‘Mr President, you failed me’ – University of Fort Hare corruption fallout reaches Ramaphosa

University of Fort Hare (UFH) vice-chancellor professor Sakhela Buhlungu is facing disciplinary action after being suspended by the institution’s council this week, in a development that comes after years of efforts to root out corruption at the historic university.

His suspension has also cast renewed attention on the personal cost of that campaign, after his wife detailed in a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa the toll it has allegedly taken on their family.

Buhlungu was suspended on 30 March, following a communication from University of Fort Hare council chairperson Dr Siyanda Makaula, who said the council had considered written representations, a forensic investigation report and “all relevant circumstances” before taking the decision.

The current turmoil at the institution, where several of Africa’s leaders studied, centres on the appointment of two senior executives whose appointments were not ratified by the institution’s senate and council.

When the oversight was discovered, Buhlungu alerted the council and sought to have the matter corrected. 

But the council allegedly ignored the report’s findings, which found no wrongdoing and still went ahead with the suspension. It will also pursue formal disciplinary proceedings against the vice-chancellor.

University insiders say that the “knives have been out” for Buhlungu. His efforts to curb corruption at Fort Hare began several years ago and have unfolded amid a climate of violence and intimidation.

During that period, staff members have been murdered, Buhlungu has reportedly survived assassination attempts, and parts of the university were set alight during student unrest in October 2025 – incidents widely seen as linked to attempts to derail his anti-corruption drive. Several investigations by the Special Investigating Unit are also ongoing.

Allegations of victimisation

On Wednesday, University World News obtained a copy of a letter entitled, “Mr President you failed me”, addressed to President Cyril Ramaphosa and dated 27 February 2026.

In this letter, Dr Beata Mtyingizana-Buhlungu, Buhlungu’s wife, describes the family’s three-year ordeal, which has left her medically disabled, financially destitute and unable to secure employment, while her children’s education and security have been severely disrupted. The letter suggests they were victimised because of the anti-corruption efforts of her husband.

The human cost described in the letter underscores the far-reaching consequences of protracted administrative and legal battles – consequences that, for one family, extend well beyond campus walls.

Asked why this has happened, Beata Mtyingizana-Buhlungu told University World News: “Corruption! Corruption! Corruption. The ANC is draining money from universities for the party. UFH was a major cash cow which Sakhela interrupted and rendered the party broke.”

Letter to the president

The letter, addressed to the president and copied to cabinet ministers and parliament’s higher education leadership, comes after a Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) ruling earlier this year that found her dismissal from Nelson Mandela University to have been unfair following a prolonged labour dispute.

According to the letter, the period leading up to and following her dismissal coincided with escalating violence and instability at the UFH, including the assassination attempts targeting her husband.

“Lives were lost,” she wrote, stating that the combined pressures of workplace conflict, security threats and prolonged litigation led to repeated hospitalisation, psychiatric treatment and ongoing psychological care.

Beata Mtyingizana-Buhlungu said she is now on lifelong medication, taking “10 pills a day”, and has spent more R3 million on medical costs over three years, with monthly treatment expenses continuing indefinitely.

Devastating impact

The financial impact on the family has been devastating, she claims. Legal costs, alone, exceeded R3 million, while her inability to work has resulted in a significant loss in income.

According to the letter, extensive debt arising from these expenses has rendered her “unemployable” as credit checks and vetting processes flag liabilities she says she can never realistically clear.

The consequences have extended to the couple’s children. One child was forced to withdraw from university due to unpaid fees, despite efforts to negotiate with administrators. 

Education, life and insurance policies accumulated over more than a decade reportedly lapsed, and a vehicle purchased to mark a daughter’s academic achievement was facing repossession at the time the letter was written.

Three years ago, her son was threatened by a gunman while at school and her daughter was almost kidnapped while on campus. On both occasions, the children were saved by their friends.

While documenting her family’s collapse, the letter expresses anger at what she characterises as institutional and political indifference to her situation. She alleges that senior government figures were aware of her and her family’s plight but failed to intervene meaningfully.

The letter recounts verbal assurances that her case had been “resolved”, engagements with senior advocates and even meetings with ministers that ultimately came to nothing.

“I won at the CCMA,” she wrote, “but nothing in that award restores my life.”

Questions about instability

Throughout the correspondence, she raises questions about accountability in the higher education sector, asking how public universities under financial strain could justify spending millions on prolonged legal battles while staff and students suffer.

The letter stops short of calling for specific remedies but repeatedly asks the state the same question: who bears responsibility for the damage inflicted on families caught in institutional conflict?

Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya did not comment.

In a statement, Universities South Africa (USAf) said it has noted the recent developments at the Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) and UFH, where vice‑chancellors, professor Nokuthula Sibiya and professor Sakhela Buhlungu, respectively, were placed on precautionary suspension pending the outcome of disciplinary processes.

“The USAf Board believes that the mere existence of allegations and the application of disciplinary processes are not grounds for making unwarranted, defamatory statements that attack the persons and reputations of university executives.

“According to the Higher Education Act 101 of 1997, it is the duty of University Councils to govern universities. However, university councils must always act justly and fairly, with due regard to the principle that individuals are presumed innocent until proven otherwise. Disciplinary processes must therefore uphold the fairness espoused in South Africa’s Constitution and labour laws.”

Edwin Naidu heads Higher Education Media Services. This article was published on the University World News site.