Professor Simon Nemutandani, president of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and former CEO and head of school at Wits University's School of Oral Health Sciences, has taken his fight with the university to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) after his application for contract renewal was turned down.
Allegedly, other staff had threatened to resign if he were reappointed, saying he was “too tribal”, reports News24.
Nemutandani said he applied in December 2020, as his contract was due to end in August 2021, and the Health Department had approved this on condition Wits supported it.
He claimed he had a meeting with dean of health sciences Professor Shabir Madhi in June 2021, who said he would approve the reappointment when the head of human resources returned from leave.
At the same meeting Nemutandani told Madhi he had received a job offer from another university, but said he was encouraged not to accept it and stay at Wits.
However, Madhi later told him that some staff had threatened to resign if he were reappointed, accusing Nemutandani of being “tribal”.
“I responded … the same people complaining are the same ones I competed with for the post when I was interviewed. In the four years I was in the position, they never raised these issues.”
In July, he sent another letter to Madhi asking about the progress of his contract renewal, and was emailed by human resources who said Madhi was not supposed to promise him the renewal. Despite that, Nemutandani was offered an interview for the job.
He said: “I told them the only thing I was prepared to do was give them my vision for the next five years. I presented this to the highest decision-making body in the university, which is the senate. They approved it. How did they approve my five-year plan if I was not in their thinking?”
He said he was later told that the university did not support his reappointment, which is when he approached the CCMA.
Spokesperson for the university Shirona Patel said “the allegations made by Prof Simon Nemutandani are denied”. “All head of school contracts endure for five years, after which the position is reviewed … to determine whether the incumbent should be offered a further five-year renewal.”
Historically, the head of the school is part of the university, while the CEO position is a Gauteng Department of Health position. However, the university has since advertised the head of school position separately from that of CEO.
“The decoupling of the positions is in line with the memorandum of agreement concluded and signed between the university and the Gauteng Department of Health, which precludes a CEO from being on the joint staff complement unless otherwise agreed.”
Patel said the academic heads of major departments, including the positions of the head of School of Oral Health Sciences and the head of School of Clinical Medicine are now fully funded university posts.
“The university has structures and policies in place to regulate and govern appointment processes,” she said. “Appointments are made by committees with representation from multiple constituencies (both internal and external) and not by individuals.” Wits would present its case to the CCMA, she added.
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