David Macfarlane
Tension escalated on Unisa’s strife-torn campus this week as staff widened their campaign against the university’s controversy-ridden council. Eleven academics eight of them black are circulating an open letter expressing no confidence in Unisa’s council and calling for the council to be dissolved. The letter, addressed to the council and Minister of Education Kader Asmal, has already gathered more than 100 signatures.
This follows last week’s “memorandum of concern” that senior academics sent to Asmal, also expressing no confidence in the council and asking him “to take decisive action to normalise governance at Unisa”. This letter is also being circulated on the troubled campus, and now has the backing of well in excess of 200 staff signatures from all race groups.
The Mail & Guardian understands that the nine senior academics who arranged last week’s protest letter are now facing possible legal action initiated from within Unisa’s council. The M&G was unable to ascertain what precise charges are to be brought against the academics. Acting vice-chancellor Professor Simon Maimela said he could not comment as the matter is sub judice.
Both letters express serious concern about the conflict between the Unisa council and Asmal over the university’s appointment of a new vice-chancellor, Dr Barney Pityana, for a full five-year term. Asmal had requested that, in the light of Unisa’s pending merger with Technikon SA and the Distance Education Centre of Vista University, all three institutions refrain from making long-term senior appointments.
When Unisa’s council indicated earlier this year that it intended to go ahead with a full-term appointment of a new vice-chancellor, Asmal threatened to withdraw Unisa’s subsidy if it did so. On Thursday, controversial council chair advocate McCaps Motimele informed the council that Pityana had been appointed for a five-year term.
This week’s letter of protest says, “Unisa is in a serious crisis … The current confrontation between the council and the government is a threat to the individual and collective survival of the Unisa council … As a result we do not have confidence anymore in the council …”