Cape Times - A huge question mark is hanging over UCT’s decision-making process after the university failed to clarify who exactly endorsed the decision to board up the statue of Cecil John Rhodes.
UCT has denied boarding up the statue, saying it was done by the Two Oceans Marathon management, who hire the rugby fields for an annual marathon this Easter weekend. The statue, which has been a focal point of the Rhodes Must Fall (RMF) campaign at UCT, was boarded up on Saturday night.
RMF – a collective of students, workers and staff who aim to end “institutionalised racism and patriarchy” at UCT – has been calling for the statue to be removed from the campus. Over the past three weeks, UCT management has maintained that any decision taken needed to be ratified by the UCT Council.
After a Senate meeting on Friday, vice-chancellor Max Price said the Senate had voted in support of a proposal to remove the statue from the campus, and made a further amendment that the statue should be boarded up.
On Sunday, Student Representative Council chairman Ramabina Mahapa told the Cape Times the statue had been boarded up on Saturday night. Mahapa said the SRC had proposed that the statue be boarded up at the meeting on Friday, but was again told it could only be done pending a Council decision.
“The Two Oceans must have met with UCT to make that decision. This shows there is a grey area in UCT’s decisionmaking process,” he said.
Asked on Sunday if the decision to board up the statue was ratified by the Council, UCT spokeswoman Patricia Lucas replied: “The minutes from the Senate meeting may not be ready yet, or they may require signing off before they can be available.”
Pushed for clarity on Monday, Lucas said: “UCT confirms that the statue of Cecil Rhodes has been boarded up by the management of the Two Oceans Marathon.”
Lucas said the boarding would be dismantled after the marathon. Asked how the decision had initially happened, and if it was not common practice that any decisions be ratified by UCT’s Council, Lucas again avoided the question, saying: “UCT makes its facilities available to the organisers of the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon. The agreement allows them to install… whatever equipment they feel is necessary to run the event.”
Pressed about why nothing was said about Two Oceans boarding the statue up on Sunday, and if the decision was discussed between UCT and Two Oceans before taking action, Lucas replied: “As they utilise this area every year it was not out of the ordinary for them to take precautions to protect UCT property. We were alerted to the statue being boarded up by Properties and Services on Sunday.”
Two Oceans Marathon spokeswoman Leonie Mollentze confirmed that the statue had never been boarded up for the event in the past.
When the Cape Times contacted Two Oceans Marathon manager Carol Vosloo, it emerged that event managers had “assisted UCT” in boarding up the statue.
Vosloo said: “There was a suggestion that the statue be boarded up, following a motion by the university Senate to remove it… We were able to assist.”
Vosloo disputed Lucas’ statement that the boards would be removed. “The statue is expected to remain boarded up after the event while the Council comes to a decision.”
Both parties neglected to say on Tuesday whether there was an agreement between UCT and the Two Oceans Marathon management for the statue to be boarded up.
Cape Times