News & Media

Unisa welcomes high court order interdicting Minister Nzimande from placing the University under administration

  1. The University of South Africa (Unisa) welcomes the High Court Order that interdicts the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation (the Minister) from placing the university under administration. The Order, which reaffirms the earlier Order by Justice Adams on 24 August 2023, was handed down today on Friday, 6 October 2023 and is effective immediately.

  2. On the 24th of August 2023, the same Court ordered ‘that pending the finalisation of the urgent application herein and the urgent application under case number 2023-082535, the first respondent undertakes not to take any decision pursuant to the report entitled “Report of the Independent Assessor into the Affairs of the University of South Africa (UNISA)”, dated 31 March 2023, prepared by the second respondent, published in the Government Gazette 48660 (Government Notice 3461) of 26 May 2023.’

  3. Unisa has always maintained that the Report of the Independent Assessor is fundamentally flawed, and its recommendations totally misplaced. For that reason, the university has taken the Report on legal review to be set aside. Until the side of the university is properly heard in a legal review, in a court of law, the university believes that it is premature for the Minister to implement the recommendations of the Independent Assessor. Unisa also believes that the institution of an Administration is not necessary and may only serve to harm the university.

  4. Once more, Unisa wishes to assure the public that the academic programme of the university remains intact, and its finances are healthy. In May 2023, the Council on Higher Education (CHE) issued its Institutional Audit Report that affirms that Unisa’s academic programme and quality assurance systems are largely intact and governed according to norms and standards of the sector.

  5. We hope that our students will be afforded the opportunity to focus on their final examinations which are currently underway, without any form of anxiety or disturbance. The academic programme must be hoisted and protected all the time. Further, we look forward to welcoming all our new students in the new academic year 2024 and appreciate their choice to study at the University of South Africa – the university of the land.

Publish date: 2023-10-06 00:00:00.0