Andy Duffy
THE University of Venda has been rocked by allegations of management corruption, attempts to dismiss the academic who blew the whistle, and a strike by staff demanding the vice-chancellor’s resignation.
The Public Protector’s Office confirmed this week it is investigating allegations of maladministration, brought by Afrikaans department head Professor Fanie Olivier. The allegations centre on a Volkskas credit card with a R150 000 limit issued to Vice- Chancellor Gessler Nkondo.
Olivier also handed documentation concerning alleged mismanagement to Education Minister Sibusiso Bengu last month, together with complaints about the process used to rewrite the Act pertaining to the University of Venda. Similar allegations have been made to Bengu this week by striking university staff.
Nkondo suspended Olivier on October 24, but the Thohoyandou Supreme Court overturned the decision on November 4. Olivier escaped a disciplinary hearing last week with a written warning after Nkondo’s representative had called for his dismissal. Another hearing concerning Olivier’s allegation about Nkondo’s credit card is planned.
Bengu’s office is still trying to obtain details about the allegations from Nkondo, but its efforts have been hampered by the strike. Non-academic staff downed tools last week, alleging mismanagement concerning finances and appointments. The striking staff also have worries about the University of Venda’s Act and Nkondo’s refusal to release a consultant’s report on working conditions at the campus.
The workers, led by the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union and the Administrative Staff Association, handed down a vote of no confidence in Nkondo on Tuesday in a memorandum passed to Bengu and the university’s council. The administration has gone to the Supreme Court to have the strike ruled illegal.
Nkondo was unavailable for comment, but deputy vice-chancellor Dr Ndoro Vera said the administration has “nothing to hide”.
He said the strike is a “camouflage … certain elements among staff are trying to use it for something else. There’s a hidden agenda.” He also denies Olivier is being victimised, but says it is “inappropriate” to comment ahead of the next disciplinary hearing.
Nkondo joined the university in 1993 after he left the University of the North when it emerged the doctorate from Yale University he quoted on his CV had been withdrawn.
He has been an outspoken supporter of Africanising tertiary education, and his administration says he enjoys widespread support among Venda’s 7 600-strong student body.
Olivier refused to comment, but allies said he has led opposition to Nkondo virtually single-handedly.