Black academics are not sufficiently progressing to senior appointments in the College of Law at the University of South Africa (Unisa).

This was admitted yesterday by vice-chancellor Professor Mandla Makhanya who said there were only three black professors in the faculty that has 300 staff.

Makhanya told the SA Human Rights Commission inquiry into allegations of racism, sexism, harassment and unfair discrimination that, despite programmes meant to advance black academics, the numbers remained low and black academics held junior positions.

Makhanya's testimony comes against the backdrop of claims by black academics in the College of Law that the faculty had been gripped by a clique of professors "gate-keeping" to keep out black academics from ascending to top positions.

Black academics have told the hearings that the entire university, not just the College of Law, was still gripped by systemic white supremacy and white privilege.

"Some colleges do not have a single black professor. The black associate professors are less than 15, the numbers are fairly low," Makhanya told the panel.

"Then you find bigger numbers [of senior black academics] in lower levels."

He said he had brought in the commission so that the issues of racism could be confronted.

Makhanya testified that it was frustrating when he interacted with staff in the College of Law, saying he was not aware of the "depth of alienation" they experienced.

Makhanya told the panel that when his colleagues raised concerns, he was the first one to acknowledge the problem in the progression of black academics to senior positions.

He said as an accounting officer he could not turn around and say he was not responsible for the lack of transformation because a huge investment had been made.