DURBAN - THE Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) says it is hopeful that the parting of ways with vice-chancellor and principal Dr Enoch Duma Malaza will herald a new era, characterised by stability at executive management level.
In a statement dated January 28 and signed by council chairperson Morailane Morailane, the institution said the MUT council had agreed to a proposal to terminate the employment of Malaza as the vice-chancellor and principal of the university.
The statement went further to stress that Malaza’s employment at the university was terminated by mutual agreement, which was reached on January 28.
“It is the considered view of council that this will end a period of unwelcome instability in the executive management and leadership ranks of the university and will allow restoration of order and certainty at this level of management and leadership,” the council chairperson said.
He expressed the council’s belief that there would soon be stability at executive management level, as the process to fill vacant positions was under way.
“We hope to start with the process of recruiting a new vice-chancellor and principal as soon as council gives the go-ahead to do so. This is expected not later than March 24, 2022, which is the scheduled date of the next ordinary meeting of council,” the council chairperson said.
Morailane concluded by conveying the council’s gratitude to Malaza for the contribution he had made at the institution, saying they wished him well for the future. In recent months, the MUT council and Malaza had been at loggerheads over a string of issues, including alleged misconduct on the part of the vice-chancellor, while he accused the council of conducting a witch-hunt.
It also emerged last year that the council had decided to terminate Malaza’s contract as he had reached retirement age. He contended that as he was on a five-year contract, his term should end in 2023 and accused the council of flouting the institution’s rules.
The former vice-chancellor approached the Labour Court in December and MUT was interdicted and restrained from implementing the resolution taken to have him retire.
Malaza joined MUT in 2018 on a five-year contract and MUT has been dogged by problems over the past years, varying from student unrest to allegations of abuse of the institution’s resources by top management.
In August last year, Higher Education Minister Dr Blade Nzimande appointed an independent assessor, Professor Anthony Staak, to conduct an investigation into the affairs of the institution following a series of allegations and counter-allegations relating to governance and management of the university.
The overall purpose of the investigation was to advise the minister on the source and nature of problems, and measures required to restore good governance and management.
According to Department of Higher Education spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi, Staak concluded his investigation last year and the report is with Nzimande.
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) in KZN said while they had seen the statement from the university, they had not yet received confirmation from Malaza on his departure.
“We have a meeting on Tuesday (today) with the institution’s top brass and we hope that this is where we will get clarity. Right now this end of the contract is something that we regard as a rumour without actual confirmation,” said Nehawu’s Ayanda Zulu.
The students representative council at MUT was not available for comment, and repeated attempts to get comment from Malaza yesterday were unsuccessful.
THE MERCURY