The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) have stated that they were not surprised by the outcomes of the investigation by the Independent Assessor into the University of South Africa (Unisa).
NEHAWU is said to have been at the forefront of highlighting many issues at Unisa, including maladministration, collapse of governance, corruption, undermining of collective bargaining, disregard for labour laws and authoritarian management, union bashing, victimisation, harassment, intimidation of employees and violation of recruitment policies and procurement.
The union says that the report emphasizes their view that the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Management and the Council have caused instability in the institution due to their "high-handed management style".
The report also exposed poor student services, academic malpractices and a fragile and troubled ICT environment which is concerning as Unisa is an open distance e-learning institution.
The report showed that the Unisa Management and Council were found to be violating policies and that they had failed to ensure the stability, strategic direction and financial compliance of the institution.
NEHAWU has stated that the report has also confirmed what they had previously raised about the Vice-Chancellor undermining the recruitment and selection processes of the institution. This comes after five people were appointed in her office without adhering to any advertisement and selection processes.
The report revealed that the VC acted improperly and was involved fully in the procurement process some of which include the renovations at the VC's house and the procurement of laptops.
The VC had also terminated the employment contracts of NEHAWU's office bearers without any due process which the union says is evidence of her lack of regard for labour laws.
NEHAWU has called for the Minister of Higher Education and Training to fully implement the recommendations of the report by the Independent Assessor and dissolve the council and put in place an administrator at Unisa.
They have called for the removal of the Vice-Chancellor of Unisa Professor Puleng Lenkabula due to all the findings made against her.
The union said:
As NEHAWU, we will not rest until there is proper governance, administration and management in UNISA. We will continue championing the interest of our members, workers and students at the institution.
The South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) has also expressed its concern about the findings of the Independent Assessor into Unisa.
The union said it is disturbed by these findings and it is concerned about the thousands of aspiring educators who are registered at Unisa as well as educators who are already qualified but are studying at the institution to improve their qualifications.
SADTU's biggest concern is the effect that the state of the university will have as more people need the institution to improve their qualifications and contribute to improving the education sector.
Unisa is known for being the most affordable and accessible university for those who are eager to join the education sector.
SADTU said that the recent developments which have introduced Grade R into the mainstream schooling system and programmes to upgrade the qualifications of Early Childhood Development Practitioners most of whom prefer Unisa due to its accessibility, undermines the efforts to transform the education system.
SADTU has condemned the acts of corruption, maladministration and poor governance at Unisa.
The union said:
SADTU is further saddened that a national university is being brought down on its knees with impunity. We remind government that we remain pained by the plight of many of our children who cannot afford university fees whilst university executives are feeding off the hard-earned money of the poor and disenfranchised.
SADTU says that as National Senior Certificate (NSC) results improve every year more spaces are needed at universities and the education sector cannot afford to have one of the biggest universities in the country being mismanaged.
The Union has called on the Minister of Higher Education and Training to take action as per the recommendations of the Independent Assessor and approach law enforcement agencies to conduct further investigations where criminal conduct has been identified.
