Unisa Has Officially Been Placed Under Administration By Minister Nzimande

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Unisa have strongly criticised the decision made by Higher Education Minister to place the institution under administration. The university have raised several concerns about the timing of this decision as students are currently writing their final exams. 


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The University of South Africa (Unisa) has been placed under administration by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Blade Nzimande. South Africa's largest university is set to remain under administration for 24 months, commencing on October 27, 2023.

Minister Nzimande's decision is a result of a thorough examination of two reports: the Independent Assessor report by Professor Themba Mosia and the Ministerial Task Team (MTT) report. 

Both reports have underscored serious concerns relating to Unisa's governance, administration, quality, and sustainability. These concerns have been attributed to management shortcomings within crucial support systems and actions taken by the university's council.

After reviewing the reports prepared by the Independent Assessor, Professor Themba Mosia, and the findings of the Ministerial Task Team led by Dr Vincent Maphai, I have appointed Professor Ihron Rensburg as the Administrator for the University of South Africa (UNISA)

Unisa's Reaction

Unisa vehemently disagrees with the Minister's decision, pointing to a recent court order that had initially prevented the Minister from placing the institution under administration. 

The university maintains that the Minister's announcement is untimely and in disregard of the Court Order dated 6 October 2023, by Justice Kooverjie, which had prevented him from initiating the administration.

Unisa argues that the matter is still pending in court, as demonstrated by Justice Adams' previous order on 24 August 2023, which required the Minister to abstain from making any decisions until the legal process was completed. 

Furthermore, the university described Nzimande’s decision as ill-considered and insensitive as students at Unisa are currently writing exams. It is also anticlimactic as the University recently celebrated the graduation of over 50,000 students. 

In response to Minister Nzimande's decision, Unisa has promptly taken the matter to court in an urgent capacity, aiming to contest the announcement made on 27 October 2023. The university has committed to keeping its community informed as the legal process unfolds.

The University is not fighting the Minister and the responsibilities that he has, however, the university is also of the view that all citizens need to be guided by the prescripts of the law of the country. 

What Will The Administrator Do?

Nzimande described Professor Rensburg as a distinguished academic and university administrator with prior experience as the Vice-chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg. Additionally, in 2021, he assumed the role of Administrator at the Vaal University of Technology.

Rensburg's responsibilities will include assuming control of the council's duties and overseeing the university during the designated time frame. This will involve instigating processes to restore proper governance, creating a turnaround plan to address identified issues, conducting a forensic audit to rectify financial irregularities, and overseeing a review of the university's statutes and policies. 

Furthermore, the focus will shift towards enhancing Unisa's performance as a Open Distance e-Learning institution, supporting student success, and reconstituting the council with probity assessments for prospective members.

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