Nzimande to set up 'task force' at universities following Fort Hare shooting
Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande says the department will set up a national task force to focus on the safety and security of principals at institutions of higher learning.
This follows the attempted assassination of Fort Hare University vice-chancellor and principal Professor Sakhele Buhlungu last week.
His bodyguard Mboneli Vesele was killed when shots were fired at Buhlungu's car outside his official residence at the Alice campus on Friday night.
The professor was not harmed in the shooting and has since been taken to a safe location.
"We are going to be doing close monitoring of the entire sector but with a particular focus, we are agreed with council that we need to focus attention issues of safety and we agreed that we going to form a national task force by the sector,” Nzimande said during a visit to the university on Wednesday.
Buhlungu's assassination attempts are believed to be related to the corruption he uncovered at the university.
Nzimande conceded that there is corruption at universities.
"A few of our vice-chancellors have protectors and also in the TVET colleges some of our principals have got bodyguards, though the reasons are varied but the common factor is that we do have the challenge of corruption that has crept into the post school education and training institutions."
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