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SOUTH AFRICA: Rights Work Hampered by Closure Threat

Kristin Palitza

DURBAN, Aug 27 2008 (IPS) - The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) last week lifted a funding ban on its Centre for Civil Society (CCS) after national and international intellectuals protested loudly against the leftist centre’s potential closure. Yet, the uncertainty of the past few weeks has already impacted negatively on CCS’ operations.

After UKZN management unexpectedly announced on 30 July that CCS would be permanently closed by the end of the year, CCS staff had to pour their time and energy into fighting the closure of the centre rather than focusing their efforts on fighting for civil rights, which is ultimately to the detriment of those who CCS’ work targets – the poor, the voiceless and the rightless.

For example, a CCS project against "economic apartheid" that demands affordable water services delivery for all South Africans was temporarily held back when funder Rosa Luxembourg Stiftung (RLS) hesitated to release monies while the future of the centre remained uncertain.

"Every funder that we talked to was very concerned that (the threat of closure) represents an attack on the ability of a productive academic unit to do its work without interference," says CCS director Patrick Bond.

"When a clampdown on academic freedom appears imminent, of course we have to drop our project work and mount a strong defence," he further explains. "That in turn sends signals of insecurity to funders, which in turn require a very strong motion of confidence. Luckily, that came last week in the faculty board's vote to retain CCS, by 33-1."

An earlier UKZN review in February also suggested strengthening the centre and giving it more autonomy – a recommendation ignored by university management until now.

The faculty board’s vote is not the final decision on the matter, however. A newly established sub-committee will make further recommendations on the centre’s future on September 12, followed by at least four other university committees. The final decision will only be reached by mid-November.

"It can be a byzantine maze working through the university," says Bond.

"We don’t know which way management will be going or if we are on a safe track, but we as CCS are planning to intensify and expand our work," added CCS honorary professor Dennis Brutus.

Already, CCS had to postpone several planning meetings for its project on water rights, so that staff could deal with the potential closure. The project is assisting poor communities to build up a legal defence against municipalities regarding insufficient and too costly water delivery.

"The threat of closure (of CCS) has done community groups a huge disservice already," says South Durban Community Environmental Alliance coordinator Desmond D’Sa, whose organisation has been cooperating with CCS on several civil society projects over the past few years.

"If the water rights project is put on hold, it will be a real problem for us because CCS offers an important conduit for education and for communities to understand issues."

The centre’s anti-xenophobia work on reintegrating refugees into communities in and around Durban also has been hampered, says Bond.

"For most of August we were not sure we’d have any funding to (arrange regular meetings to) get to some of the roots of xenophobia, such as service delivery failure, which is often ignored," he explains. "Our desire to work with communities on anti-xenophobia was thrown into question at a crucial moment."

Moreover, due to the temporary fundraising ban, CCS did not know if it could raise funds for six new community scholar positions, nor if it would be able to get the money to invite visiting scholars to the centre. Past visiting scholars have included academics from all over the world and particularly from other African countries.

"From March onwards, the university administration has failed to respond to a February UKZN review recommendation that we be given many more ‘honorary researcher’ positions," complains Bond. "We were also hoping to acquire a formal accreditation that would draw them into our formal research programme. That was also stalled unnecessarily."

Aside from having obstructed project work, the university’s attack on the centre and the resulting uncertainty about staff’s professional future – twelve black contract staff might lose their jobs, while only Bond, who is white, would retain his position within the School of Development Studies that currently hosts CCS – has caused much anxiety and diminished staff morale. "We were informed on July 30 that contracts of all staff except mine would be terminated," says Bond.

Although it now seems as if UKZN management is backing away from its earlier statements, saying a decision on closure of the CCS has not been made, the university’s public affairs department announced last week the future of the unit remained "under discussion". CCS staff will have to live with an unknown professional future until mid-November, when Senate will make a final decision on the matter.

One of the main reasons CCS staff does not trust the intentions of UKZN management is that CCS disputes the university’s argument that the long-term financial viability of the centre is not secure. "We have funding to operate for the next two years. There is no logic in the argument," says Bond.

CCS supporters believe the threat of closure was rather motivated by the fact that UKZN vice-chancellor, Professor Malegapuru Makgoba, objects to some of the centre’s projects. CCS has developed international recognition for its leftwing views, which is a thorn in the sides of the university management. "The centre's approach to knowledge production is that the research generated sometimes threatens the privileges of power," reckons Bond.

Well-known journalist Charlene Smith agrees that the potential closure has more to do with political pressure than funding. "There has long been a tense relationship between the centre and … Makgoba," she writes in a blog on the Mail & Guardian’s Thought Leader website.

Professor Robert Morrell, a lecturer at UKZN’s Faculty of Education, believes that the attack on CCS is "part of a much broader campaign to reshape the university" and "erode academic freedom".

Some academics believe the situation is fuelled by individual political career ambitions. "Makgoba is trying to send a signal to the ANC (South Africa’s ruling party) that he can control a left, which will help him with his political ambitions, such as becoming Minister of Education after the 2009 national elections," suggests a former UKZN researcher who did not want to be named.