Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande said he would intervene at Unisa once he considered the response of the university’s management to the report of independent assessor, Professor Themba Mosia.
Nzimande confirmed that he had received the report and had shared it with the council of the university, requesting responses as required by the Higher Education Act.
“Before the minister makes any decision, he needs to consider the findings and recommendations of the report, the council’s response thereto, as well the interests of Unisa as per the prescripts of the Higher Education Act,” he said.
Nzimande said he would intervene as soon as he considered Unisa’s response, which was being processed by the legal team and relevant officials.
The minister stated that support was provided by the department to the university’s management over the concerns that were raised prior to the report being released.
“In the past, the department supported management with addressing accreditation challenges, providing requisite funding for key projects to enhance campus safety and access, and intervened when responses to student complaints were inadequate, throughputs were declining and the underspending of earmarked grants persisted, by engaging management on corrective steps,” Nzimande said.
Meanwhile, his department targeted the completion of the construction of the proposed Crime Detection University in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, to be completed in three years time.
In 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in his State of the Nation Address plans to improve the quality of general and specialised SAPS investigations. He said they were establishing a Crime Detection University in Hammanskraal.
Five months after the announcement, Nzimande said a feasibility study would be undertaken to determine the timelines for the establishment and development of the proposed institution for crime detection.
He also said the outcome of a feasibility study would determine whether the proposed crime detection institution would become a university college or higher education college.
Cape Times