A slain fleet manager at the University of Fort Hare who died in a hail of bullets had, among other issues, raised concerns about the alleged abuse of a pool car costing the university thousands in fuel costs.
Peet Roets, 60, who was killed in a suspected hit in May last year, had highlighted possible abuse of a Mercedes-Benz owned by the university, which racked up fuel costs amounting to more than R18,000 in four months at the time it should have been returned to the university.
Roets had, in a letter seen by the TimesLIVE Premium and written to the director of properties and services, stated the vehicle's petrol card had been used in Mossel Bay while the vehicle's tracker showed the vehicle was in East London at the time.
The Mercedes had been temporarily assigned to human resources manager Paul Tladi, who had undertaken cross-provincial trips without permission being obtained from Roets — allegedly more than 10 times in 2020.
Roets wrote the vehicle had incurred “unnecessary costs” for the university as Tladi had at the time been in possession of two vehicles from the university after a new car had been acquired for him and its petrol card ordered and issued in February 2020.
Last month, the Sunday Times reported that just months before he was shot dead on his way home from work, Roets had pleaded for permission to carry a weapon on campus as criminals mounted a violent fightback against a corruption cleanup led by vice-chancellor Prof Sakhela Buhlungu.
Roets was killed in a hail of bullets on May 19 2022 near his home in Gonubie, while on his way from the Alice campus. There are no links between the letter and his killing.
A subsequent letter from the properties and services department, sent to the deputy vice-chancellor for institutional support on May 17 2020, recommended the university should “consider demanding the cost of fuel and oil that was spent” in relation to the personal cross-provincial travel from Tladi.
“The line manager to seek answers, from Tladi, to the unanswered questions to ascertain the facts,” the recommendations stated.
One of the unanswered questions, according to the letter, was why the vehicle's fuel card was used in a different province (in Mossel Bay) while the vehicle was in the Eastern Cape.
Other unanswered questions, according to the letter, were around how Tladi had obtained permission to travel cross-province and whether the travel was for business purposes.
University of Fort Hare spokesperson JP Roodt said the university has, since TimesLIVE Premium's query, “escalated (the matter) for internal investigation”.
Roodt initially said on Friday he was not in possession of Roets' letter, which had been escalated to the director of property and services and later to the deputy vice-chancellor for institutional support, who oversees the portfolio.
There is no link between the investigation and the fleet manager's death.
Tladi, who also survived an attempt on his life in 2019, however, disputed some of the findings contained in the document, including the person responsible for giving authority for cross-provincial travel.
“The vice-chancellor is the only person authorised to give permission for cars to travel cross-province. I had authority and left the province four times at a cost of R8,000,” Tladi told the Sunday Times.
He said the travel happened at a time his wife was ill. “The [alleged] R18,000 in costs is false. This was peddled by one of our suspended employees.”
Tladi said as human resources director, he authorised and signed suspension letters, disciplinary hearings and dismissals, which created enemies.
“I have done 78 suspensions and dismissals to date. Some for serious misconduct, some which are being investigated by the Hawks and SIU, while some are in the courts. That is why I was shot at and almost murdered in 2019,” he said.
Tladi said he was still receiving death threats, which he had reported to the police and were being investigated by the Hawks.
The university has been rocked by violent attacks, with ongoing investigations by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) aimed at clamping down on tender corruption, the suspicious awarding of honours degrees and mismanagement of funds.
Shots were fired at deputy vice-chancellor for teaching and learning Prof Renuka Vithal's official home, with a bullet lodging in her fridge, and a man carrying a gun was captured on CCTV footage climbing over a wall and firing three shots at the entrance to Buhlungu’s house in March last year.
This was followed by a “hit list” containing the names of 16 senior officials, mostly members of the executive management. The most senior ones had “R600,000” written next to their names.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.