Shacky Timburwa Accused of Possessing a Fake PhD

Shacky Timburwa Accused of Possessing a Fake PhD

Shackmore Wellington Timburwa, or as his mates probably call him, “Shacky T”, a Zanu PF MP from Chegutu West, is trending online for allegedly faking a PhD in International Relations from the University of South Africa (UNISA).

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According to We Dug Up, in 2023, Shacky took to LinkedIn to announce his “official” academic triumph.

In a now-deleted post that oozed more confidence than a peacock at a bird convention, he wrote:

“It’s official – I’ve crossed the finish line and earned my Doctorate in International Relations! At the age of 31-years-old. The culmination of years of hard work, late nights and endless research. Ready to tackle the world’s challenges with this new title and knowledge in hand!”

There was one tiny problem. The doctorate was about as real as a unicorn riding a hoverboard.

Enter Maynard Manyowa, a UK-based Zimbabwean journalist with a nose for sniffing out shenanigans.

Along with his team at We Dug Up, Maynard uncovered the truth: Shacky’s PhD was not genuine.

Turns out, our man Shacky was allegedly approached by one Isaiah Brian Sovi, a controversial figure who apparently offered to help him “obtain” a PhD from UNISA.

And by “obtain,” we mean “buy a gown, attend a ceremony, and hope no one asks too many questions.”

So, Shacky hopped on a plane to South Africa, rocked up to what we can only assume was the academic equivalent of a Potemkin village, and “graduated” in style.

Photos were taken, caps were thrown, and Shacky walked away with a shiny new title: “Doctor.” Or so he thought.

When We Dug Up confronted Shacky, he claimed he’d been “duped.” Yes, duped.

As in, he thought he was getting a real PhD but somehow missed the memo that you can’t just buy one like a dodgy DVD from a street vendor.

Shacky isn’t the first person to try and fast-track their way to a fancy title, but most people at least have the decency to go for an honorary doctorate, like Walter Magaya did.

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Shacky, on the other hand, went full throttle, presenting his fake degree as the result of “years of hard work.”