Unizul vice-chancellor in hot water

UNIVERSITY of Zululand Deputy Vice-chancellor Professor Gideon de Wet may have landed himself in hot water over the presentation he made to Parliament last week.

A legal firm representing the university’s former CFO, Josephine Naicker, had written to all members of the higher education and training portfolio committee, including its chairperson Connie September, alleging De Wet had misled the committee.

In the letter, Charmane Nel of Macgregor Erasmus Attorneys, described some of De Wet’s testimony as false.

This was despite De Wet telling the committee last week that whatever they said and shared could stand up in the highest court in the land.

“We don’t want to mislead in any respect this particular committee. We think as the executive we do a good job ... under the circumstances,” De Wet had said when he made his presentation.

In her emailed letter, Nel said the testimony concerning three court cases against the university and the re-run of the elections of the student representative council (SRC) had been misleading.

She claimed that De Wet had testified that the court cases by Naicker were concluded in favour of the university.

However, Nel said Naicker’s urgent application for interim relief, pending the outcome of her disputes with the university, was dismissed but was the subject of a pending appeal.

“The Labour Appeal Court confirmed the appeal would be adjourned precisely so that the decision can remain suspended and not in any way bind the trial court hearing our client’s two actions. Depending on the outcome thereof, we are to approach the Labour Appeal Court on whether a determination of the appeal by it is still necessary,” Nel said.

She also said De Wet’s testimony stated there was a court decision that SRC elections be re-run, but “this is false”.

She also wrote that they had previously drawn to the committee’s attention the “impunity with which management of the university gives false testimony before the committee”.

Neither September nor De Wet could be reached for comment yesterday.