SowetanLIVE reports that the High Court in Pretoria has issued an order against the University of SA (Unisa) to pay its axed facilities manager R4.5m for prematurely ending his employment contract.

Pascal Mabelo was fired for allegedly absconding from work in June last year, just days after his September 2019 suspension was lifted. He however challenged the dismissal as he was fired while he did not have access to the campus. He also had not been given a work permit and his work laptop had not yet been handed over to him. Mabelo's expulsion with immediate effect was for what Unisa had termed failure to report to work for five days without explaining his absence. In March, arbitrator Faye Darby found that Unisa had failed to prove that Mabelo did not want to return to work and had repudiated his contract. Darby ruled that Mabelo be paid R4.5m with interest thereon at the rate of 7% per annum from 10 July 2020 to of date of final payment. The arbitration award was made an order of the High Court last week. Mabelo's lawyer Mabu Mawreshe, said they were in court earlier this month to force Unisa to pay Mabelo. “Unisa’s blatant refusal to comply with the arbitration award forced us to approach the high court in Pretoria to make the award an order of court in terms of the arbitration act. We are delighted about the outcome,” he indicated. Mawreshe said the award had now accumulated interest and the payment stood at more than R5m.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Isaac Mahlangu at SowetanLIVE

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