TUT management summoned to parliament

Portfolio panel wants answers

The management of Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) has been summoned by the portfolio committee on higher education, science and technology to parliament next week.

This after TUT management failed to appear before the committee about four weeks ago for a preliminary inquiry.

Instead, TUT’s council chair Dr Bandile Masuku sent the committee chairperson, Philly Mapulane, an apology which was rejected by the committee.

“The committee will not allow the TUT council and management to behave as if they are beyond scrutiny. The reasons advanced for their non-attendance before the committee are so lousy that they are not worthy of being considered by a committee of parliament,” Mapulane said.

He said the committee has received several complaints from various stakeholders from TUT, making serious allegations of corruption, maladministration, nepotism and abuse of power against the TUT council and management.

“What the university has done today essentially amounts to giving parliament the middle finger. They were notified well in advance and they elected to come with excuses not to appear before the committee in order to avoid accountability. Universities are public institutions and should account to the people of this country through their elected representatives,” Mapulane said.

Mapulane said this behaviour was unacceptable and that the committee will invoke mechanisms available to it in order to bring the TUT council to parliament. “It seems there is a seriously embedded culture of impunity at TUT and the refusal by the council to come and account is indicative of that. If disregard for accountability is shown to parliament, it surely is worse to ordinary stakeholders at the university.”