Chester Makana

Chester Makana

Employees at the University of Venda are divided over the content of a report on alleged corruption on campus sent to Education Minister Naledi Pandor.

The discord came to light after staffers lodged their complaints about the alleged corruption involving senior officials.

The report was sent to Pandor in December last year complaining about the way senior staffers are allegedly involved in irregular tendering processes.

The document is said to contain details relating to senior staffers who use financial assistance meant for poor students to pay for their relatives.

It is alleged that some senior officials were currently benefitting directly from these funds.

The funds were apparently sourced from Xstrata Bursary Fund as part of the institution's mission to assist needy and poor students.

"We demand a fullscale forensic audit to help identify those stealing from poor students," said a source who refused to be identified.

"We also need the audit to be conducted by external auditors because we suspect that insiders may temper with the audit."

Two senior officials were suspended after allegations of misconduct connected to tender irregularities were levelled against them.

The suspended officials were allegedly identified as Justice Nzeru and another known only as Mutavhatsindi.

"We believe that if those two were suspended for the alleged irregularities, then the others suspected of being party to this must also be suspended," said the source.

Attempts to get comment from the university's spokesman, Rufus Kharidzha, had been unsuccessful by late yesterday.