University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) Vice-Chancellor Dr Albert van Jaarsveld says an admission scam in which places at the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine were sold by a syndicate could extend to other faculties in the institution.
The seizure comes after the Hawks bust a syndicate in May. Three people‚ including the owners of a popular Indian eatery‚ were alleged to have negotiated bribes and liaised with university staff to enrol prospective students in a cash for seats scam.
The price of a seat at medical school was believed to be about R500‚000. He confirmed that 18 members of staff had been served with letters of intended suspension and one person has been dismissed.
"The students that we have identified that clearly bought places are all in the college of health sciences but there are indications that the issue of unlawful admissions which may or may not involve money is pervasive across different colleges across the institution‚" said Van Jaarsveld.
"At this stage‚ the information at our disposal suggests those involved [the syndicate] are in our administrative department. Our system is shared by 17 other universities across the country‚" Van Jaarsveld added.
"This is about us as a University having to crack down on staff in the institution that we suspect are involved in an admissions scam‚" he said. "This has been a lengthy process to ensure that all those involved face the full might of the law. I would like to challenge other academic institutions in the sector to conduct their own robust investigations to drive out corruption.”
Meanwhile the medical school was closed on Tuesday after students embarked on a picket protest calling for the release of a KPMG report into fraud and corruption allegations. The faculty is expected to reopen on Monday.
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