Following her testimony before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee last week, social media was flooded with claims that attorney and certified fraud examiner Sarah-Jane Trent had lied about her academic qualifications.

Trent appeared before the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee on Thursday and Friday where she presented testimony about the alleged role of private actors who have embedded themselves within South Africa’s criminal justice system.

The committee is probing allegations made by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

During the weekend a statement purporting to be from the University of South Africa circulated widely on social media claiming that Trent had never studied at the institution.

The statement claimed that the university had no record of any student by the name Sarah Jane Trent ever registering or graduating with a law degree from the institution.

However on Monday the University of South Africa issued an official statement confirming that the circulating message was false.

UNISA confirmed that Sarah-Jane Trent is indeed a graduate of the institution and holds a Bachelor of Laws degree which she obtained in May 2013.

The university also condemned the manipulation and misuse of its templates and official logo which were used to create the misleading statement circulating online.

UNISA further indicated that the relevant units within the institution will investigate the origin of the false statement and take appropriate legal action against those responsible.

The clarification comes amid heightened public interest in Trent’s testimony before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating allegations raised by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

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