Prof Omphemetse Sibanda sent the e-mail on Wednesday; it was read into the record of the South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) inquiry into allegations of racism in the College of Law‚ in November last year.
He tells how his life was threatened in anonymous phone calls‚ told that his days were numbered if he did not step down, and was warned to guard his food and water against poisoning. Sibanda noted in the e-mail that the matter was urgent as the calls were threatening his "life and limb".
He says the first anonymous call came the previous day with a warning that "my living days are numbered and that I must step down as acting dean if I value my life".
"I am very concerned and fearful for my safety. More fearful because this threat comes on the back of an advice from one of my colleagues that I must never leave, in my office, any consumables open (including water) to avoid being poisoned."
Sibanda further states in the e-mail that he was so frightened he feared walking around the university’s main campus in Muckleneuk‚ Pretoria‚ and that he asked the protection services to install CCTV cameras at strategic positions on the 6th floor.
"I hope this request can be attended to, soonest. For the past 16 years I have been arriving at work around 6.20am just to do my job‚ but I am now fearful to walk the deserted passages of Cas van Vuuren [building] before 8am when everyone is around"
Unisa has called in the SAHRC to conduct an extensive inquiry into allegations of racism‚ sexism‚ harassment and unfair discrimination in the college. The commission‚ which kicked off its three-day public hearings at the university’s main campus in Pretoria on Tuesday‚ has received written submissions and will also hear oral submissions from current staff members, as well as former staff members and other interested parties.
The commission was asked to intervene in the racial tensions brewing in the faculty by the vice-chancellor Mandla Makhanya in December last year following a complaint from a staff member who raised an alarm over racism and harassment in the college.
Prof Melodie Labuschaigne formally complained to the university‚ alleging that her black colleagues were blocking her appointment as dean of the faculty because she was white. Black academics have since shot back‚ saying Unisa’s College of Law is a white [supremacist] and privileged stronghold‚ at the expense of black academics who were overlooked for promotion‚ transfers and academic appointments because they were black.

Source: Business Live