A former chief financial officer of the troubled Vaal University of Technology was apparently paid more than R140,000 a month but he was only in the office for three days a week.

From September 2018 to July last year, Athol Rhoda was paid close to R1.5m, according to a report by independent assessors looking into the state of the university.

The independent assessors, Barney Pityana and Rocky Ralebipi-Simela, were appointed last year to investigate and advise the then minister of higher education on the state of leadership, governance and management at the university.

The investigators said Rhoda had a fixed-term contract for one month but he served a month-to-month contract from September 2018 at a salary of R146,542.00 per month.

"This, however, was amended by a letter dated April 30 2019 to a three-month renewable contract for the period of May-July 2019. It is common knowledge, however, that Rhoda worked for three days a week. He travelled weekly from his home in Cape Town at the university's expense, hired a car and was accommodated in Vanderbijlpark at the university's expense. The net effect of this is that it cost the university an enormous amount to hire Rhoda, and many of the perks were not provided for in the contract that was signed," read the report.

Rhoda refused to comment when contacted by Sowetan yesterday, saying he was in a meeting.

The assessors also found that Mpho Diago, the director for special projects in the office of VUT vice-chancellor Prof Gordon Zide, who wrote the complaint, was granted a severance payment of over R4m - an equivalent of two years' salary.

Diago said when he wrote to then minister Naledi Pandor, he told her that he was not comfortable with the payout and specific conditions attached to it.

"One of them was that I should withdraw my complaints from the university's council and also the minister, and that any other information I have against the VC I should hand over to executive HR to keep over a period of 20 years. However, I am very happy that for the first time independent assessors have made a recommendation to bring in the special investigative unit," he said.

The report said Zide believed that Diago was sabotaging him, initiating investigations behind his back and was aligned to a group that was hostile to him.

Diago told investigators Zide indicated from the start that he had no desire to work with him.

"There are allegations that Diago's silence was bought and that the resources of the university were being used to protect the VC against whatever information might discredit him that Diago claimed to have against him [the VC]."

The report further said: "Dr Segopane Seroka, executive director: student services, was suspended and subjected to a disciplinary process. No agreement has been reached and Seroka remains in limbo, unable to resume his duties, but his contract expired and he is on a month-to-month contract while remaining at home."

Seroka told Sowetan yesterday that he was acquitted but was not allowed to return to work. "I was paid full salary with benefits for 26 months. They silenced me by keeping me away from my job."