UKZN Clarifies Role of Mary de Haas During Public Debate

The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) released a statement on 19 November 2025 addressing widespread media enquiries about its association with Mary de Haas. The clarification follows her appearance before Parliament’s ad hoc committee. The University confirmed she is not an employee and does not serve as a professor at UKZN.

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What Happened

UKZN issued a public statement after several media outlets questioned its link to Mary de Haas. According to the University, de Haas retired from the former University of Natal in 2002, where she served as a Senior Lecturer and Programme Director in Social Anthropology. The institution explained that the University of Natal merged with the University of Durban-Westville in 2004 to form the current UKZN.

Official Response

The University stated that de Haas’s current association is limited to holding an Honorary Research Fellow title in the School of Law. This title is symbolic and carries no employment or teaching responsibilities.

In the statement, UKZN emphasized: “Ms de Haas is not an employee of the University and is not a professor at UKZN.”

The University added that while de Haas has collaborated with members of the Navi Pillay Research Group, she also conducts independent work separate from UKZN, including research on violent crime and policing.
UKZN made it clear that it “will not comment on evidence presented before the ad hoc committee.”

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Community Impact

The clarification aims to prevent misinformation about UKZN’s involvement in de Haas’s parliamentary engagement. It also assures the public that her independent research activities do not reflect the University’s official position.