30/10/2019
Taxpayers have paid millions of rands for two “unwanted” executives at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) who were allegedly forced by the university to stay at home.
One executive, whose name is known to City Press, has earned almost R3.3 million while at home over the past 25 months, after the VUT allegedly refused to take him back.
This, despite the fact that the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration had ruled in his favour regarding the renewal of his contract, according to his submission to Professor Barney Pityana, who was appointed an independent assessor in May.
“The situation has been like this from October 5 2017 to date, at the taxpayers’ expense,” the executive told Pityana.
The executive declined to comment, saying he had pending litigation against the institution.
Pityana was appointed by former higher education minister Naledi Pandor to investigate allegations and counter-allegations relating to the VUT’s former principal and vice-chancellor, Professor Gordon Zide, his administration and the then council chairperson, Tebogo Hlapolose.
Pandor’s successor, Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande, then appointed former University of Johannesburg principal and vice-chancellor Professor Ihron Rensburg to be the administrator of the VUT in August this year.
Zide and the council had to step aside during the investigation.
This week Mike Khuboni, spokesperson for the VUT, told City Press that Zide had taken sabbatical leave until December, when his resignation kicks in.
The millions paid to these executives could have contributed to what Rensburg described to VUT stakeholders on Monday as a “university requiring an emergency response”.
Rensburg told the stakeholders that the VUT resembled a ship that was on the verge of crashing out of the higher education system.
It had been placed under administration for the third time in two decades, a situation which Rensburg described as “unacceptable, pointing to deep-seated, multiple
