Ann Eveleth
JOE DIESCHO, the most senior black administrator at the University of South Africa, has been gagged, demoted and deprived of his official car. He is the public relations director, but stands accused of publicly criticising the university.
These actions follow two press interviews earlier this year in which he echoed growing campus criticisms of the university’s slow pace of change. He now faces a disciplinary hearing.
Diescho has been ordered not to speak to the media and has been axed from his second post as deputy director of the larger department of corporate communication and marketing.
Diescho is the most senior black appointment in an administration that is still more than 90% white and which oversees the largest student population in the country (about 130 000), more than 60% of which is now black. He is also a member of the Black Academic Forum, part of a campus alliance demanding an overhaul of the institution’s conservative Afrikaner traditions.
Although Diescho declined to comment, a chronology of the crisis handed to the Mail & Guardian by student leaders this week suggests the battle between the black administrator and some of his white colleagues – including outgoing Principal Marinus Wiechers – has been raging for most of Diescho’s short career there.
The chronology details battles with white managers, smear campaigns and even a death threat alleged to have dogged his tenure since Wiechers backed his appointment in late 1994.
The final straw, however, was Diescho’s public criticism. Wiechers has since written a series of increasingly critical letters to him, culminating in a May 28 attempt to get him to sign his own gag order.
Acting staff registrar Professor Ricky Mauer denies that Diescho’s troubles are linked to his press statements. But a March 27 letter from Wiechers to Diescho suggests otherwise: “You voice opinions about the `rift’ Afrikaans causes at Unisa, the African National Congress with its `unfulfilled promises’ and the `stubbornness’ of the university in dealing with transformation issues, thereby dragging Unisa into the political arena, polarising staff and casting doubts and suspicion at the university’s good faith.” Diescho is also accused of failing to perform his duties.
A reading of Diescho’s job description suggests he may have interpreted his responsibilities more loosely than many other staff.
But Students’ Representative Council (SRC) vice-president Console Tleane says: “Diescho’s victimisation must be seen in the context of this broader conflict over transformation. He is no [Professor William] Makgoba. He chose to push for the kind of transformation demanded by the alliance. That is why they want to get rid of him.”
SRC president Khehla Nkonyana adds: “Transformation at Unisa has been held to ransom for too long and the principal features prominently in efforts to stall that process. The essence of a university has been eroded and Unisa is turning into a place where students, lecturers and even administrative staff who disagree with the status quo are targeted for purging.
“We have had staff strikes and student demonstrations, but still Wiechers wants to pretend we’re one big, happy family.”
Wiechers could not be reached for comment.