Joshua Amupadhi
The University of the North has appointed a commission of inquiry to investigate a long-running feud at its Unin Qwa Qwa campus, which came to a head last week when three lecturers exchanged blows. The commission comes more than a year after students, workers and lecturers first demanded independent investigations into allegations of corruption, mismanagement and personal feuds between academics on campus. The probe at Unin will begin next month.
‘We tried to handle this internally but because there have been so many of these (problems) going on the council has now decided to appoint a commission that will investigate everything and everybody,’ said Unin representative John Wiltshire.
Meanwhile, police are investigating charges of assault against the Qwa Qwa campus registrar for academic affairs NT Mosia and principal computer programmer LM Mabula. The two allegedly punched and manhandled Dr Mashupye Kgaphola of the chemistry department last week. They could not be reached for comment as they were on holiday.
The Qwa Qwa campus is in the Free State, about 600km from the headquarters in Pietersburg in the Northern Province. Unin is headed by Professor Njabulo Ndebele. Students, workers and some lecturers, calling themselves Concerned Members Group, have accused Vice-Chancellor Ndebele of ‘intransigence’ and reluctance to end the crises. Kgaphola said numerous memoranda had been sent to Ndebele, but most had been ignored. Those that drew a reply, he said, did not address the problems. ‘When evidence is presented on many complaints there is no urgency in the action being taken.’
Despite sending several SOS memoranda to the main campus, secretary general of the Students’ Representative Council Mbulelo Nkwequ said: ‘The council and particularly Professor Ndebele have not come back to us to indicate whether the problem was being solved’.
In October, Kgaphola laid charges of fraud with the police against the management of the Unin Qwa Qwa campus. Superintendent Buks van Jaarsveld, Bloemfontein’s commercial crime unit’s head, said the charges involve corruption, the issuing of false degrees and invalid letters of admission.