Shocking details have emerged about how a University of Western Cape (UWC) master’s graduate was frustrated by his -supervisor who failed to -provide feedback on his thesis for over eight months and threatened him – leading to a delay in his
academic progress and an additional cost of R230 000 in fees, accommodation and living expenses.
Khutso Lekgothoane has now called for UWC to investigate the conduct of his master’s degree supervisor, Prof Lloyd Leach.
Lekgothoane, 40, who was a full-time MA in sport, recreation and exercise science student, said as a result of Leach’s delays, it took him three years instead of a year to submit his final thesis for examination despite meeting all his deadlines.
Lekgothoane registered for the degree in 2021.
In the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Lekgothoane and Leach on February 8 2021, communication arrangements are clearly outlined: “The supervisors will respond to the student’s submission within seven days, preferably, by no longer than one month.”
According to the MoU, a supervisor has two weeks to review thesis drafts and give a response. The self-employed Lekgothoane from GaMphahlele, in Limpopo, who funded his own studies, said the delays had also set him back financially. He said he had spent at least R372 500 on fees, accommodation, living expenses and travelling in the course of the years at UWC, attributing R230 000 as the cost of the delays.
So broken by the experience, Lekgothoane said he did not attend his graduation ceremony on April 16.
He’s enrolled for a PhD in health science with human movement science at the North West University.
In a letter addressed to deputy vice-chancellor for academic Prof Vivienne Lawack on March 12 this year, Lekgothoane requested the university to investigate Leach’s conduct.
“[It involves] the breach of the MoU contract between the student and supervisor; threats from Leach; unfair supervision (failure to give feedback or give incomplete feedback after eight months or more); and sabotage (withdrawal when the thesis was about to go for external examination),” he wrote in the letter.
Lekgothoane said he had also written to the deputy head of department (HoD), the HoD, dean, faculty manager and research office asking them to act. But this did not help.
“All they did was to call for separate meetings with me and Prof Leach. I don’t know the outcomes of those meetings. I made follow-ups, it is almost five months now. I assume that they are protecting their colleague,” he said in the letter to Lawack.
Lekgothoane said Leach threatened me him with paying back the money the university paid for him to attend the ELS-NCD Conference in 2022, in Limpopo.
Sunday World has seen e-mails from Leach in which he provides his personal banking details, into which Lekgothoane must deposit the cost of attending the conference.
Leach responded to an email in which Lekgothoane requested feedback on his draft thesis: “Seeing that you are adopting this hard position, can you kindly return the R9 700 that I paid for you to attend the ELS-NCD Conference in Limpopo, last year. Attached are my bank account details.”
Sunday World has also seen correspondence to Leach in which Lekgothoane begs him to provide feedback. “All my submissions were in line with the schedule and time frames. On February 16, 2022, I submitted the full draft of my thesis,” said Lekgothoane.
In one response Leach wrote: “Hi Khutso, apologies for not sending you feedback on the manuscript. I will attend to it as soon as I have completed all my master’s students’ theses that must be submitted for examination in the next week. I hope you understand.”
In another, Leach responded to a follow-up email from Lekgothoane: “I will try to get to your thesis over the weekend, but I cannot make any promises, because this time of the year is very busy for me. I hope you understand,” he said.
UWC spokesperson Gasant Abarder did not respond to specific questions but instead gave a terse general response.
“A number of meetings took place between the supervisors and the deputy dean. The deputy dean is proposing a meeting with the student and the current supervisor to ascertain what the nature of the current grievance is,” said Abarder.
Dr Whitfield Green, CEO of Council of Higher Education the quality body for higher education, said issues of this nature must be addressed at the level of the institution.
“Mr Lekgothoane must follow the grievance procedures/policies of the university, which should include escalation of the issue if necessary to the level of the vice-chancellor and council. Further recourse may be to the Department of Higher Education and Training,” said Green.
Leach did not respond to two Sunday World enquiries sent to him last week and this week regarding Lekgothoane’s claims.
It’s sad because cases of supervisors delaying students are rampant. Worse nothing happens even if a student raises these issues to the department. Eventually students are on the receiving end, money and time are wasted in the process.
I went through this at two universities in SA. The issue is that university structures operate almost like cartels. They shield their own. The candidate becomes powerless against an academically impotent supervisor/promoter, as the structures mobilize against him/her. The CHE should not defer the issue back to the same structures for these reasons.
You know nothing yet of the over all coruption that goes on at UWC. GBV that gets swept under carpert, by those who is suppose to protect.
From the top level to middel management.
Absolutely true!!!
Am in the same situation like this guy. I tried to raise a concern, Noone assisted me.
This is very bad, such immoral conduct should be exposed and the council working with the senate root out such corruption within the institution. It is very clear that even the VC and his council is aware about this shenanigans but decided to close one eye in trying to keep the reputation of the institution in tact at the expense of the student. Unfortunately,we have CHE. DHET and parliament committee on education protecting those in power maybe of ANC was voted out completely things would be better as they protect corruption in our higher education system.
Yoooo! Bad. I was advised in 2021 by a supervisor to discontinue my PhD studies without providing any convincing reasons. My heart is still bleeding.
It is literally bad how Supervisors are so ignorant to students, they can delay you for no reasons without considering the costs implications and the time wasted’ Let’s rise for a justice system in the Academic space.
He is the same old leach of my years as an undergraduate. Wow! He’s now a professor. He marked wrong me resulting in me getting lower marks. I complained to him. He just walked away. He then after never looked at me. Thando.
YHOO 1992 All Of them were horrible to Africans we were made to feel like outsiders. There were less than 3 Africans in all levels until the group of 1993. Leach Jones Travill
For the Prof to provide the student with his personal banking details, doesn’t conference money come from universities?