MASERU — Unions at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT) want the director of academics, ’Mamolete Mohapi, who resigned last week reinstated with immediate effect.
The unions this week called on the university management to deem Mohapi’s resignation on September 12 null and void.
The highly respected Mohapi quit in a huff after she was reportedly demoted to a junior position in the students’ services department.
The Limkokwing University of Creative Technology Academic Staff Union (LUCTASU) and the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology Non-Academic Staff Union (LUNASU), say management should ignore the resignation letter and reinstate her with immediate effect.
The unions alleged Mohapi’s demotion to a junior post in the students’ services department was discriminatory.
“We are aware that Dr Mohapi is resigning because she can no longer stand the discrimination that is haunting the university within the management.
“We ask that she be reinstated to her position with immediate effect,” the unions said in their petition to the management.
The unions said if the university left Mohapi to go the institution would lose one of the few people who were pushing the university towards a brighter future.
“Dr Mohapi and Ntate Hoohlo (Moroka Hoohlo, the university’s registrar) are the only two managers that we believe in and they are unfortunately misunderstood while there are people who are hindering the development of the university,” the unions said.
LUCT corporate secretary, Tefo Macheli, yesterday told the Lesotho Times that management had received the petition.
“We accepted the petition and we are now communicating with the unions over their concerns,” he said.
The unions also requested the management to ask the institution’s headquarters in Malaysia to give them authority to make decisions locally.
“We have learned that our management in Lesotho does not have authority to make decisions. Most of the decisions made in Malaysia do not address our problems.
“They (Mohapi and Hoohlo) should be left alone to do their work. If managers can be given the opportunity to make decisions, that could help lessen incidents that lead to strikes here,” they said.
“We want the local management to harmoniously work together with the management in Malaysia to give the ones in Lesotho a chance to deal with all financial matters affecting Limkokwing Lesotho without any delays that lead to conflicts in campus,” they added.
“We have had enough of protests. Managing the local finance office from Malaysia causes delays in service delivery at Limkokwing Lesotho.”
The unions also complained that lecturers were overworked because the university is failing to attract more lecturers.
“It is now a norm that at the beginning of the semester there are not enough lecturers and we are asked to take over other classes.
“That becomes a burden when we do not get enough time to prepare and it compromises the quality of education,” they said.
“We have complained about this matter for so long but in vain.
“The university hesitates to hire lecturers to avoid human resource costs in order to make unjustifiable profits,” the unions said.
