Student leaders at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) are incensed at the construction of a R5-million mansion for vice-chancellor Ihron Rensburg.
The construction of the new house is a sign that the university is not driven by student needs, said UJ Student Representative Council (SRC) president Mhlobo Hoyi.
The university’s council decided more than a year ago on the construction of the R5-million house and a R39-million office block for the vice-chancellor (VC). The new house, situated next to an old house used by previous VCs, is in Moseley Avenue, Auckland Park. It is expected to be ready for occupation in June. Its cost escalated when the VC allegedly asked for a wine cellar to be included in the structure.
Past vice-chancellors lived in the old house with their families. Students say the house was adequate for the needs of former vice-chancellor Roux Botha and his family.
According to the university’s management, the old residence, despite being renovated many times, is no longer suitable for the VC to live in and will be used as an office for the university’s protection services unit.
Hoyi said: ”They could have used the R4-million to fund bursaries for needy students — because there is always a surplus of them — and reserve R1-million for improvements to the old house.”
He said the university council proposed the construction of the house but did not consult the student leadership properly. The SRC was excluded from debates about the building’s construction.
UJ deputy vice-chancellor for research Adam Habib said the university earmarked the project to advance university-related purposes.
”The R5-million house does not mean student fees are going to be hiked. Council decided to build a house for the vice-chancellor and this is common in South African universities,” Habib said. ”You should bear in mind again that UJ is by far the cheapest of the [premier universities] in South Africa. Our fees are way below those of Wits, University of Pretoria and the University of Cape Town.”
But Hoyi said that by building ”these ivory towers” the university is suggesting that it does not have the interests of the students at heart.
Last year, UJ students protested against the university’s plan to increase this year’s student fees by 14%.
Hoyi said despite resolutions adopted by both students and management in October, many student concerns remain unresolved.
SRC demands for an increased annual operations budget have fallen on deaf ears. The UJ SRC office receives an annual budget of R180Â 000, which is spread over the university’s four campuses.
”The only ‘benefit’ the students will get is increased student fees in 2009. Nothing will change. There will still be academic exclusions of students next year and many students will continue to be indebted to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme,” Hoyi said.
South African Students’ Congress president David Maimela said it was disturbing to see ”our parents’ money paying for vice-chancellors’ extravagant lifestyles”.
”If building an expensive mansion for the vice-chancellor is one of the perks of holding such an executive position, then the principle needs to be clarified. We would have been happy if the money was used to pursue quality research and other educational initiatives which would benefit the students,” Maimela said.