Cape Town - Allegations of maladministration and governance challenges at the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) have caught the attention of Parliament’s portfolio committee on higher education.
The university has been summoned to make representation on Tuesday and respond to allegations relating to operations at the institution.
Chairperson Philly Mapulane said the committee was made aware of numerous challenges at the university and wanted a better understanding.
“We want to understand what’s happening because we have picked up that things are not fine,” he said.
Sources at the university said the problems being referred to revolved around the leasing contracts for student accommodation and transport.
“The university never sent out a tender for the leasing of private student accommodation and the bus transport for the students staying in those residences. The university simply approved the contracts with no questions asked,” said a source on condition of anonymity.
Those contracts are said to have led to the suspension of the former director for procurement, Ronnie Mampana, on allegations of corruption and breaching university policies.
Mampana declined to respond to specific questions and said the management of the university was best placed to.
“The buses were appointed by the university. There are a number of committees at the university that look into contracts. The allegations are malicious and defamatory on their own. No one can claim that Mr Mampana can just sign contracts on his own. The contracts have been going on for years. The university must respond,” he said.
Mampana added that he did not want to discuss his matter via the media and wanted to wait for the “due process to unfold” before speaking.
“I didn’t go to the media to say I was unfairly suspended but I subjected myself to the due processes of the university,” he said.
Attempts for comment from the university were unsuccessful. The university failed to respond to questions sent to spokesperson Eric Pule. Mampana also accused the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa’s (Numsa) university branch of trying to smear his name by peddling lies about him.
“Numsa must organise and become recognised without trying to tarnish my name,” he said.
Numsa interim chairperson at the university Kabelo Mokoape refuted the allegation of trying to tarnish Mampana’s name.
“We only asked why Mr Mampana was allowed to participate in university activities when he is suspended. That is against the university policy. We have nothing against him but just that the policies are being flouted.
“There must be consistency in the university. He is an employee and if it means we must protect him then we will,” Mokoape said.
The Sunday Independent has established that former vice-chancellor Professor Chris De Beer wrote a letter to the Department of Higher Education and Training containing a litany of allegations.
Another source said De Beer was pushed out of the university after he challenged a syndicate that was seen to be looting university resources.
De Beer declined to comment on the contents of his letter.
“I’m bound by a non-disclosure agreement with the university. Please speak to the department,” he said.
Sources said some of the contents included evidence of corruption which implicated Mr Mampana and former SRC members. There were also allegations of council members serving in tender adjudication committees and others doing business with the university.
That letter also saw protests at the institution which culminated in De Beers being pushed out last year. Mapulane indicated the contents of the complaint would form part of its questioning to the university.