Unisa Enterprise crumbles amid unpaid salaries, lost contracts

The crippled Unisa Enterprise (UE), the commercial arm of the University of South Africa (Unisa), has reportedly been kicked out of its rented offices at Waterfall Office Park in Midrand due to a R3 million rental debt.

- Sipho Mabena

According to internal sources, Unisa has refused to bail out the company any further because the university has already pumped R70 million into the enterprise, but there is little to show for it.

The university also reportedly stripped the company of a catering contract after workers at the management company, Unisa Catering Services, were not paid and went on strike.

Long-serving staff members said the company’s catering wing used to make millions of rands for UE and could pay for operational costs, including salaries, and make profit.

“But due to mismanagement and misgovernance, they lost the catering contract,” a staff member said.