Professor Sakhela Buhlungu’s term of office at the helm of one of the most historic universities in Africa has come to an end in a disgraceful fashion after the council of the university showed him the door for gross misconduct two days before he was due to leave after 10 years in charge.
Buhlungu had an eventful decade-long stint as vice-chancellor for the University of Fort Hare (UFH), in which period he became a hero to some, while being a vicious villain to many.
A controversial figure in many ways, regardless of which side on the fence you stand in, Buhlungu was mostly liked by people outside UFH with limited information and knowledge of happenings inside the institution.
To several student representative councils (SRCs) over his decade-long destructive tenure, Buhlungu was an authoritarian with little regard to student needs.
READ: Premier Oscar Mabuyane obtains court interdict against SIU probe
It was during Buhlungu’s reign where UFH became synonymous with endless and violent protest actions by frustrated students feeling they were hitting a brick wall.
The violence reached its peak with the burning into ashes of the university’s administration building at the main campus in Alice as well as other three buildings there and in KuGompo.
UFH and culture of violence under Buhlungu
Among the demands that led to the arson were calls for Buhlungu to resign, which had become a rallying cry at the time of this escalation exactly a year ago.
A champion of self-pity propaganda, directly or indirectly, narratives that politicians fearing to be exposed for acquiring qualification in a bogus fashion being behind the arson began to swell.
It was not a shocking propaganda offensive for some of us who had studied the man over the years and how he operates by shifting the blame when it is time to take accountability.
His greatest scapegoat during his term of office was none other than the Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane, who was branded among people who wanted to see Buhlungu’s backside.
But the facts are far more complex than the propaganda tailor-made to prop-up Buhlungu as an anti-corruption crusader.
In July this year, the Eastern Cape High Court ended six years of a successful propaganda crusade by Buhlungu and his backers that sought to place Mabuyane at the centre of the chaos at UFH.
Mabuyane, according to the court’s judgment, was a victim of an unconstitutional and invalid deregistration of a postgraduate degree under Buhlungu’s stewardship.
Oscar Mabuyane the scapegoat
The university, under Buhlungu, had deregistered Mabuyane, alleging he did not meet the recognition of prior learning requirement for a master’s degree, a decision that has since been unmasked to have been sponsored by the good Prof to spite the ambitious politician.
In executing this unlawful manoeuvre, Buhlungu ultimately delivered probably a permanent blow into Mabuyane’s political career despite the high court ruling favouring the politician.
The reality is, thanks to Buhlungu, Mabuyane will forever be viewed as someone who tried to cut corners to get a postgraduate qualification because a six-year narrative cannot be erased by a simple court judgment.
That is the real legacy of Buhlungu, with victims that have names and faces and families whilst his supporters continue to laud him as a man who was a thorn in the side of corrupt university officials and politicians.
READ: Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane kicked out of Masters degree by University of Fort Hare
SRC after SRC that served over the decade he was at the helm are also hosting the proverbial “good riddance to bad rubbish” adage in remembrance of the suffering they endured under Buhlungu.
Afterall, the man’s family name itself, “Buhlungu”, which can be translated to mean “suffering”, captures what many feel is the real legacy the man leaves behind for a university with a rich history.
This is the institution where several political luminaries not limited to global icon Nelson Mandela, longest serving ANC President Oliver Tambo, IFP founder Mangosuthu Buthelezi, former and late Zimbabwe head of state Robert Mugabe and PAC founder Robert Sobukwe sharpened their academic brains.
Whether they would be proud of the legacy Buhlungu leaves behind is a million-dollar question.
But history will be the judge.
- Professor Sakhela Buhlungu was removed from his position as vice-chancellor of the University of Fort Hare (UFH) for gross misconduct two days before his term ended after 10 years in charge.
- During Buhlungu's tenure, UFH experienced frequent violent student protests, culminating in the burning of the administration building and other structures in Alice and KuGompo.
- Buhlungu was accused of authoritarian leadership and poor regard for student needs by multiple student representative councils (SRCs).
- In July 2023, the Eastern Cape High Court ruled that Buhlungu unlawfully deregistered Premier Oscar Mabuyane's postgraduate degree, a move seen as politically motivated.
- Buhlungu's legacy at UFH is controversial, with some viewing him as a disruptor, while many recall a decade marked by suffering, violence, and institutional instability.
