An accusation of plagiarism in the doctoral thesis of Shamim "Chippy" Shaik at the University of KwaZulu-Natal is the latest in a series of scandals to hit the university.

But since the story broke in the Weekend Argus yesterday, UKZN vice-chancellor Malegapuru Makgoba has refused to comment on the matter.

Yesterday, the deputy president of the university's SRC, Magasela Nzobe, said they were "flabbergasted", and called on the university to take harsh action.

"We are worried about the image of degrees that we are producing, especially with regard to senior degrees," he said.

The report says an investigation has revealed that Chippy Shaik, elder brother of convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik, plagiarised more than two-thirds of his 2003 Ph D in mechanical engineering.

His degree was supervised by Professor Viktor Verijenko, head of the School of Mechanical Engineering.

According to media reports, Shaik's 217-page thesis had fundamental mathematical errors in formulas and was littered with typographical and grammatical errors.

Verijenko and colleague Professor Sarp Adali, who assisted him, were sent letters last week by the university informing them of a disciplinary hearing against them.

UKZN spokesman Dasrath Chetty said while scandals did not do the university's image any good, they proved that there was good governance in place. He said the matter would be thoroughly investigated.

Shaik was the chief negotiator of the multibillion-rand arms deal, in which brother Schabir's company, African Defence Systems (ADS) was a winning bidder.

With acknowledgement to Cape Argus.