President Cyril Ramaphosa has directed the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) to investigate and apprehend the officials and associates of the University of Fort Hare found with corrupt conducts.
Mr. Kaizer Kganyago, the head of stakeholder relations and communications said that on the 5th of August, the SIU was directed to prioritise investigations for fraud, corruption and unlawful conducts that have taken place from as far as the last decade at the university.
“We have been directed to investigate and give precedence to cases of improper or unlawful conduct by current or past employees of the University, probe contracts awarded, and if possible, recover financial losses suffered by the University. This includes possible maladministration in the affairs of the University’s Public Administration department, including the highly publicized Edward Ij” said Mr. Kganyago.
Yet, the proclamation is no indictment of the University’s academic project – the accreditation and quality of UFH programmes have always been and remain beyond reproach. Instead, it targets very specific irregular practices. In addition,
“The proclamation is very important to the University’s new Council and Management Executive Committee (MEC). Both these bodies have been pursuing the complete destruction of corrupt ties, criminal networks and individuals and entities that at times attempted to make the institution ungovernable in order to stifle investigations, sanctions and the rule of law, including threatening the leadership through shootings. The University has for the past year transparently communicated its commitment to a clean-up operation as part of a renewal programme. Several investigations have been conducted internally independently or alongside the Hawks to close doors on fraud and corruption, and hold individuals, groups or companies fully accountable for transgressions and criminal misdeeds” said Aretha Linden, a media relations practitioner from UFH.
Great initiative