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This study sought to analyse the role of the South African Qualifications Authority in curbing the misrepresentation of qualifications. Academic degrees are highly valued throughout the globe because they are seen as a dependable and trusted proxy for the bearers' knowledge, abilities and skills. In the same vein, the higher education system in South Africa makes every effort to generate well-qualified graduates who are capable of assisting in the leadership of the country's socio-economic growth. Recent reports in the media, on the other hand, create the impression that this initiative is being hampered by the widespread use of counterfeit, phoney and other illegitimate credentials. Consequently, the reputation of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) is in grave danger as a result of the increasing prevalence of dishonestly misrepresented qualifications in both the public and private sectors. The education system is also at risk of losing its credibility as a result of actions involving deception, which is a subject that has to be addressed at the highest levels possible. Notably, the public service in South Africa is making significant progress towards the goal of ensuring that individuals who misrepresent their qualifications are barred from ever working in the public sector again. In this regard, SAQA plays an important role by offering verification services to individuals who are interested in applying for jobs in the public sector. Thus, this study contributes to the literature on credentialism and qualifications from the developing world with specific reference to South Africa.

Academic fraud is all actions committed by students in devious ways to gain personal gain. Therefore, of course, academic fraud is very detrimental. The purpose of this study is to find out the influence of the Pentagon's fraud dimension, namely academic pressure, opportunity, rationalization, ability, and personal ethics, on the behavior of academic fraud students. The population in this study were students of accounting study programs at Khairun University and Hein Namotemo Halmahera University of North Halmahera, Ternate, Indonesia, who were registered in the academic year 2020/2021 and attended face-to-face lectures. The entire population in the study was used as a unit of analysis. The data in this study is primary data using questionnaires tested with Smart PLS analysis tools. Data analysis methods use descriptive analysis and multiple linear regression analysis. The results showed that academic pressure, rationalization, and ability influence academic fraud. In comparison, Opportunity and Personal Ethics do not affect academic fraud.