UKZN commits to fight graft

As Tribune probes nameless email claims

THE University of Kwazulu-natal (UKZN) reaffirmed its commitment to clean governance and dealing decisively with any evident acts of corruption linked to the institution.

This was its response to recent questions raised by the Sunday Tribune following an anonymous email that was sent to President Cyril Ramaphosa demanding he appoint a commission of inquiry to look into the “corruption” and “capture” of UKZN.

Various government departments, university employees and heads were copied in on the email.

The writer made various accusations, including allegations that senior management’s deliberate attempts to run aground its own internal probe, dubbed “Operation Clever”, which delved largely into how medical school seats were sold.

In May 2017, the Hawks arrested three people for allegedly selling places for as much as R500 000.

It was alleged the three worked in cahoots with UKZN staff to secure the deals.

However, the charges were dropped against the trio in the latter part of 2018 after the State asked the court for an extension of time to investigate.

In August 2017, Operation Clever went into full swing and 24 staff members were arrested, on full pay, during a blitz operation where 260 computers were seized. A further 16 employees were suspended a month later.

Operation Clever investigations are believed to have cost the university R60 million thus far.

However, Bhekani Dlamini, UKZN’S director of communications said the investigation process was expected to conclude by March 31.

“Disciplinary processes for the implicated members of staff have commenced with some cases resulting in dismissals. The process will continue until they are all finalised.

“It is incumbent on the university to protect the integrity of its qualifications. The university is committed to clean governance and it is in the best interest of all our stakeholders that we root out any corruption.”

Dlamini said the university was not in a position to divulge further details at this stage, neither can it comment on a document whose author is unknown.

The author of the email asked that the submissions made in a 25-page document be given “highest priority”.

An extract from the email reads: “UKZN, must ensure that various cases, including but not limited to the medical school intake corruption, issuing of degree to students who have failed, and failure to ensure that there were no corruption in the 2019 intake be investigated.

“It appears that UKZN is protecting executives and senior management and wealthy perpetrators.

“We don’t need future corrupt leaders, doctors, lawyers… ”

It called for those who gained admission as students to UKZN illegally and those who obtained their degrees unlawfully to be charged civilly and criminally and their qualifications declared invalid.

The author said the document was drafted by a group of people who paid private investigators and attorneys to undertake an in-depth review of corruption at the university.

The group, calling themselves “People States”, said it had not gained any financial reward from their investigations”.

“We have done this because intelligent and hard-working students were not able to gain admission to the university and their parents cannot afford to and refused to pay bribes,” said the group.

According to their investigation, the group claimed more than R15m was offered to some university executives and senior management to hide “critical evidence”, uncovered by the Hawks and their UKZN’S internal investigators, in respect of Operation Clever.

The group also claimed that part of the alleged bribe payout was to scupper the efforts of an internal investigator and force that person out of employment.

The intention was to prevent the investigator from completing the investigation and testifying in court.

The document delved into other medical intake irregularities including that of a student who gained entry using fake documents and questionable matric results, but suffered no repercussions, including those who made the registration possible.

However, the student was re-enrolled at the medical school last year, with help from some of the university’s top brass, who allegedly pocketed R5m.

The group also claimed that last year’s medical school intake was not audited, which was contrary to standard operating procedures.

And that the student’s father was able to “pull strings” for his other child to study medicine at UKZN, with help from some professors.

The attorney who represents the family in question, and asked not to be named, said the facts in the document were incorrect, and that it was a “smear campaign” aimed at his clients, as five pages of the document were dedicated to them. He said the author was a “coward”, in his response to the 65 recipients of the email.

Justin Bagwandeen of law firm Shepstone and Wylie responded on behalf of the UKZN. Bagwandeen said his client uncovered a criminal syndicate working in tandem with the UKZN employees to admit students to their medical school.

The matter was reported to crime intelligence authorities and ever since his client had co-operated with the relevant authorities and conducted their own investigations.

“The document contained speculative and misleading information and defamatory statements aimed at our client and its representatives.”

Bagwandeen threathened criminal and civil proceedings against the author.