The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training has urged universities to carefully consider the appointments of vice chancellors and council members, ensuring they prioritize ethics. Today, the committee was briefed on the progress at Vaal University of Technology (VUT) and Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) in addressing administrative challenges.
At VUT, the committee discussed the university’s current state after coming out of administration and the ongoing administration at MUT. While progress was noted at VUT with the appointment of a vice chancellor and chancellor, concerns were raised about the high number of vacant senior management positions, particularly the registrar role.
Student residence conditions were also a point of concern, leading many students to seek private accommodation, resulting in a loss of revenue for the university. The committee recommended reporting contractors who fail to complete infrastructure projects to the DHET for blacklisting. Additionally, they suggested using the Independent Electoral Commission for the SRC elections at VUT.
Over at MUT, the committee welcomed the appointment of Professor Nokuthula Sibiya as the first female vice chancellor in the university’s history and were assured that remaining senior positions would be filled by September. The DHET highlighted recent suspensions at MUT as indicative of a culture of victimization but noted positive progress under the administrator.
Committee Chairperson Mr. Tebogo Letsie emphasized the need to move away from a reliance on independent assessors, particularly for black-run institutions under administration. Plans were made for a meeting with the National Student Financial Aid Scheme to address student accommodation challenges and improve services.
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