The troubled University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) has suspended a senior academic and prominent unionist, barring him from all its campuses pending a disciplinary enquiry into four charges of misconduct.
The charges against Evan Mantzaris, professor of sociology and president of the Combined Staff Association (Comsa), follow the findings of a board of inquiry headed by advocate Johann Gautschi that the university appointed in November.
The board’s terms of reference noted that UKZN ‘has experienced negative media publicity over 18 months, which is alleged to be the result of a concerted effort of and campaign by two members of staff of the university, possibly assisted by othersâ€. This campaign allegedly included ‘defamatory anonymous emailsâ€, ‘reckless comments to the mediaâ€, ‘forging of staff signatures†and ‘leaking of confidential information — to the mediaâ€.
The terms of reference also specified ‘misconduct by an individual member of staffâ€, including sexual harassment of a female staff member and ‘irregularities†concerning examinations.
Gautschi issued a notice to the university community last month, saying the board had presented ‘a confidential interim report†to the UKZN council on February 16. Without naming Mantzaris, he said ‘evidence received by the board shows the existence of a persistent and orchestrated campaign calculated to destabilise the university and targeted at senior members of its management and staffâ€.
Gautschi said the board had recommended disciplinary proceedings against ‘a member of the academic staff†arising from sexual harassment, negligent performance of academic duties and false and defamatory documents sent to the mediaâ€.
He also said the board’s main report, to follow its interim one, ‘will deal with allegations against other individuals who have not yet had an opportunity to respondâ€.
Mantzaris has shown the Mail & Guardian a letter written to him earlier this month by deputy vice-chancellor Peter Zacharias, which expands on the charges. Zacharias wrote that ‘it is clear to me that the evidence against you is not frivolous, but is overwhelming†and that ‘the university is — justifiably concerned about your continued presence at the workplaceâ€.
The first charge alleges that Mantzaris has ‘compromised the university’s integrity with respect to its postgraduate examination systemâ€. This includes producing examination reports ‘of poor qualityâ€, not properly supervising postgraduate candidates, and submitting dissertations for examination that were poorly presented or unready for submission.
The second charge alleges Mantzaris engaged in ‘a concerted campaign†to generate adverse publicity about the university’s refusal to give left-wing activist Ashwin Desai a research post last year. The third alleges Mantzaris ‘produced and published defamatory letters about the vice-chancellor [Malegapuru Makgoba] and other members of staffâ€. The final charge relates to alleged sexual harassment.
Zacharias wrote that Mantzaris had to be excluded from the workplace so that he did not come into contact with possible witnesses at his disciplinary hearing, or have access to trade union facilities he allegedly used in his publicity campaign against UKZN.
Makgoba told the M&G that he could not comment as the matter was sub judice. Mantzaris denied all the allegations, saying they ‘are spurious and will never hold in a court of law. This is a direct attack not only on me personally, but against a union that has asked serious and unanswered questions on the merger, governance issues, autocratic management and the high salaries of management.â€
On Tuesday, a Freedom of Expression Institute statement said the second and third charges against Mantzaris ‘are of particular concern as they relate to his freedom of expression†and urged the university to exclude them.