains sweeping allegations of corruption involving senior politicians, judges, university executives and other public figures. Mothata maintains he neither authored, nor distributed it. “I categorically deny that the e-mail was created by myself and I deny that I sent the e-mail together with the attachment to the 36 recipients,” he states in his sworn police affidavit. The e-mail allegedly forms part of a 147-page affidavit filed by Unisa during the proceedings in the High Court in Pretoria, in which the university was granted an interdict stopping Mothata from making what it described as defamatory and harmful allegations against the institution and its leadership. Email allegedly circulated internally It was allegedly circulated internally in Unisa, with a subject field of “Below is proof of the people Mothata has sent an e-mail to”, before being forwarded to the university’s attorneys as purported evidence that Mothata had distributed it. But Mothata disputes that and argues that the e-mail’s authenticity has never been independently established through digital forensic analysis. He is now calling for a full forensic investigation into the origin of the e-mail, as well as the subpoena of original electronic records, server logs and metadata from all alleged recipients to determine whether the e-mail originated from his account, or was created elsewhere. Such an investigation, Mothata argues, would establish whether the e-mail relied upon during court proceedings was authentic, or whether it constitutes evidence of impersonation and fraud. Mothata says falsely attributing those statements to him has exposed him and his family to serious reputational, legal and personal risks. Impersonation and fraud “This is a dangerous form of impersonation and fraud,” he says in his police statement. Captain Tintswalo Sibeko, Sunnyside police station spokesperson, confirmed that a case of fraud was under investigation in relation to the matter and that no arrests made have been made. Unisa spokesperson Prof Boitumelo Senokoane, said “[Unisa] wishes to reiterate that it has no relationship with Mothata. “It is our view that any other issue(s) of interest/dissatisfaction relating to him are dealt with in the appropriate court(s) of law.”