Cape Town - The University of Fort Hare is forging ahead with its clean-up and renewal project which will see the implementation of strict policies on declaration of interests and fraud prevention.
The Fort Hare Council is, however, urging law enforcement agencies to ensure that arrests are made and that the renewal project is secured.
It has been more than two weeks since a national multi-disciplinary team was reported to have been deployed in the Eastern Cape to crack a spate of attacks on university staff, which have claimed the lives of executive protector Mboneli Vesele and fleet manager Petrus Roets.
Vesele was assassinated on January 6 outside vice-chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu’s Alice residence and Roets was killed last year.
Houses of executive staff members including Buhlungu have also been shot at.
The attacks are believed to be due to Buhlungu’s determination to root out malfeasance.
During Vesele’s funeral, Police Minister Bheki Cele said the multi-disciplinary team had arrived in the province and was expected to report directly to national police commissioner Fannie Masemola’s office.
National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe on Wednesday said: “The multidisciplinary task team from the SAPS headquarters in Pretoria is in the Eastern Cape province and is hard at work following all leads. “No arrests have been made thus far.”
UFH Council chairperson Bishop Ivan Abrahams said significant progress had been made in advancing the new strategic plan, “Towards a Decade of Renewal, 2022-2026” across the institution.
“(This is) a determined effort by the university management and staff, Council approved 25 policies in the last two years.
“This has closed loopholes and put in place controls against malfeasance across all areas of the University. These policies include a whistleblowing policy and a fraud prevention policy, as well as critical finance policies and academic policies.
“Importantly, the university completed an extensive review and clean-up of its Programme and Qualification Mix (PQM), and a full review of the academic enterprise.
“Moreover, the University also strengthened its academic leadership and executive management, appointing strong and seasoned executives and Deans,” said Abrahams.
According to Abrahams, management was currently consulting on a new delegation of authority document, which will be approved by Council this year.
“We already have in place declarations of conflict of interest mechanisms in our university and council committees, including in the procurement committees. A policy on declaration of interests with concomitant verification and reporting will be finalised this year.”
“However, executive management and senior staff are increasingly being intimidated and threatened with violence. Yet, it is our view that it is exactly the success of the renewal project that underpins this terror campaign.
“Therefore, Council is resolute in backing the Management Executive Committee and the Vice-Chancellor in the significant clean-up campaign and the rebuilding of the University. As a Council we call on all law enforcement agencies to ensure that arrests are made and that the renewal project at the University of Fort Hare is secured,” said Abrahams.
Cape Times