Johannesburg - A group of University of Unisa council members have penned a letter to the Minister of Higher Education, Dr Blade Nzimande, detailing the shambolic state of the university’s governance.
The group says it has decided to withdraw its participation from the activities of the institution following acts of bullying and intimidation within the structures of the university.
The letter is dated Friday, June 9, 2023, and comes two days after the university held its recent council meeting, which was shunned by students and trade unions.
The group also claimed to have distanced itself from a submission adopted by the council on June 7, 2023, in which a resolution was adopted to review the recent independent assessor report compiled by Professor Themba Mosia, who made damning findings against Unisa.
The members, who are also apparently victims of Unisa Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Puleng LenkaBula’s intimidation, are of the view that the assessor’s report has merit and should be accepted as it is.
"Most of us on the council accept the assessor's report as it is. We do not support a resolution taken by the unlawful council on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. The meeting was attended by only a few members, including those who are suspected to be at the centre of corrupt activities in the university.
"We were informed by the council chairperson that on June 7 it will proceed given the university’s head of legal services (Vuyo Peach), who is being investigated by the Legal Practice Council in a recent judgment by the Labour Council, because the court ruled that he was "stranger to the truth," the members said.
Last week, The Star reported that last week’s council had failed to meet the quorum after only eight members attended the meeting following a mass exodus and alleged purging of council members.
"The council does not quorate, and even at the time of quorum, our attempts to exercise fiduciary responsibilities in holding management, especially the VC in these reported allegations, were thwarted by the chair of the council, who himself bullied us in all these meetings," the letter stated.
The members have called for the minister to order a forensic investigation into reported claims of maladministration and mismanagement of the university’s finances and government processes. They also want the minister to hold LenkaBula directly responsible for the rot at the institution.
"We also want to inform you that some of us did tell Prof Mosia that there might be intimidation and targeting of individuals who provided evidence on corrupt activities ... The VC is accountable to no one. She does as she pleases. She refuses to be interviewed in council-approved investigations like the Bowmans on laptops and the PWC’s on the harassment matter about the registrar (Professor Steward Mothata)," the letter reads.
Spokesperson for the Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Ishmael Mnisi, was not able to confirm receipt of the letter, saying the minister received a lot of correspondence from various quarters of society.
"The minister has been receiving a lot of letters from various organisations and individuals about Unisa. The minister's response or final decision on the Unisa assessors' report and that of the ministerial committee he established on Unisa will be made public as prescribed by the Higher Education Act," he said.
Last week, the university issued a statement saying it was finalising its response to the minister on the independent assessor report following a meeting with its council.
"The council of the Unisa sat on June 7, 2023, to conclude some outstanding matters of governance and oversight and finalise its response to the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, on the report of the Independent Assessor... Council looks forward to the response and guidance of Minister Nzimande and is committed to any further engagements with him should the need arise," the university said.
The Star