---

I’m now pissed off. You think we are children. – Higher Education and Training Portfolio Committee chairperson, Tebogo Letsie.

---

Sizwe sama Yende

---

The University of Mpumalanga (UMP) leadership’s failures to account seems to be continuing with a recent video-recording shedding light on how Higher Education minister, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, was left incensed.

Nkabane is heard berating UMP’s senior management for failing to give her a report on the institution’s state of readiness in the 2025 academic year during a meeting last week.

Vexed with the management failure to give her a written report, the minister then adjourns the meeting.

“When you are ready you will call us. The meeting is adjourned with the senior management of the university. We are now going to engage the students,” she said.

This meeting took place about two weeks since UMP Council’s chairperson, Sabelo Mahlalela, irritated members of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training for failing to explain reasons for the extension of vice-chancellor and principal Thoko Mayekiso’s contract beyond two terms or 10 years.

Mayekiso did not attend the meeting with Nkabane. Nkabane starts by excoriating the management for diverting and changing the programme.

“How far are you in terms of the registration,” she asks, and then adds: “It’s disturbing. The DG (director-general Dr Nkosinathi Sishi) knows how we work out the programme and everybody here. What is it that I must address when we did not even receive the state of readiness? I must engage with what? I must receive a state of readiness for me to be in a position to respond and take some decisions.”

Responding to questions on the faux pas at the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education meeting, UMP spokesperson, Tlangelani Ubisi, said that the council took a decision to retain Mayekiso as an interim vice-chancellor for a limited period whilst recruiting her successor.

“The process of recruiting the new VC is now at the advanced stage given that the post was advertised, shortlisting and interviews have been concluded. In line with our institutional policies, the Appointment Committee will present their recommendation to UMP governance structures and thereafter, to Council for consideration. Once Council has made a decision, the university will make an official announcement,” Ubisi said.

He however did not explain the reason for the extension of Mayekiso’s contract by a year. The Portfolio Committee also failed to get a clear answer from Mahlalela about the reasons for the extension.

The committee members said that the council decided to extend the contract having not used the six months, as stipulated in its statutes, to search for another vice-chancellor.

The council decided to seek a legal opinion on how to keep Mayekiso and they were advised to give her a one-year fixed term contract.

Higher Education and Training Portfolio Committee chairperson, Tebogo Letsie, was left furious by Mahlalela’s failure to explain.

“I’m now pissed off. You think we are children. Remember that we will ask you questions for which we already know the answers,” Letsie said.

He said that action would be taken against Mahlalela for lying before parliament. Letsie said it was clear that the UMP council only sought legal advice to keep Mayekiso as they had no evidence to prove that six months was not enough

Ubisi did not respond to a question about the accumulation of UMP’s debt from R8 million in 2022 to R88 million in 2024.

Sishi said during the portfolio committee meeting that the department was inundated with numerous allegations of mismanagement, fraud and misappropriation of funds levelled against Mayekiso.

UMP however earned plaudits from the committee members  for obtaining clean audits form the auditor-general in the past 10 years of existence.

---