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The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] on the 16thOctober 2019 wrote to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology to seek an intervention in relation to the our demand for investigations into corruption, maladministration, nepotism and abuse of power taking place at the Tshwane University of Technology [TUT]. 

For a very long time NEHAWU has been at the forefront of highlighting the scourge of corruption and maladministration that has engulfed the university. Our efforts to hold both the university council and management accountable has not yielded any positive results. It is for that reason that we have elected to write to the portfolio committee to intervene in order to save the institution from total ruin. 

The council and the management were scheduled to appear before the portfolio committee yesterday where NEHAWU was going to present evidence at its disposal. However, they did not attend the meeting citing very flimsy reasons for not attending. We view this as sheer arrogance as they were notified two weeks ago about the meeting. Moreover, we view this as a delaying tactic because they are well aware that they are close to being exposed for the unacceptable manner in which they have been governing and managing the university.

As NEHAWU, we call on both the council and the management to honour the new date that has been set by the portfolio committee. The 27th November 2019 has been chosen as a date for the next meeting. We find it repugnant that the management of the university has to be summoned to parliament to account. As a public institution the university must always be willing to subject itself to scrutiny. 

We welcome the decision by the portfolio committee to conduct a preliminary inquiry into these allegations levelled against the university by NEHAWU. We will present all evidence available at our disposal to the committee and we shall avail ourselves as and when we are needed to supply relevant information.

NEHAWU has always prided itself as a union that fights all forms of corruption wherever it rears its ugly head. We will do everything in our power and use all the resources available at our disposal to ensure that corruption is uprooted at TUT and all other universities including TVET colleges. Corruption is a cancer that prohibits quality service delivery and proper running of our public institutions and society as a whole must join hands in exposing it.

Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat