A response to Marthinus van Staden’s article: “The cancer killing SA universities”

PERHAPS, just like Van Staden, who has opted to talk about other universities except his, I am equally guilty of only responding to allegations against the Vice-Chancellor of UNISA, Prof Puleng LenkaBula.

- BOITUMELO SENOKOANE | Associate Professors in the College of Human Sciences at UNISA

Of course, there is an inconsistency between the title of the article that looks like addressing an institutional matter but when reading about UNISA it becomes clear that it is individualised by referring to UNISA’s car, house, curtains as “hers”.

Van Staden out of ignorance or by ulterior motives fails to acknowledge that the Vice-Chancellor is provided a car and a house by the University as a matter of public knowledge.

The university is governed by the Higher Education Act, the Statute, its policies and procedures and it is strange that an individual would be singled out as the institution.

Before I am accused of defending corruption, I should put a disclaimer that at least if there is something that I agree with Van Staden is that we ought to fight corruption in the Higher Education Sector and this we must be passionate about.

However, my disagreement with him is that a fight against corruption should be based on academic integrity, honesty, and the law instead of lies, false allegations, and malicious rumours.