Durban University of Technology (DUT) Vice Chancellor Thandwa Mthembu. l Independent Newspapers Archives
Durban — The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) in KwaZulu-Natal has called for the immediate removal of Durban University of Technology vice-Chancellor Principal Professor Thandwa Zizwe Mthembu, claiming that he was incapable of leading the institution.
The union has given the DUT council an ultimatum of five days, otherwise the union will render the university ungovernable and its system unworkable. In a statement, the union claims that Mthembu has “proven beyond reasonable doubt that he is incapable of leading the institution”.
The union stated that it had written numerous letters, which were ignored, to the chairperson of the council raising concerns about the state of the university and the inability of the council to provide oversight and supervision to the VC.
The union claimed that since Mthembu was appointed, “he has gone out of his way to destabilise the institution through his autocratic leadership and intransigent management style”.
The union claimed that there was maladministration and instability at the university under Mthembu’s leadership.
“We have witnessed union bashing and victimisation of our shop stewards. This has led to mass dismissals of shop stewards and members. The university has spent millions trying to defend these unfair dismissals after the union emerged victorious at CCMA in all of these cases.
“In the past few weeks, the university wanted to retrench more than 152 (one hundred fifty two) workers without following Section 189 of the Labour Relations Act,” read the Nehawu statement.
The union claimed that Mthembu was working together with “his cabal in executive management”.
“The unilateral change in conditions of service of workers leaves more than 1 500 workers worse off. This relates to the violation and abuse of human resources management and supply chain management processes. All done under the pretext of ‘transforming’ the university,“ the union stated.
Mthembu has an interdict application at the Durban High Court for the DUT Council’s precautionary suspension last Thursday.
According to the institution’s website, Mthembu is an experienced academic and leader who joined DUT in October 2016. Mthembu has been in university leadership in South Africa for about 21 years.
In a letter to the DUT Council, Tertiary Education National Union of South Africa (Tenusa) stated that it was appalled at the recent statement by the so-called “Executive Management” released on, 7 September, 2024.
“It is clear that the intention of the writer/s was to destabilise the university by masquerading as a victim or victims in the circumstances which in itself is tantamount to gross misconduct.”
Tenusa said that the union and the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) had on countless occasions complained about the symbiotic relationship between Mthembu and the chairperson of the council, being at the core of wrongdoing and cover-ups.
It said Mthembu, in his interdict application at the High Court against the council, cites the chairperson of the council to have been his accomplice by writing a letter to council to vilify what seems to be a factually justifiable decision by council.
“The trade unions have, again on countless occasions, complained to the council about the executive management, through the vice-chancellor and the deputy vice-chancellor: people and operations, “misleading” council with “misinformation to fulfil its controversial agenda,” Tenusa said in the statement.
The union claimed that the executive management had deliberately failed to follow due processes and “deceitfully or underhandedly” referred policies and other issues to the council for approval at the detriment of the workers. All these complaints have, for the longest time, been met with silent treatment, if not non-responsiveness, it added.
“It is on these grounds, but not limited to, that Tenusa is calling on council, in the midst of having this “love-hate” relationship between itself and executive management, to stop all the past and current irregular processes relating to:
Tenusa further called for the council to investigate the appointment of the bodyguards of Mthembu whom “we have a strong reason to believe were appointed with their private weapons in a public university in total contrast with the provisions of the relevant Act”.
In response, the DUT said: “The matter you are referring to is currently sub judice. Therefore, the university is unable to comment at this time.”
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