No action yet against UKZN suspects

THE University of Kwazulu-natal (UKZN) has still not taken disciplinary action against 40 staff members who were suspended for their alleged roles in the apparent cash-for-places scam at its Nelson Mandela Medical School and the School of Health Sciences.

Twenty-four employees were suspended on full pay in August 2017 and a further 16 a year later.

UKZN came under the spotlight in 2016 when three people were arrested by the Hawks after they allegedly sold places to prospective students who wanted to do medicine and pharmaceutical studies. It’s believed that people paid up to R500 000 to gain a seat at UKZN. The charges of fraud and corruption against the three were later withdrawn. The suspended staff were alleged to have been involved in fraud and corruption.

In November, UKZN’S spokesperson Normah Zondo told the Sunday Tribune that the first round of disciplinary cases was expected to start before the end of last year, but so far nothing has happened.

To date, the university has spent R157 million on its internal investigation dubbed Operation Clever, but it has not yielded any results.

Two sources close to the staff who were suspended said they were frustrated with the delay in the investigation.

One said: “This is unfair and unnecessary. The university has had more than enough time to get their act together. It has been 16 months since some of them were suspended. These people’s lives are on hold because of the indecision, while millions of rand are being wasted. Money that the university doesn’t have to waste.”

The other said that the suspended staff were prejudiced by the delays.

“It’s a cloud hanging above their heads. If the university is going to charge them, they should go ahead, but the delaying tactic is affecting them emotionally.”

Zondo this week said the university management was in the process of preparing charges against some of the suspended employees.

“We are not in a position to comment further at this stage,” she said.

The DA’S Shadow Minister of Higher Education, Professor Belinda Bozzoli, said while politicians couldn’t tell universities how to run their institutions, she was concerned about the happenings at UKZN and the delay in the investigation.

“UKZN must be held accountable, and I will be asking questions in Parliament in February to that effect,” said Bozzoli.

Meanwhile, Zondo said an oversight committee to check and verify selections made for this year’s intake at the medical school was set up to ensure that it was done properly.

“Furthermore, audit reports are run before the offers are made to students”, said Zondo.