Johannesburg – The University of South Africa (UNISA) has won a defamation case against several individuals who were spreading falsehoods about the Principal and Vice-Chancellor.
Commenting on the matter, UNISA said it welcomes separate high court judgments issued against Mogaila Mogashoa, Mandisa Mashego, and Simamkele Xani in applications brought before the court by the university against the three individuals.
UNISA complained to the courts that on several occasions, Mogashoa “spread lies” about the institution and its management, including the Principal and Vice-Chancellor.
“Some of the false statements he has made are that Unisa is a ‘cooldrink place’ and that the Principal and Vice-Chancellor illicitly move money to Lesotho,” stated UNISA in a statement made available to The Bulrushes on Wednesday, 18 February 2026.
The University successfully filed an application for defamation and interdicted him from continuing to spread falsehoods about it and its officials.
“He has contravened the order by spreading further lies even after the interdict,” UNISA stated.
“As a result of his contempt, the court has issued a warrant of arrest against him.”
In the case of Mashego, UNISA said she made unjustified and unsubstantiated statements alleging the institution was “under investigation for fake degrees, for people writing examinations for others, for running classes, for corruption and ‘lots of things’”.
In the application brought by UNISA against Mashego for defamation, the Johannesburg High Court has ruled as follows:
• Mashego is found guilty of defamation
• Mashego has been ordered to pay a sum of R550 000
• Interest on this amount is payable at the prescribed legal rate from the date of demand until the final date of payment.
In another matter, the court ruled against Xani, a UNISA student who in 2021 attacked fellow students and university staff, including the Principal and Vice-Chancellor.
UNISA successfully sought an interdict against Xani, who was interdicted from making unwarranted attacks and falsehoods about the university.
However, in November 2024, Xani again launched an attack against the University and its management.
As a result, UNISA filed an urgent application against Xani for violating the court interdict and continued defamation.
A final interdict was issued by the High Court, in which he was interdicted from continuing his unlawful behaviour.
The High Court ruled as follows:
• Xani is found in contempt of the Court Order of 27 November 2024, which interdicted, prevented, and/or restrained him from making or publishing any false or misleading information about UNISA and the Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Puleng LenkaBula, in any manner and/or on any media platform.
• Xani must be incarcerated for a period of 60 days, or a fine of R50 000 is imposed on him. This order is suspended and is not to be executed unless he breaches the terms of the original order of 27 November 2024. UNISA and Professor Puleng LenkaBula were granted leave to approach the court to enforce this order should Xani again breach the interdict of 27 November 2024.
• Xani is again interdicted and prohibited from disseminating and/or publishing or causing to be published, any further defamatory information or statements about or otherwise concerning UNISA and Professor Puleng LenkaBula in terms of or similar to the correspondences dated 26 November 2025, 2 December 2025, and 3 December 2025.
• Xani is directed to retract the defamatory statements made through his attorneys in letters dated 26 November 2025 and 2 December 2025, and personally via email on 3 December 2025, by sending a written retraction to the same platforms that were used to publish the same defamatory and/or false statements. He was also directed to issue a written apology to Unisa and Professor Puleng LenkaBula within 48 hours of the issuing of the order.
• Xani was ordered to pay the costs of the application on a party-to-party scale.
In a separate action, the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Teboho Letsie, brought an urgent interdict against Xani to stop falsely claiming to the public that UNISA has granted Letsie an R82 million security tender.
The High Court found that Xani was not telling the truth and interdicted him from spreading further falsehoods.
The court also ordered him to pay the costs, including the costs of Letsie’s legal team.
Xani has failed to comply with the court orders, and the University is currently considering enforcing the orders.
In welcoming the above judgments, Unisa expressed hope that such decisive rulings by the courts will serve as a deterrent to individuals and organisations from peddling false, fabricated, and defamatory statements about itself and its officials.
The university also reiterated its resolve to hold anyone doing so legally accountable.
“The university will investigate and act against anyone, including students and those within its employment, who do anything wrong and unlawful,” said Professor Boitumelo Senokoane, UNISA Executive Director: Institutional Advancement and Spokesperson.
“Whilst we are committed to protecting whistleblowers, we will not hesitate to take head-on anyone who lies about the university, our council members, officials, employees, or students and tarnish the name of the university.”
