Pregnant students chased away from University of Zululand - Commission

Pregnant students are chased away from the University of Zululand when approaching their final trimester.

This revelation was made by Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) legal adviser Mlondozi Vava on Thursday. It was based on preliminary observations conducted at UniZulu by the commission, which is currently holding a hearing into gender policy at tertiary institutions.  

“The SRC [of UniZulu] advised the CGE that when a student is pregnant while residing at the university residence, the university expels the student from the residence when they are approaching their last trimester of the pregnancy,” he told a delegation.

But vice-chancellor Xoliswa Mtose expressed shock at the allegation.

“We don’t have such a policy. There is nothing like that,” she said.

“Even the council itself has accused me of changing the university into a hospital, but I told them it’s because of where we are. Students don’t have medical aid at UniZulu, so they depend on us to assist them."

However, Mtose did not entirely dismiss the claim.

“I need to go back and investigate and interrogate," she said.

“If it’s true or there are people (who) have been discriminated against like that, we need to know and correct that,” she told TimesLIVE after the hearings.

Mtose, who became vice-chancellor in 2014, said the institution was working to address a number of issues. 

Preliminary observations by the commission also indicated that the university did not prioritise gender transformation, with men dominant in academic and senior management positions.

“The only level where the females are represented more than the males is the administrative level, with 389 females as compared to 330 males,” Vava said.

Responding to the observations, Mtose said many female academics at the university were not in possession of masters degrees, a requirement for senior or managerial positions.

The historical background and location of the institution also played a major role in people employed by the university, said Mtose.

“We are in an area [rural] where you have to work with what you have,” she said. “Just to fill one position, it can take several months. But we are serious about gender transformation in our institution."

From the observations and presentation given by UniZulu, the commissioners said it would compile a final report and submit it to the university.

The findings, according to commissioner Dennis Matotoka, were binding. He said there had never been a case where a university had failed to comply or cooperate with the recommendations of the commission.