The theft of several University of South Africa (Unisa) exam papers from the University of Namibia (Unam) will affect about 13 500 Unisa students worldwide, officials from Unisa said on Wednesday.
In a short statement issued on Wednesday, Doreen Gough, Unisa’s spokesperson, said: ”The University of South Africa has become aware that some of its examination papers that were delivered to the University of Namibia have been compromised.
”The university will substitute the affected examination papers and three examinations will be rescheduled.
”About 13 500 students worldwide will be affected, but all examinations will be completed by the due date,” she said.
Gough said Unisa cannot divulge any further details ”at this point” in order not to hamper or harm the investigation by the Namibian police.
”The university is also holding its own investigation into the matter,” she said.
Earlier on Wednesday, The Namibian reported that police in Namibia are probing the theft of several Unisa exam papers from Unam.
Offices in the external studies department at Unam were broken into on Friday night, allegedly by students who included five South Africans, the newspaper reported on its website.
The five South Africans reportedly travelled to Windhoek to steal the papers, and were said to have returned home on Saturday.
Unam spokesperson Edwin Tjiramba confirmed some staff in the department of external studies would be suspended on Wednesday.
”We are going full steam ahead with the investigation. No one is suspended as yet, but we expect it to happen tomorrow [Wednesday],” Tjiramba said.
Pretoria-based Unisa has exam centres in 24 other African countries and 59 countries outside the continent.
At least five exam papers were stolen, copied and returned to the Unam offices, The Namibian said.
These included papers on applied financial accounting, applied management accounting, and theory of accounting, as well as one law paper and one on credit finance management.
An unnamed source told The Namibian the thieves made a hole in the ceiling of a storeroom — which contained a photocopier — and entered the room where the papers were kept through the roof.
They opened envelopes, made copies of the papers in the storeroom, glued the envelopes shut again and returned them to the right office.
The five South African students allegedly tried to sell one of the papers to a local student. It was not clear whether they found any buyers. — Sapa