A former student has approached the court alleging serious administrative failures and irregularities in the university.
A new legal challenge to the legitimacy of the leadership of the University of South Africa (Unisa) is mounting amid the institution's legal crackdown on its opponents.
Alumni and “whistle-blowers” Simamkele Zani has filed an application to declare the appointment of Vice-Chancellor Professor Puleng Lenkabula as illegal and unconstitutional.
Allegations of illegal appointments and governance failures
Papers filed before the High Court in Pretoria also seek to quash the decision to extend his tenure to 2024 and Zani has lobbied the court to order a new, valid appointment process in line with the Higher Education Act.
Zani continues to make allegations of corruption against the vice-chancellor, including that he was unlawfully appointed to the post and did not hold the rank of professor. Lenkabula is the second defendant in the case, in which Zani has cited more than 20 respondents, including senior university officials and Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela.
“This application is brought not only in my own interest, but also on behalf of the wider class of affected persons whose rights and legitimate expectations have been seriously compromised by governance failures at Unisa,” he said in his founding affidavit.
Zani said these constituencies, including students, have been directly prejudiced by the collapse of governance and administration unisa.
“Many have experienced delayed graduation, lost academic records, missing points, maladministration, and the threat of compromised accreditation,” Zani said.
Unisa's legal action against opponents
Unisa has recently intensified this Legal action against opponentsIncluding Zani, he is accused of damaging his reputation, securing injunctions and contempt orders in several cases.
last month, citizen Reported on a case in which a person, Mogele Mogashoa jailed for six months After being found guilty of contempt of court order.
Zani received a suspended sentence of 60 days' imprisonment or a R50,000 fine, conditional on compliance with the earlier order.
The court ordered Zani to withdraw the statement and apologize to the university and Lenkabula. His appeal, heard on March 3, 2026, was dismissed with costs, confirming that the November 2024 order was valid and that he was in contempt of court.
Whistle-blower harassment claims
Zani claims that Unisa officials instigated his arrest but the case was later dropped due to lack of evidence and he was excluded from convocation and institutional governance processes.
Zani said, “These actions constitute a pattern of harassment of whistleblowers at Unisa, a pattern that has been confirmed by the independent evaluator's report and supported by numerous complaints from staff, students and unions.”
Zani said, his stance on this matter was strengthened by his substantial and sustained involvement in the factual circumstances underlying the application.
A notice of motion to oppose the application has been filed, but Unisa spokesman Thomas Huma would not confirm this, saying: “You are welcome to obtain the papers from the court as it is in the public domain.”
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