Phambili Nokholeji

Like the legendary Phoenix, out of the ruins and dust of inept and remiss-full management, dwindling student numbers throttling government subsidy cuts of the past decade, the University of Fort Hare has emerged with renewed youth and panache. With the Strategic Plan 2000 (SP 2000) as the wind under its wings, high up in Southern African’s clear blue skies, this magnificent icon of academic excellence lives on.

The journey towards the University’s renaissance was an imperative, faced with aforementioned challenges, the university resolutely guarded against the ostrich syndrome of burying its head in the sand and wishing the problem away. The institution had veered to the brink of closure with pessimist already sounding its death knell and writing its epitaph. “The University of Fort Hare was facing a powerful combination of structural and strategic shifts in the educational sector within and beyond South Africa, it had to make major decisions regarding its future. The new South Africa is making demands on tertiary institutions to redefine their role in relation to the provision of knowledge and skills required for social, economic and cultural development of the emerging democracy,” stated the Vice Chancellor Professor Derrick Swartz at the launch of the internationally lauded corporate re-engineering plan, SP 2000 two years ago.

Two years down the road, Fort Hare is set on an irrevocable path of self-recovery and the council of the university has noted the exceptional progress that has been made in the renewal of the University, in line with the Strategic Plan 2000, during the past six months.

“Council wishes to express its delight at the rapidity and scale of progress made in growing the university into a stable and viable institution,” said the Chairperson of Council of the University, Dr Thandiwe Sidzumo-Mazibuko.

In a statement read on behalf of Council at the University’s 2002 graduation, the Chairperson said, “Our commendations are based on encouraging growth indicators shown by the University of Fort Hare over this period.” She noted these indicators as, the sharp increase in student numbers, a major influx of donor and project income and unprecedented institutional stability and strong stakeholder support for the goals outlined in SP 2000.

This year alone, the government, funders and the private sector have pledged over R141 million to the university in the form of projects, tender, donations and grants. This has boasted the University coffers by over R41,2 million in the past six months. “This represents more than the total subsidy allocated to the University for the current financial year and compares well to the R27 million raised in 2001 over the same period”, she said.

Confidence in the university has seen student numbers swell by 45% in two years and,” This represents the fastest tertiary sector growth rate in South Africa this year.” Student’s numbers have grown from 4500 in 2000 to over 7000 this year.

“The stability and recent successes have led to a resurgence of market confidence in the new Fort Hare – both from local and foreign markets. Over the past year, the University of Fort Hare has been able to secure exciting partnership to build a critical mass in key niche areas.”

She said the University has formed partnership in agribusiness (Norway), biotechnology (Connecticut), human rights and governance (United Nations University), accounting and public finance (South African Institute of Chartered Accounting and the Rand Afrikaans Universiteit), climate studies (South Africa Weather Services), information and technology (Department of Communications), and rural development (Kagiso Trust).

These partnerships translate into, the University securing a major deal with the South African Weather Services, with the support of the Provincial Government for a new Weather Rader Station worth R10 million. In turn, the Department of Communications are currently working with the university’s Institute of Technology on a major grant to make Fort Hare a major ICT hub in the region. The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants is supporting the launch of the Nkuhlu Centre of Accountancy. The University has also won the largest deal in the country for training of public finance managers – the R100 million Eastern Cape financial management contract. And recently, Carnegie Corporation announced a new grant of R10 million jointly to the university and Rand Afrikaans Universiteit to develop a new Masters in Public Finance.

The chairperson said”, If the present course is maintained. Council believes that the university will rapidly grow itself into a stable and viable entity. This confidence rests both on the historical prestige of the university and the business case we have made.” Although council believes the signs are clear that the university has been set on an irrevocable path of self-recovery, Dr Sidzumo-Mazibuko cautioned against. “Confusing a process with an actual state of recovery, SP2000 is a five-year plan. As we have just entered into the second year of the plan, it goes without saying that the university still has a long way to go. She noted that the university was faced with major macro-financial challenges, project-funding, though vital for our revival, cannot directly finance the major backlogs of the institution and most critically, staffing and infrastructure costs. These costs must be financed directly by the state”.

“in sum, Council is convinced that the correct steps have been taken to set it on the pathways to recovery. Under the leadership of Vice Chancellor Professor Derrick Swartz, and his team, together with encouraging support from critical stakeholders, the institution has so far kept its eyes on the bigger picture, the restoration of Fort Hare.” She concluded.

Following closely on the statement by Council, the Cabinet approved Transformation and Reconstruction of the Higher Education System proclaimed the retention of the University of Fort Hare as an autonomous institution. The new policy position further stipulates that the university will incorporate the East London campus of Rhodes University and the Medical School of the University of Transkei. This development is a further attestation of the phenomenal achievements of the University of Fort Hare towards its corporate goal of becoming a world-class university. It is further still, an immense display of government confidence in the financial sustainability and academic viability of the university.

Picking on the euphoria that followed the announcement, Vice Chancellor Prof. Swartz said,” Cabinet fully endorsed its support for the University of Fort Hare. This support is expressed in two major policy decisions. Firstly, we retain our strategic independence – a huge victory for our campaign to save Fort Hare and secondly, the incorporation of Rhodes East London campus into Fort Hare offers UFH an opportunity to gain a foothold in a major metropolitan market to build her brand name and grow her numbers.

Riding on the phenomenal support of all stakeholders and the exceptional business case the University of Fort Hare has made, the university will continue to soar the skies with majestic grace, Phambili Nokholeji! Phambili!

By: Tigele Mokobi and Luthando Bara