Prof’s R1m deployment angers union

The deployment of Walter Sisulu University’s (WSU’s) former Queenstown rector, Professor Adriaan Coetser to a R1-million-a-year post has angered unionists.

The Daily Dispatch has learned from an internal memo sent by the office of the university’s executive director for human resources, Siyabulela Mnyaiza that Coetser had been “deployed” as acting director for institutional research and planning.

“This letter serves to confirm that it has been resolved that you will revert to your substantive position as professor and that you be placed at the maximum notch of post-level 5 (senior management total cost-to-company scale) which is R1022172 p.a,” the memo reads.

It stated the appointment would come into effect on June 1 this year until he reached retirement.

National Education Health and Allied Worker’s Union Buffalo City WSU campus branch leader, Luvo Skenjana said Coetser’s appointment was not done properly.

The post was not in the university’s organogram. “Even if it was in the organogram, normal recruitment processes were not followed.”

Coetser’s contract as a rector had expired and unions were shocked he had been deployed amid ongoing processes towards the retrenchment of staff. To date 74 staffers at WSU had taken voluntary packages.

Part of Coetser’s responsibilities would include:

• Providing management information to all levels of management and stakeholders to support strategic decision-making, planning, policy development and quality processes;
• Preparing and submitting higher education management information system data to the Department of Higher Education and Training for subsidy allocations;
• Providing data analysis support to the processes in the development of institutional allocation, budget, cost and enrolment planning models;
• Coordinating training for line managers, academic support staff and academic programme managers to enhance the knowledge of the impact of the HEIMS regulations and classification systems; and

lIdentifying and documenting information resources and providing institutional data to senior management and other relevant stakeholders.

WSU spokeswoman Yonela Tukwayo said she was waiting for responses from Mnyaiza, which had not been received at the time of writing.

However, on Tuesday Tukwayo said: “There are no retrenchments on the agenda of the university.” — msindisif@dispatch.co.za