Minister urged to intervene to resolve crisis at South Africa’s largest university

Trade union Solidarity has called on the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Buti Manamela, to intervene at the University of South Africa (Unisa).

This, the union said, was needed due to a growing crisis at the university, including poor working conditions and mismanagement.

Solidarity said that reports and feedback from employees point to a pattern of burnout, excessive workloads and fear of victimisation.

Solidarity called for an independent assessor and assessment panel to be appointed in terms of sections 43, 44 and 45 of Chapter 6 of the Higher Education Act.

Such an investigation should establish the extent of the problems, assess their impact on employees, and make recommendations to address the issues.

Solidarity also wrote to Unisa’s vice-chancellor, Prof Puleng LenkaBula, on 24 August 2026, demanding answers from the university itself.

The union wants to know what steps Unisa has taken after concerns about employees’ working conditions and occupational health.

Dirk Hermann, Chief Executive Officer of Solidarity, said that the time for denial from the University of South Africa is over.

“We conducted our own investigation following media reports. Our own employee feedback confirms there is a serious problem at Unisa,” he said.

“People struggle under unbearable workloads, staff shortages are adding to the pressure, and experienced employees are considering early retirement,” he said.

He added that many employees are turning to medical or psychological support to cope with the pressure.

Solidarity’s feedback pointed to a reduction in the number of markers and online tutors, which is contributing to unsustainable workloads.

Numerous vacant posts remain unfilled, while existing staff are being forced to take on additional responsibilities.

The feedback received by Solidarity indicated that staff are nearing a breaking point, experiencing burnout, and feeling on the verge of collapse.

According to Hermann, one of the most serious findings is employees’ fear of speaking out about the conditions themselves.

“We had to guarantee anonymity in the feedback because employees are afraid of victimisation,” he said.

Hermann said the Minister of Higher Education and Training cannot claim he did not know. “We have formally brought the evidence to his attention,” he said.

“We have also pointed him to the mechanism provided by law for intervention. Action must now be taken.”

“Unisa’s employees have started speaking out. Solidarity has now taken their voice to the minister. The next step should not be yet another denial, but intervention.”