There are growing calls for the University of South Africa (Unisa) to be placed under administration. The calls intensified in the wake of a report from independent assessor Professor Themba Mosia detailing a range of problems at the institution.
Professor Mosia investigated alleged maladministration, tender irregularities, and governance failures at the university and recommended that the institution be placed under administration.
The independent report suggests that the university's management failed to fulfil its mandate, highlighting the misappropriation of millions of rands and the possible involvement of staff in tender irregularities.
Former Unisa Vice-Chancellor Barney Pityana says the report paints a bleak picture of the operations at Unisa. They said Mosia’s report is well put together, highly researched and very faithful to the sources' accessed, making it indisputable.
Pityana described the findings as sad for everyone who has been associated with Unisa. However, the former VC argues that the institution is too big to fail.
Unisa is too big to fail, it is actually too important for ordinary South Africans to be unable to receive and benefit from Unisa services
Pityana says the council should no longer serve a fiduciary function to students and other Unisa stakeholders. They add the Higher Education minister must dismiss the council and set up an administrator.
Some Unisa council members believe the report can be reviewed as it may not be accurate. However, Pityana believes the report is irrefutable.
Anybody who reads that report would know that it is, you cannot review a report like that it is so factual, so deeply researched and it is so careful about the judgments that it makes.
Pityana says overall, the report paints a very poor picture of the management and leadership of Unisa.