UKZN's Makgoba off the hook

INLSA

Malegapuru Makgoba

The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s council will not take any action against its vice-chancellor, Malegapuru Makgoba, who stands accused of perjury.

A source on the university’s council said the council had accepted the advice of senior legal counsel, which was that sanctions could not be instituted against Makgoba.

“No action to be taken against the vice-chancellor,” the source said.

The council was locked in deliberations for nearly five hours yesterday when the outcome of internal investigations was to be tabled.

Council chairman Mac Mia confirmed that a course of action had been decided upon, but would not elaborate last night. Mia said a statement would be issued by the university this week.

The findings of the probe had been expected to be made public by 4.30pm yesterday.

Makgoba is the subject of a criminal investigation by the police’s Commercial Crime Unit.

They are investigating whether he committed perjury during court proceedings in 2009, as charged by UKZN’s former chief financial officer, Kanthan Pillay.

Fired

Pillay was fired in 2008 following a breach of trust.

The perjury charge stems from a corruption case against the university’s former dean of management studies, Professor Pumela Msweli-Mbanga, who was accused of taking money from a junior lecturer, Nobu-bele Potwana, to help her obtain her doctoral degree, when she was Potwana’s supervisor.

The perjury allegedly occurred when Makgoba testified in court on the matter. According to Pillay, while testifying in Potwana’s matter, Makgoba lied to the court about his role in supervising the thesis of a doctoral student, TS Pillay.

In the meantime, TS Pillay, who was employed at UKZN until earlier this year, had produce a letter from Professor Kenneth Siddle of the University of Cambridge. It stated that he had been his supervisor.

The student representative council president, Thembani Khumalo, said last night the SRC had faith in Makgoba.

He said the SRC was disappointed by the way the saga had been handled and that it had “come from people who destroyed their careers at UKZN”.

Khumalo added that the matter was sub judice, and could therefore not be discussed, but that the council would issue a statement later.