Chancellor Sisulu absent at event to honour Nene

25 April 2016 - 02:15 By Nathi Olifant

Mangosuthu University of Technology's chancellor, Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, has denied that she "pulled out" of an event to honour former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene on Wednesday.The faculty of management sciences honoured Nene for his contribution to the financial sector.But Sisulu denied snubbing Nene. Her spokesman said she knew nothing of the event, and had not been scheduled to attend.Nene was removed from his post by President Jacob Zuma in December, with many suspecting it was because he was unwilling to rubber-stamp various controversial deals that the president favoured.Academics said they were surprised "when we learnt at the 11th hour that the chancellor was not part of this high-profile event".Academics suspected that Sisulu did not want to upset Zuma by honouring Nene.Said one academic who asked for anonymity: "Come on, we as academics are apolitical, but our event is now mired in politics. For a chancellor to be worried about sharing a stage with her former colleague because that would upset her boss is incomprehensible."I'm told her appearance would have been construed otherwise by the powers-that-be."Sisulu's spokesman, Ndivhuwo Mabaya, said: "We did not know [Nene] was going to be awarded anything or honoured."He insisted that Sisulu's diary only called on her to attend the graduations on Friday and Saturday.University spokesman Mbali Mkhize said Sisulu had given the university notice that she could attend on only those two days...

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