The department of higher education budgeted R1.9m for the work of a five-member task team appointed by minister Blade Nzimande to conduct an independent review of the embattled University of SA (Unisa), which found it had been “institutionally captured”.
This figure is contained in a memorandum of agreement signed by the department’s former director-general, Gwebinkundla Qonde, and the university's former vice-chancellor, Prof Barney Pityana, in November 2020.
According to the agreement, Unisa would manage and administer the project budget “for the exclusive use of the ministerial task team”.
“Unisa shall ensure that the funding will be expended for remuneration payable to members of the ministerial task team and appointment of additional expertise and consultations,” the document read.
The task team chaired by Vincent Maphai, which was appointed in July 2020, handed its final report, dated August 31, to Nzimande last year.
He met the Unisa council late last month to discuss its response to the findings and recommendations of the report.
In a letter dated March 14, which was seen by TimesLIVE, Nzimande invited the chair of Unisa’s council, James Maboa, “to carefully study the report and to respond to the various conclusions made and make representations in light of the recommendations, including that of the appointment of an independent assessor”.
The task team made 26 conclusions and seven recommendations in its 119-page final report.
One of the damning conclusions was that “there has been a deliberate and systematic plan, over a sustained period, to establish a corrupt network which has resulted in institutional capture. In addition, there is a culture of impunity deeply embedded in the institution”.
There has been a deliberate and systematic plan, over a sustained period, to establish a corrupt network which has resulted in institutional capture. In addition, there is a culture of impunity deeply embedded in the institution.
— Unisa task team
Nzimande also made reference to this conclusion in his letter to Maboa.
Another conclusion in the report was that “Unisa suffers chronic management failures in many of the key support systems”.
“The performances of departments such as SCM [supply chain management], HR [human resources] management, compliance functions and finance are seriously compromised and fail the university, putting the entire institution in jeopardy. A simultaneous failure of multiple management systems points to deficiencies at leadership level, as well as a gross neglect of consequence management.”
The report recommended that Nzimande appoint an administrator that would result in the dissolution of the council.
Another recommendation was that the vice-chancellor, Prof Puleng LenkaBula, should account to the administrator during the period of the administration.
Nzimande informed Maboa in his letter that the task team “made a number of conclusions which point to the gross negligence and failure of the council to provide the appropriate strategic guidance and direction to a modern, open distance e-learning institution in the 21st century”.
Unisa is the largest open distance-learning institution in Africa, with more than 400,000 students from 130 countries.
He said the report recommends he should issue a directive “on account of a reasonable belief that the Unisa council is involved in financial impropriety and/or otherwise mismanaged and/or is unable to perform its functions effectively”.
Nzimande told Maboa the Higher Education Act required that before he could appoint an administrator, he first had to give written notice to the council of his intention to do so.
He said he would consider Maboa’s inputs as he contemplated “the appropriate intervention steps to take as guided by the act”.
Maboa confirmed to TimesLIVE he had responded to Nzimande on the findings of the report and they were awaiting his feedback.
Higher education spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi said “the minister is yet to communicate publicly his decision regarding Unisa on a date to be confirmed”.
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