The North-West University (NWU) has appointed a new supervisor for first-year PhD candidate Ludwick Kekana following a Sunday World exposé on how he was unfairly treated and bullied by his previous research adviser.
Kekana, who is enrolled for a PhD in human resources management, has also been awarded a bursary of R11 810 by the university’s faculty of economic and management sciences for this year to assist with registration. NWU spokesperson Louis Jacobs confirmed the matter has been concluded.
“The matter was amicably resolved and finalised. No details will be provided to any party other than those directly involved.”
On January 28, Sunday World reported that NWU was probing Bennie Linde, a professor of employment relations in the school of industrial psychology and human resources management, of unfair treatment.
Jacobs confirmed that the Potchefstroom campus, where Kekana is registered, was investigating the matter in line with the institution’s academic rules.
A relieved Kekana told Sunday World this week that he was happy he has been a located a new supervisor.
“All I want is to study and to have an unbiased supervisor,” adding that he was polishing his proposal for committee approval by the end of this week.
In his complaint, Kekana said he was frustrated that after -seven months of working on his approved topic on transformation and employment equity in institutions of higher education, Linde advised him to change it.
“In August last year, he -advised that I use my master’s topic as the basis for my PhD studies,” he said.
Kekana said he changed his top – from “Comparative Studies: Transformation in Employment Equity Practices and Higher Education Skills Development in Canada, Republic of Ireland, Republic of South Africa, United States of America and the United Kingdom” to “Employment Equity Transformation in the South African Mining Industry: The Employment Fairness Perspective” – following an online meeting with Linde.
“In September, when I asked Prof Linde questions to clarify the feedback he sent me on the new topic, he was annoyed.
“He got irritated and made allegations that I wanted him to do my work when I asked him questions for clarity pertaining to some of his comments,” Kekana said in his letter of complaint.
“In his ultimate response, he retaliated by providing me with the progress report in which he recommended that I stop studying and apply to proceed in 2025.
“I have not failed to make my research proposal submission, and the final submission was in April 2024.
“My learned professor has already pre-empted my failure without discussing it with me. I truly consider this stance as unfair and a bullying stunt,” Kekana said in his complaint.
