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I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding the assessment and marking process of my Project Research module for the Bachelor of Commerce Honours programme.

I submitted my research project on 25 October 2025, ahead of the stipulated submission deadline of 30 October 2025. Following submission, I made numerous attempts via calls and emails to obtain my outstanding results, as this was the only module for which results had not been released. Unfortunately, these attempts went unanswered.

On 14 January 2026, I received correspondence from Ms Portia Ntetha, advising that my paper had been reviewed and that the incorrect format had been used. I was instructed to transfer my work into the correct format, attend to the required amendments, and resubmit by 30 January 2026.

I comp**** with this instruction and submitted my revised paper on the evening of Tuesday, 27 January 2026.

On Friday, 30 January 2026, at midday, Dr Mthembu contacted me to advise that the paper was not to his satisfaction and that he would send it back once he had completed his notes. On Saturday, 31 January 2026, at approximately 19:46, Dr Mthembu contacted me again from his private line and presented me with the following two options: 1. He would send back the paper with his notes; however, the due date had already passed. 2. I could pay R6,000 for him to attend to the amendments on my behalf, on condition that I email Ms Ntetha to withdraw from the May 2026 graduation, deregister, and re-register while he amends the paper.

I raised my concern that withdrawing without allowing the paper to be formally marked would still require me to re-register, whereas submitting the paper could result in either a pass or a fail. If I passed, the payment would have been unnecessary; if I failed, I would still have to re-register. Based on this, I chose to proceed with submission.

I was further advised that should I submit the paper as it was, he would be required to write a report stating that the paper was not to his satisfaction. I was urged not to make a rushed decision and to email Ms Ntetha first, after which an agreement would be reached pending feedback from Ms Ntetha.

I subsequently emailed Ms Ntetha to seek clarity on the applicable due date and emailed Dr Mthembu privately to confirm my decision to submit the paper, as the options presented were not suitable to me.

I now seek clarity on when my paper was reviewed, particularly given that my decision to submit the paper as it was was only communicated on Monday. I am concerned that the fail may have been awarded prematurely. Dr Mthembu indicated that reviewing the paper would take approximately two to three days, yet I struggle to understand how a mark could have been finalised in less than 24 hours.

This sequence of events has led me to feel that the fail may have been influenced by my inability to pay the R6,000 requested for amendments. I respectfully request transparency in this matter and ask that you provide me with the marked version of my paper, clearly indicating the areas where I did not meet the required standard.

I am not opposed to redoing the paper or attending to the necessary amendments. However, I do believe that the marking process was unfair, and I respectfully request clarity, transparency, and a review of how this assessment was handled.

I trust that this matter will be treated with the seriousness it deserves and look forward to your response.