OPINION | Shooting at Fort Hare university highlights corruption at South African universities: The attack on the university’s vice-chancellor, Professor Sakhele Buhlungu, has led to calls for urgent action
The apparent assassination attempt on the University of Fort Hare’s vice-chancellor, in which his bodyguard was killed, has put the spotlight on corruption that appears to have firmed its grip on the country’s tertiary education sector.
A former academic, who did not wish to be named, said corruption had engulfed all 26 institutions in various ways because billions were being spent on infrastructure development, with individuals running it being party to malfeasance.
The events at the institution are probably linked to the work of the Special Investigating Unit , which has been underway since the presidential proclamation of 5 August 2022 authorising the investigation of allegations of corruption at Fort Hare between 2012 and 2022, said Blade Nzimande, the minister of higher education, science and innovation, said on 11 January, during a visit to the university.
These allegations are also linked to the university’s suspension of Professor Edwin Ijeoma, an employee, who resigned in February 2021. The disciplinary processes continued following his resignation, and he was found guilty of all charges. Professor Themba Mosia, academic and former chairperson of the Council on Higher Education, was appointed by the minister as an independent assessor, or investigator, to probe problems at Unisa, a distance learning institution, in September 2022.
Committee members discussing events at tertiary institutions around the country in parliament at the end of last year said they were not pleased with poor governance at higher education institutions because essential matters such as the curriculum, the impact of qualifications offered by the sector, and its core business should have been discussed.
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