Labour analyst and wits professor Sakhela Buhlungu has resigned from the University of the Witwatersrand, sparking an internal inquiry into the school of social sciences.
Wits vice-chancellor Loyiso Nongxa appointed a two-person commission of inquiry to consider Buhlungu’s reasons for resigning which are said to include both management and transformation issues. Buhlungu, a leading South African thinker, resigned once before but withdrew his letter. He is head of Wits highly regarded sociology department.
Acting in his capacity as head of the sociology department, last May Buhlungu complained to management about ‘fraudulent behaviour†by a staff member in his department. The staff member had apparently applied for sabbatical on the pretext that he was engaged in a major research project.
It turned out, according to Buhlungu, that the staff member had actually gone awol. Buhlungu’s attempts to get the matter addressed were reportedly shrugged off as a personal vendetta against the accused staff member.
‘I resigned because I was disappointed, I felt let down, undermined and unsupported by the university in this matter,†says Buhlungu. But Buhlungu is constrained by the fact that the commission of inquiry has yet to publish its findings. He is not allowed to comment on the full details of his letters to management and his colleagues or even reveal the names of other people involved in the inquest.
‘Losing somebody of Buhlungu’s calibre will be greatly felt at a time when it’s difficult to attract black academics,†said a sympathetic staff member.
There are very critical issues, he adds, within the school of social sciences that need to be addressed as soon as possible. The head of the school, Eric Worby, is not universally popular. An American, Worby’s appointment raised academic eyebrows because South Africa is not short of black talent in the field of social science.
‘It is not fashionable in 2008 for an institution to be losing some of its best black brains. To lose a doctor, a professor of Buhlungu’s quality, is a great loss to the department. The labour research unit will also be affected.
‘As black academics we experience [racial discrimination] on a daily basis. But we need to have trust in university structures to deal with these issues directly,†he explains. Buhlungu currently co-directs the sociology of work unit, a Wits-based social science research think tank that was granted institute status in August last year.
Wits has recently lost black academics including political scientist David Monyai and professors Mamokgethi Setati, Lulama Mathebula and Thoko Mayekiso.
The head of communications Shirona Patel confirmed Buhlungu’s resignation. She added: ‘The vice-chancellor is awaiting the report of the inquiry and believes that it is inappropriate to comment on the allegations contained in your email [the M&G’s request for the university’s timeline of transformation highlights since 1994]. The university has a comprehensive portfolio on transformation, which goes far beyond the issues raised in your email,†she says.
Nongxa refused to comment on the details of Buhlungu’s resignation and the commission of inquiry. Nongxa says: ‘I think you should go and ask him — he might say that I have misrepresented him.†Nongxa declined to respond to questions about the resignation of black staff, saying: ‘People resign everywhere. Why do we only speak out when certain people resign?â€