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The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] has been on strike at the Durban University of Technology [DUT] for the past three weeks over the wage dispute and financial mismanagement by the university.

The national union is demanding a 10% wage increase across the board, R9000 once off bonus and Housing allowance. We believe that our demands are reasonable and affordable considering that the university finances are healthy to an extent that the institution has hired private body guards for the Vice Chancellor, Prof Mthembu.

Prof Mthembu hired a university trailer in December last year which he never returned and claimed that it has been stolen, and NEHAWU cannot trust the VC with the resources of the university if he cannot look after a mere trailer.  We must further record that Prof Mthembu has now renegotiated his salary package and doubled his salary with the institution and making him the highest earning Vice Chancellor in the country.

The Deputy Minister of Higher Education visited the institution yesterday to try and resolve the three weeks impasse only to find that Prof Mthembu had locked himself in his lavish air conditioned office and claimed not to be around leaving the Deputy Minister frustrated and perplexed.

If he can avoid the Deputy Minister he can also equally avoid issues raised by workers and allow them to withdraw their labour for three weeks and destabilize any services and academic calendar of the institution.

Mr Mthembu must never be allowed to stay at DUT as he has turned it into a cash cow and if he is left attended surely he will finish what is left of the institution. As NEHAWU, we demand strong leadership at DUT in order to end the current impasse between the national union and university management.

Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat