Michael Tlhakudi

Michael Tlhakudi

The past three months have seen University of Free State (UFS) rector Frederick Fourie playing a balancing act as the institution made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Today Fourie begins a three-month sabbatical as the dust settles after the Reitz hostel racist video scandal.

Fourie asked for leave from the chairman of the UFS council, Judge Faan Hancke.

In his nine years at UFS Fourie has held a number of demanding top management posts. During his tenure he has managed to bring about a number of changes at the university.

His major task was to accelerate the pace of transformation.

The university was earlier this year embroiled in a racial controversy when a video, made by four white male students, showed one of them urinating in food that was later given to black workers, was made public.

Fourie said he originally wanted to go on leave in the second half of last year but couldn't because of instability at the university.