Durban - The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s largest staff union says it stands by vice-chancellor Albert van Jaarsveld.
The UKZN Staff Union (Uksu), with more than 1 100 members, has distanced itself from the “revolt” against Van Jaarsveld by seven members of his executive management.
So too has the nearly 400-strong National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU). Together the two unions represent roughly half UKZN staff.
The seven executive managers made several serious allegations against Van Jaarsveld (including racism) last week, in a letter sent to UKZN council chairman Ayanda Ntsaluba.
Ntsaluba held a meeting with the seven executives on Tuesday, and then with Van Jaarsveld.
He told The Mercury the next step was to recommend to the university council a process to investigate the grievances, and help Van Jaarsveld and the executives to pull together.
Ntsaluba is considering whether to call a meeting of the exco this week to decide the process.
“It is not unusual to have differences in the work environment,” he said, adding that Van Jaarsveld and the executives were committed to working together.
In the letter, the seven black executives argued that Van Jaarsveld had unfairly awarded them all low performance scores (one out of five).
The letter was signed by four vice-chancellors: Professors John Mubangizi, Renuka Vithal, Cheryl Potgieter, and Deo Jaganyi.
UKZN director of corporate relations Lesiba Seshoka, chief financial officer Bulelani Mahlangu, and head of student services Sibusiso Chalufu are the other three accusers.
The seven also charge that Mubangizi, under whom UKZN’s business school falls, was excluded from approaching investors to help fund the school’s relocation, so as not to “scare” the “whites-only” investors.
However, The Mercury understands that some of the investors are black.
The letter also claims Van Jaarsveld is not familiar with university policies and procedures, and solicits complaints against executives.
Raymond Parkies, chairman of Uksu, said the allegations were an “executive matter” and “not our space to enter or comment about”.
However, because a UKZN council member had been quoted in the Sunday Times as saying that university stakeholders including “the unions” had made “noises” about Van Jaarsveld’s leadership, Parkies felt compelled to clarify that no council member had ever spoken to Uksu about the vice-chancellor’s performance.
“We are in the support of the vice-chancellor and have been since his appointment. He came in as someone who could change the university, given the very low morale of staff. We are not looking at him as a white or black person, but as a vice-chancellor who will take the university forward, and will look after the well-being of staff. We still support him. We still expect to go a long way with him. Whatever was alleged, we distance ourselves from that … We have not complained about the vice-chancellor, not once. If we have a problem with him, or any other person, we engage that person internally,” Parkies said.
“His process of cleaning the house that he found dirty on his arrival in February this year is still under way, and stakeholders like the UKZN executive, the four unions and management are involved. So we have to stand with the man, as we have a vested interest in our institution.
“We have not seen anything wrong with the VC’s leadership of the institution.”
A statement from the executive of the NTEU to its members expressed concern that the “revolt” by the deputy vice-chancellors seemed to be “a disguised effort” to “derail” UKZN’s recommitment to the Reach principles (respect, excellence, accountability, client orientation, honesty), and the exposing of “abusive management practices”.
Pinda Mofokeng, the provincial secretary of the SA Students Congress, said “the executive must go” – Van Jaarsveld had been undermined and they were now playing “the race card”.
The SRC and Nehawu said they had not yet taken a stance.
The Mercury
* Use IOL’s Facebook and Twitter pages to comment on our stories. See links below.