The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher Education is exploring legal avenues to compel the University of Limpopo (UL) to respond to questions to the institution’s management and to abide by summons served on it.
“I have written to the speaker of the National Assembly [Thoko Didiza] to guide us on the process we must follow in opening these criminal cases, whether it must be the committee, or it will be parliament as the summons were sent by the secretary of parliament [Xolile George], according to the legalisation,” the committee’s Tebogo Letsie told Sunday World this week.
The summons was issued to Vice-Chancellor Professor Mahlo Mokgalong, chairperson of council, Pandelani Nefolovhodwe and chairperson of the Institutional Forum Joy Sixholo, to provide the National Assembly with responses to their questions.
The summons was issued by parliament on March 28, but the institution has not responded.
The embattled university first appeared before the portfolio committee in November 2024, when the institution presented on its state of governance, administration, teaching and learning and related matters.
Due to time constraints, the committee requested the university to submit supplementary responses to questions that were not adequately addressed in the meeting and provide evidence in terms of documentation on other issues raised.
Letsie believes management’s decision to ignore the appeals from the committee blatantly was because they have not been honest about the state of the university.
“We strongly believe the institution is refusing to answer because they know they lied to parliament in the meeting of the 20th of November 2024 on a number of things, including the so-called legal advice they claimed to have about the terms of office the VC can hold
“They know they took oath or affirmation, and we will be compelled to hold them accountable for willingly lying in parliament,” he said.
This was amid the committee’s recommendation that the higher education minister, Pamela Nkabane, appoint an independent assessor to investigate the state of the institution.
They were sent a final reminder on December 2, 2024, which led to Didiza authorising the secretary to parliament to issue the summons.
This was done in accordance with the resolution of the committee and section 14(1) of the Power, Privileges, and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act, 2004, which compels the university to submit the outstanding information and documents from the meeting.
The university management has been requested to present a report on the expenditure utilised to pay incurred legal fees during the financial year 2023/2024.
Parliament raised alarm bells about the university doubling the money spent on legal fees during the last financial year.
At least R14-million was spent on legal fees to defend the university against students and staff.
Parliament wants insights into the legal opinion which was used to extend the vice-chancellor’s term of office.
The committee previously questioned Mokgalong serving in his position longer than the term provided for in terms of the institutional statute.
In addition to this, they want to get an understanding of the current employee retention policy of the UL, a list of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration awards, which the UL has rejected or not implemented or not complied with, as well as details regarding employees who have undergone disciplinary proceedings or hearings related to their involvement in academic fraud activities.
There has been ongoing turmoil between the university and parliament.
Besides refusing to respond to parliament, Nefolovhodwe has demanded that Nkabane apologise for her statement about employing an independent assessor to investigate the university.
He has also requested an apology in writing to the university’s council for the reputational damage her statements caused the institution.
