Philippa Garson
PROFESSOR Njabulo Ndebele appears to be out of the race for one of the country ‘s top academic jobs — the post of Wits University vice-chancellor.
Ndebele, a keen favourite among a broad spectrum of academics and students, ha s neither applied for the job nor accepted any nomination.
If Ndebele remains out of the competition, Wits University may see a familiar fight revisited between opposing factions in the university, with the more con servative academics backing candidate deputy vice-chancellor June Sinclair and students and workers pushing for political scientist Sam Nolutshungu.
The two appear to be the only other hopefuls for what many describe as “one of the most difficult jobs” — steering institutions where transition is provi
ng to be particularly stressful.
Ndebele’s assistant John Wiltshire said if Ndebele “has been nominated, it is without his official sanction. Although there have been approaches from the Wi ts office there has been no official contact with the university.” Ndebele has also told friends he is happy with the progress he is making at the Universit
y of the North, which he currently heads.
But some interpret his continued silence as a sign that he has left the door o pen for potential head hunters. He has not publicly stated his refusal to run for the job.
Nothing can happen until agreement on the selection procedures has been found among the university’s different groups. Council chairman Justice Fikile Bham said negotiations were still in progress but he hoped a new agreement over sel ection procedures would be put to council at a specially convened meeting next week.
Sinclair has meanwhile embarked on a vigorous campaign which some academics ha ve criticised as “jumping the gun” since candidates have not yet been short-li sted. At a breakfast at Wits Business School last week Sinclair sketched her v ision for the university as a modern city campus.
She told the Mail & Guardian this week she did this in her capacity as a candi date for the position of vice-chancellor. “As a deputy vice-chancellor it woul d not have been appropriate but as a candidate it was expected of me.”
Nolutshungu has a long history of association with liberation politics. He cur rently heads the political science department at Rochester University in the U nited States and although he is considered to be a fine academic, he lacks the administrative experience of Sinclair.
Former deputy vice-chancellor William Malegapuru Makgoba is also in the runnin g for the post, but without the backing of many academics, students and worker s, is unlikley to be a serious contender.