Africa-Press – South-Africa. A third senior Unisa leader has been fired as the institution continues to fend off calls for reform following a scathing 309-page report into a range of allegations, including poor leadership and governance.
On Friday, Unisa confirmed Professor Steward Mothata had been fired as registrar.
On Tuesday, Mothata received a letter of termination of employment.
It happened a day after the institution marked its 150-year anniversary.
Mothata’s employment contract as the registrar was terminated with immediate effect.
On Friday, the university said in a statement it had communicated the decision directly with him.
It added:
Mothata’s dismissal comes after Unisa principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Puleng LenkaBula placed him on precautionary suspension for, among others, failing to advise her, the council and its committees about governance matters and possible related risks.
A letter signed by LenkaBula informing Mothata of his suspension was leaked earlier this month.
In the letter, she wrote the registrar had breached policies on confidentiality, and was being accused of gross abuse of office, gross dishonesty, and gross insubordination.
At the time, Mothata hit back, saying his suspension was nothing but “retaliation”.
Earlier this week, he told TimesLive LenkaBula did not have the power to suspend or fire him.
Tensions between LenkaBula and Mothata were laid bare in a report into Unisa’s affairs which was published in the government gazette last month.
Professor Thabo Mosia was appointed by Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande as the assessor to lead the investigation into Unisa, the state of its affairs and a wide range of allegations.
Mosia wrote in the report “that it became clear to me that the relationship had become irreparable; and it was seriously impacting the work of the university”.
He said he heard about the “glaring tension” between the two from “students, staff, managers at various levels and members of council”.
Mosia questioned how the fallout between the vice-chancellor and Mothata had impacted the registrar’s portfolio “[g]iven the many complaints I received from students”.
He recommended Unisa be placed under administration and council and management members be relieved of their duties.
Mosia found the registrar’s portfolio had needed to be fixed due to poor consequence management, outdated policies and failure to protect student data, among other concerns.
This is not the first time Mothata, while registrar of a university, has found himself clashing with a vice-chancellor.
In 2014, the Sunday Independent reported he became embroiled in a “bitter battle” with then-Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) vice-chancellor Nthabiseng Ogude.
In the report, Mothata, who was registrar at TUT at the time, acknowledged there was “tension” between the two.
Ogude eventually left the institution that year, with the Mail & Guardian reporting a she had been pushed out.
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