Simmering rebellion at the University of Durban-Westville (UDW) reached boiling point this week, with powerful university staffers predicting that controversial new vice-chancellor Dr Saths Cooper could soon be looking for alternative employment.
Five members of the council — UDW’s highest decision-making body — have demanded that council chairperson Dr Namane Magau call an emergency meeting to discuss former UDW vice-chancellor Professor Mapule Ramashala’s defamation suit against Cooper and the council. Ominously for Cooper, ”other matters of governance” are also on the agenda.
Ramashala last month filed a R3-million suit following remarks Cooper made on e.tv news in May about Ramashala’s alleged role in a loan and investment deal while she was UDW vice-chancellor. His remarks crowned a number of other public comments in which he trashed his predecessor’s performance.
Since he assumed office in January, Cooper has been at the centre of serial controversies. The Mail & Guardian reported last month that these erupted in the shock resignation of Professor Pitika Ntuli, whom Cooper appointed as dean of students six months ago. Ntuli told the M&G that ”a climate of fear and intimidation” prevailed under Cooper.
The M&G also reported senior staffers’ concerns that questionable high-level appointments could endanger UDW’s merger with the University of Natal. The same report quoted the students representative council’s strongly worded condemnation of Cooper and his management team.
The M&G now understands that previously fervent supporters of Cooper, including some who backed his candidacy for the vice-chancellorship, are scrambling to distance themselves from him following Ntuli’s resignation. In addition to the imminent emergency meeting of the council, there are moves afoot to get senate members — mainly senior professors — to pass a vote of no confidence in him.
One unresolved matter concerns Cooper’s remuneration package, which well-placed UDW sources say has never been ratified, or seen, by UDW’s remuneration committee.
UDW confirmed this week that a ”special” meeting of council will be held on Monday, but that this in no way ”’signals a governance and leadership crisis at UDW’. There is no such crisis,” executive director Dasarath Chetty said. And Cooper’s package ”has been ratified by the extended remuneration committee”.
UDW declined the M&G’s invitation — its third this year — to provide details of the package.
Cooper had been widely assumed to be angling for leadership of the new merged institution. Now it would be a ”miracle” if he survived beyond this month, a well-connected UDW staffer said.