Future of UKZN centre in balance

Latoya Newman, The Mercury, 6 August 2008

THE survival of the Centre for Civil Society hangs in the balance after staff recently received notice that it would be closed as of December 31, by order of University of KwaZulu-Natal officials.

Staff were led to believe that the UKZN senate would officially hear this announcement when it met today. However, UKZN management said it knew nothing about the decision to close down the centre.

Centre director Patrick Bond said yesterday that the centre was first told of the decision by UKZN dean of humanities, Prof Donal McCracken, on July 30.

The centre is a civic rights advocacy group that has conducted extensive research and has been at the head of debate and action on issues of environmental justice, and global and African integration. It has also been at the helm of action groups like Abahlali baseMjondolo, an advocacy group for housing for the poor.

"On July 30, the staff of the centre and our host institution, the School of Development Studies, were summoned by McCracken, and told that as of 31 December 2008, we would be permanently closed. We filed a letter of appeal within hours of receiving that information but we have not had a response," said Bond.

Staff were told that Bond would resume his tenured chair within the development studies school, and the other staff contracts would be terminated.

In his appeal, published on the centre's website, Bond said he was "ignored" despite several attempts to meet the authorities on the matter.

"A few minutes time with Prof McCracken on July 16, and repeated

(ignored) requests for follow-up discussions only leave me more confused about whether this decision has been made on financial grounds, as suggested, or on some other basis," wrote Bond.

He wrote that the only reason given at the staff meeting was that ". . . the long-term financial viability of CCS was not secure, ie that we do not have permanent funding in perpetuity. But that argument applies to many other projects, centres and UKZN entities, and we have communicated to Prof McCracken that there is no problem in guaranteeing core jobs and many of our projects into 2009/2010".

As of December 2007, the centre had a reserve of more than twice its income.

Yesterday, UKZN pro-vice chancellor Dasarath Chetty responded to the allegations. "We have ascertained that this item is not on the senate agenda. This is incorrect information. Decisions regarding the establishment or closure of university centres are the prerogative of the council. When such decisions are taken after due process, appropriate communication would follow," he said. Chetty said he had spoken to the head of the college of humanities, Prof Fikile Mazibuko, and she also knew nothing about the alleged decision to shut down the centre.

Bond said the university could not deny what the centre's staff were told, as about 30 people had heard the letter being read to them.