Johannesburg - As Unisa flounders from one crisis to another, calls for Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Dr Blade Nzimande, to place it under administration continue to grow.
Yesterday, before the 150th anniversary of the university, the DA’s spokesperson for higher education, Chantel King, added her call for the minister to act on the recommendations of an independent assessor’s report, which recommended that the institution be placed under administration.
“The Minister of Higher Education, Blade Nzimande, must place Unisa under administration following the independent assessor’s (IA) report compiled by Professor Themba Mosia. Governance challenges at Unisa are a concern, and the impact on teaching and learning has been highlighted on numerous occasions,” King said.
She added that the party was concerned about the future of Unisa after the report laid bare the level of intimidation, lack of emotional intelligence, inadequate ICT systems for the size of the institution, a senate failing to develop curricula, human resource challenges and lack of proper financial controls.
“Prof Mosia recommended that an administrator be appointed to steer Unisa in the right direction. The DA agrees with the recommendation of the independent assessor.
“Institutions of higher learning should not be governed by a culture of fear and intimidation with no regard for the longevity of the institution,” King said.
The DA leader said Unisa’s downfall as the biggest higher education institution in the country would have devastating consequences in the sector.
“Minister Nzimande cannot afford to wait any longer to implement the recommendations made by Prof Mosia in his report,” King said.
Her comments also come amid reports indicating that a shocking 385 664 out of 919 986 assignments submitted by students in the first semester were not marked.
According to the Sunday Times, this was contained in suspended registrar Steward Mothata’s court papers before the High Court, Pretoria, this past week.
Those close to the situation at Unisa say the man said to be at the centre of some of the questionable decisions at the institution is David Maimela (executive support: Office of the Vice-Chancellor), who is alleged to enjoy a special relationship with Vice-Chancellor Professor Puleng LenkaBula.
Maimela, who has in the past worked with former MEC of health Bandile Masuku, said his track record with institutions such as the SABC spoke for itself.
"It is not true that I destroy institutions. I build institutions, and some of these institutions, including the SABC and Mapungubwe Trust, are still standing as we speak. I am available to meet with you so we can go through what is happening at Unisa," he said.
Last week, The Star also reported that the Unisa School of Business Leadership was in deep crisis following mass resignations and secondment issues in some key positions at the school.
In the past few weeks, the university has also experienced an exodus of council members following the devastating report, with most of the meetings being held illegitimately due to the council not meeting its quorum.
Meanwhile, former EFF member and leader of the Abantu Batho Congress, Mandisa Mashego, has refused to apologise to the university after she discredited Unisa’s qualifications during an interview she had with Penuel Maduna on his podcast.
Mashego, who returned to the podcast, has continued to slam Unisa for failing to reign in examination fraud, which she said had the potential to threaten Unisa’s credibility globally.
“Unisa needs to do what Umalusi does. When there are accusations of that kind, you do not come out gloves off, but you allay the fears of the public. Umalusi, when there are leakages of matric papers, to demonstrate that it is not an institutionally corrupt act, comes out and corrects us. It does not threaten us like Unisa does. Umalusi leads by example. The Department of Basic Education leads by example.
“They will issue statements to say that they are investigating to weed out the thugs who are robbing the system. Today, the credibility of our matric exams is not threatened globally because they know that human criminal activities are involved. Oftentimes, they withdraw the exam paper. Why is Unisa not doing that?” Mashego asked.
LenkaBula defended herself against social media trolls who were lambasting Unisa on social media, saying they were misinformed about what was happening at the institution.
"Your attacks on Unisa obfuscate the truth and incite violence. Who sponsors your lies about Unisa? Why are you complicit in misinforming society? Who benefits when you erode number 07/08 whose work and rankings are improving. Who are you trying to influence and for what purpose?" LenkaBula said in response to Mashego’s podcast utterances.
According to the assessor’s report, Unisa has in recent years noted increasing incidents of cheating, with reports indicating that the 2020 move to online exams was a contributing factor to the scourge.
“The latest figures of student disciplinary statistics, provided to me on December 6, 2022, show a total of 10 954 cases of academic misconduct for the 2022 examination period,” the report read.
It has been reported that students are paying for services to complete exams or assignments. Attempts to get comment from the university were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
In a recent statement, the university said it was still processing the report and preparing an official response.
“The Council saw fit to meet the expectations of the numerous internal and external stakeholders who have a legitimate interest in the affairs and future of the university. The Council of Unisa is committed to the principles and values of good governance and the rule of law. Consistent with this commitment, the university will prepare a comprehensive response to the report in the coming days,” it said.
The Star