Durban - The management of the Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) said it is ready to work with the newly appointed administrator to stabilise the situation at the institution.
Professor Lourens van Staden was appointed administrator by Higher Education and Training Minister Dr Blade Nzimande. This followed the minister’s decision to dissolve the MUT council, a move which was announced in correspondence with the Registrar Dr Phumzile Masala on Saturday. Masala confirmed the announcement.
Briefing the media yesterday, Masala said while correspondence was received on Saturday, it stated that the decision to dissolve the council would take effect on September 28.
“On Saturday, I received correspondence in the form of an email addressed to the chairperson of council and it indicated that the minister had decided to appoint an administrator and in terms of the act, the council was dissolved,” the registrar said.
He said while the decision had not been gazetted, they regarded the council as dissolved.
The institution has been in the spotlight for a while, with allegations that council was meddling with administrative matters.
This prompted Nzimande to launch a probe which was led by Professor Anthony Staak last year.
It is believed that the investigation report made damning findings against the council.
The uMlazi-based institution was also in the news after a stand-off between the former vice-chancellor Dr Enoch Malaza and the council. The conflict between Malaza and the council ended when the two decided to settle the matter, with the former vice-chancellor opting to leave the institution early this year.
In recent times the institution has also experienced student unrest which resulted in the torching of one of its properties.
In a letter that is in possession of The Mercury, the minister stated the decision to dissolve the council had been taken after careful consideration. Some of the reasons he cited included:
The council’s refusal to accept responsibility for many of the problems attributed to it by an independent assessor.
The major fruitless and wasteful expenditure the university incurred over the council’s “reckless decision” regarding the former senior managers, including former vice-chancellor Malaza.
The considerable harm done to the reputation of the university under the council’s watch.
“The council has failed to hold the chairperson accountable and responsible for his role in the conflicts, and simply ignored the recommendation that the chairperson should consider stepping down. I have therefore appointed Prof Van Staden as the administrator…” the minister stated.
Acting vice-chancellor Professor Marcus Ramogale acknowledged that the recent developments had captured the attention of many, including the media.
He assured that MUT would continue operating as normal.
The university also announced yesterday that businessman and AmaZulu FC owner Sandile Zungu had been appointed as the new chancellor.