Eastern Cape Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane has won the first leg of his attempt to block a high-level investigation into how he acquired his Master's degree.

Mabuyane approached the Bhisho High Court asking to be excluded from the ongoing corruption probe at the troubled University of Fort Hare by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).

He protested that the SIU was dragging him into its corruption probe at the troubled University of Fort Hare to tarnish his good name.

The premier said he had complied with the SIU investigation and was supportive of the investigation into a degrees-for-sale scandal.

At the core of the SIU investigation into Mabuyane's involvement in the illegal qualifications probe is that the Premier was illegally enrolled into a Master's programme and later tried to change his Master's in Administration qualification into a Doctorate.

Mabuyane said he was innocent and that he acquired his degree legally and without favours from the university.

The court judgement said: "The Special Investigating Unit is interdicted from enforcing Proclamation 84 of 2022 published in the government gazette on 5 August 2022 in so far as the SIU has taken steps or intends to take steps that are directed at the applicant."

This is however not the end of the saga.

Part two of Mabuyane's application is for the entire investigation into the Forth Hare qualifications scandal to be declared unlawful and invalid.

No ruling has been made on that application.

Last week Scrolla.Africa covered details of the SIU case against Mabuyane.