Suspended vice-chancellor Dr Enoch Malaza 'parts ways' with MUT

Suspended vice-chancellor Dr Enoch Malaza, who earlier this month was granted an interdict preventing Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) ending his contract, has agreed to leave the institution.

MUT announced on Monday that it had “parted ways” with Malaza.

“Dr Malaza’s last day as an employee of the university is January 31. News of this mutually agreed upon termination of Dr Malaza’s tenure as VC was communicated by MUT chair of council Morailane Morailane,” the institution said on Monday. 

“The vice-chancellor and principal will no longer be an employee of the university as of February 1. It is the view of council that this will end a period of unwelcome instability in the executive management and leadership ranks of the university.”

Morailane said the process to appoint Malaza's successor would start in March.

“On behalf of the university, I would like to thank Dr Malaza for his contribution at Mangosuthu University of Technology. I wish him well in his future endeavours,” he said.

Earlier this month, Malaza launched an urgent court application to stop MUT from implementing the council's decision that he retire before the end of his five-year contract.

The labour court heard that the council decided in September last year to force him to retire by December 31 as he had reached the age of 65.

Malaza argued that he was employed on a five-year fixed-term contract which had not expired.

Malaza's suspension was one of the issues probed by Prof Anthony Staak, who was appointed by higher education minister Blade Nzimande to conduct an investigation into the affairs of the institution.

Staak looked into alleged misconduct and mismanagement by Malaza, cash flow problems and the reasons for the suspension of other senior managers.

His report has been handed to Nzimande and is expected to be published in the government gazette soon.

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