The University of the Witwatersrand’s Senate voted at a special meeting on Tuesday to support a confidential inquiry into the conduct of Vice-Chancellor Prof Norma Reid Birley.
The body is the university’s highest academic body and is made up of over 230 of the institution’s most senior academics, student representatives and support staff.
The chairman of the university’s council Justice Edwin Cameron and the Vice-Chancellor both made presentations to the Senate.
The Senate then appointed one of its members, Prof Kathy Driver, as an assessor in the inquiry, the senate said in a statement after the meeting.
”The feeling in (the) Senate was that while this dispute affecting the senior management needs to be resolved as soon as possible, the core academic activities remain rock steady.
”As the body responsible for the academic programmes in the university, (the) Senate will ensure that there is no interruption of academic activity and that planning for 2003 is on course.”
The senate said that the inquiry, headed by retired Judge President Johan Myburgh, would begin its work on Wednesday. The inquiry would be confidential and not open to the public or the media. – Sapa