Running a varsity from a naval base
As the CPUT acting vicechancellor and staff work from a military HQ, elsewhere end-of-year exams are kicking off under tight security
Traditionally, university vice-chancellors are used to luxurious, wellfurnished offices. Professor John Volmink, however, is working from a tiny office at a naval base. He took over the reins as acting vice-chancellor of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) on Monday from Professor Louis Fourie, who was temporarily installed in the post last month after vice-chancellor Dr Prins Nevhutalu was placed on special leave.
Volmink, who is also the chairperson of the council of Umalusi, the matric exams quality assurance body, and about 200 staff members from CPUT’s human resources, salaries, procurement and finance divisions are based at the Wingfield naval base in Goodwood, Cape Town.
His office, located in an area known as “the Slops”, is sparsely furnished — there is a table, chair and space for a few more chairs. “The office is very small; I can touch both walls if I stretch out,” he says.
CPUT staff, seated in rows in a hall outside Volmink’s office, work on their laptops.
Salaries that were paid out to the 5 000 staff members at the end of last month were processed by CPUT employees at the military base.
The institution’s core staff were forced to move to their new location a few weeks ago as a temporary measure, after violent student protests resulted in the institution becoming a no-go area. Several buildings and vehicles were torched.
Volmink says: “One has to see it [the move to the base] in the context of safety for our staff. There was a call made before I got there that the conditions on campus were such that they couldn’t guarantee people’s safety.”
He says the contracts of security staff had come to an end and staff could not return to campus in the absence of proper security.
“But I would like to believe it’s a very, very short-term option until we have taken the courage to claim back the campus. We cannot run away from our campus.”
Volmink, who is using his private cellphone and laptop for work purposes, says: “It’s very unusual; I have never been in a situation like this before.”
On his first day in office, he held a meeting with the student representative council to negotiate a safe return to work for everyone.
He is pinning his hopes on being allowed to use the base as a safe exam venue, as well as the Youngsfield military base near Ottery in Cape Town.
CPUT used the Wingfield military base as an exam venue last year.
Meanwhile, as exams kicked off at five venues at the University of the Witwatersrand on Thursday, the Johannesburg high court dismissed an application by a group of students to force the institution to allow those students who are writing the deferred exams to remain in residences while waiting to do so.
Police using sniffer dogs were seen near exam venues. Wits University spokesperson Shirona Patel said that additional security checks had been put in place for the exams, which included searching vehicles, bags and people entering exam venues.
“Toiletry bags will be accommodated and female security officers will be on hand to assist with the searches.”
Exams at the University of Cape Town (UCT), scheduled for November 7 to 25, will also be taking place amid tight security.
The university says that, to secure the campus during the exams, students will only write in a few venues.
UCT spokesperson Elijah Moholola said oncampus exam venues are being finalised and details will be announced shortly.
Additional security personnel and security measures will be provided at each exam venue to prevent possible disruptions, he said.
“It is of great concern that we may face disruptions when exams get underway. Hence it is inevitable that security will be present and other security on standby, to be deployed if exams are threatened.
“We are committed to resorting to the minimum force necessary to protect people and operations,” Moholola said.
UCT students also have the option of writing the deferred exams in January next year.
A group of between 70 to 80 protesters — comprising mostly students from other universities in the Western Cape — tried to disrupt an exam at Stellenbosch University on Wednesday.
The university’s spokesperson, Martin Viljoen, said security and police prevented the group from gaining access to an exam venue.
“Not all the students who were writin g the exam managed to gain access to the building,” he adds. “We are now working on different scenarios to see how we can alleviate the situation.”
The first round of exams at Stellenbosch started on October 25 and ends on November 16, and the second exam-writing opportunity starts on November 17.
Viljoen said that more than 93% of students who recently participated in a survey indicated that they wanted the academic programme to be completed this year.
University of Pretoria spokesperson AnnaRetha Bouwer said that strict security will be in place when the exams take place from November 14 to December 3.
Asked whether there is a possibility of some exams being written off campus, she said: “It might be, but I can’t say that for sure. The university is still busy with plans.”
Lesiba Seshoka, the spokesperson for the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said that at this stage they did not see the need for any additional security while exams were being written.
“However, we may — depending on national circumstances — decide to beef up security, as we do not want to risk the integrity of the exams.”