Lecturer dismissed for improper conduct

A SENIOR lecturer at the Central Johannesburg TVET College has failed in his bid to overturn his dismissal after an Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) arbitrator found that he had acted improperly towards a student and that the sanction of dismissal was fair.

- SINENHLANHLA MASILELA

John Kubasa Vike, who had been employed by the Gauteng Department of Higher Education and Training since 2012, was dismissed following a disciplinary hearing in May 2024. His appeal against the sanction was rejected in July 2025, prompting him to refer an unfair dismissal dispute to the ELRC.

At the time of his dismissal, Vike was a senior lecturer at the college's Langlaagte Campus.

The charge against him arose from an incident in April 2023, when he was accused of making unwelcome sexual suggestions to a student by asking about her availability for a long weekend and confirming her cellphone number.

Testifying under oath, the student said that after a morning lecture she was asked by Vike to help him carry papers to his office. On the way, he asked whether she was available for the upcoming long weekend and whether the phone number on her student file was correct. When she questioned why he needed this information, he became annoyed, grabbed the papers from her and walked off.