Governance
Supporting and preserving value
COUNCIL STATEMENT ON GOVERNANCE
“The NWU is committed to the principles of discipline, transparency, independence, accountability, responsibility, fairness and social responsibility, as advocated in the King IV Report.
Accordingly, Council endorses the Code of Practices and Conduct and the Code of Ethical Behaviour and Practice as set out in King IV, and has applied these in a rigorous way during the period under review. In supporting these codes, Council recognises the need to conduct the business of the NWU with integrity and in accordance with generally accepted good practices.
The monitoring of the NWU’s compliance with these codes forms part of the mandate of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee.
A distinct difference exists in the roles and responsibilities of the chairperson of Council and that of the vice-chancellor.”
Statement approval obtained from the NWU Council on 23 June 2022.
The role and function of Council and its committees
As the overall custodian of good corporate governance, the NWU Council takes its oversight and guidance role seriously.
We carry out this responsibility by setting strategy, ensuring proper governance, driving compliance and risk management and monitoring the material activities of the university. The intention is to provide a sound foundation for the creation of value, long-term growth and sustainability.
We act in strict accordance with the stipulations of the Higher Education Act and the NWU Statute, which was reviewed and published on 8 May 2020.
For the period under review, under Council’s leadership the NWU continued to adhere to high governance standards while creating a value-driven governance landscape.
The composition of our Council is in accordance with the guidelines provided by the Higher Education Act and the university’s Statute.
Of the 30 Council members, 60% are external and 40% internal, ensuring independence in the governance environment.
| Council members externally elected or designated | Council members internally elected or designated | ||
| Ministerial appointees | 5 | Management: vice-chancellor and vice-principal | 2 |
| Donors | 3 | Senate | 3 |
| Convocation | 4 | Academic staff | 2 |
| Community leaders | 3 | Support staff | 2 |
| Specific expertise | 3 | Student Representative Council | 3 |
| Total | 18 | 12 | |
The following new members joined the Council during the year under review:
– elected by the academic staff
– appointed by the Minister of Education
- appointed by Council for specific expertise
- designated by the SRC
- elected by the academic staff
– elected by the Convocation
– designated by the SRC
- designated by the SRC
The following members re-joined the Council for subsequent terms:
– elected by Senate (second term)
– appointed by the Minister of Education (second term)
– elected by the Board of Donors (third term)
Council training
Induction programme
On 18 March 2021, Council approved a revised induction programme for newly appointed Council members, along with an ongoing capacity-building programme for members of Council and Council committees.
Council workshop
All Council members attended a workshop on 17 March 2021.The workshop covered these three topics:
- The NWU during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Recommendations from the external peer review panel of Council and in the internal self-evaluation report, and the implementation of these.
- Ethics opportunity and risk assessment.
Click here to read more about the revised induction programme and the Council workshop.
Code of Conduct and declarations of interest
All Council members are required to adhere to a Council Code of Conduct, which is revised as and when needed, most recently in March 2018. At the beginning of 2021, the members of Council pledged their commitment to the Code by taking part in the annual signing process.
All new Council members are also required to sign the Code of Conduct at the time of their appointment.
The Higher Education Act prescribes annual declarations of directorships and interests by members of Council and Council committees. We consider this requirement to be of the utmost importance to ensure integrity in our behaviour at governance level.
Council Exco also scrutinises the transactions between the NWU and companies in which council and Council committee members held a direct or indirect interest.
At the November meeting of Council, it was noted that the registrar had contacted members who defaulted on their declaration of interest obligations, requesting them to check and update the information on their declarations.
Highlighting the importance of declarations of interest by Council and Council committee members, Council noted on 17 June 2021 that sanctions would be imposed on members who did not comply with the legal requirements for declarations of interest.
During 2021, Exco also continued with the practice of regularly noting and discussing all declarations made by members of the UMC and referring any inquiries to the vice-chancellor.
