The South African Union of Students (SAUS) is calling for the immediate suspension of Reshma Mathura, acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) of Finance at the University of South Africa (UNISA).
These demands follow allegations that Mathura, who also sits on the board of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), improperly received funds from the organisation or its beneficiaries.
The allegations levelled against her, suggesting that she unduly benefited and received funds from NSFAS and its beneficiaries are at best grave and must be treated as such.
SAUS says the accusations levelled against Mathura are "grave" and raised concerns regarding the lack of an independent investigation to verify Methura's innocence, despite AfriForum, her representatives, claiming otherwise.
"We are consistent with our previous stance concerning those accused of looting state coffers," read the statement.
The Union is calling for Mathura to step down voluntarily or be placed on leave by Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande to ensure an unbiased investigation and protect NSFAS's integrity.
Consistent with our previous position concerning those accused of looting state coffers, we are calling for Ms Methura to immediately step down, failure which we are calling on the minister to place her on leave.
Similar action was taken against the former NSFAS CEO Andile Nongogo and Board Chair Ernest Khosa who were both facing allegations of corruption. SAUS adds that Methura should not be given special treatment.
These steps would be further consistent with the actions taken when the CEO and subsequently the Board Chair were accused of corruption at the scheme, and as such we contended Ms Methura isn’t any special.
Mathura, however, maintains her innocence. They claimed that the unauthorised deposits were made into her account in an attempt to damage her reputation. AfriForum is currently investigating the situation.
She has also informed Unisa Vice-Chancellor, Professor Puleng LenkaBula of the incident.
Mathura sits on the board of NSFAS which offers financial support to deserving students in the form of bursaries and loans. This funding covers necessities such as meals, accommodation, transportation, and learning materials.
SAUS is demanding a swift investigation by law enforcement agencies to determine the truth behind these allegations.
"We are further calling on law enforcement to move with sheer speed in investigating these allegations."
