More calls for calm have been made as tensions continue to brew at the University of Cape Town (UCT) amid a leadership crisis and accusations of racial tensions.
Three former presidents of the UCT Convocation appealed to the university leadership to “avoid the temptation of defensiveness and sweeping challenges under rugs at the cost of finding solutions”.
In a statement, Barney Pityana, Lorna Houston and Eddy Maloka have called for the university to use an upcoming meeting as “an opportunity” to calm the ongoing leadership troubles at the university.
The former presidents of UCT Convocation met virtually on Sunday to exchange views on the situation on campus, as per media reports.
According to the presser, the three met in their individual capacity, as UCT alumni, “out of concern and due to their commitment to UCT as their Alma Mater”.
They urged UCT to use the upcoming meeting convened by its chairperson “to calm down the situation, forge unity within Council and across the UCT community, sincerely seek a lasting solution, and launch a genuine and inclusive healing process”.
The university has made headlines after the Daily Maverick broke the story on leadership struggles within its council after the early departure of Deputy Vice-Chancellor Associate Professor Lis Lange.
Last week, the Chair of UCT’s Council, Babalwa Ngonyama, announced an internal investigation into governance concerns at the institution, including issues related to Lange’s departure.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng and Ngonyama have come under fire in the media following claims that they had misled the council about the departure of Lange. A letter written by Lange accused the two of misleading the council.
UCT issued a statement on Friday disputing several inaccuracies in a Daily Maverick report, which also listed the names of several staff with strong links to UCT but whom they denied had been approached for the report.
On Monday, the DA in Parliament said it had written to the chairperson of the parliamentary portfolio committee on higher education, Nompendulo Mkhatshwa, to ask that Phakeng and Ngonyama appear before Parliament to account for these issues that have been made public.
DA Shadow Minister Chantel King described the fallout as a “governance crisis”, saying they hoped the portfolio committee chair regarded this meeting as very crucial and urgently makes contact with the university to send through a report with documentary evidence on this matter.
Chancellor Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe will also step in to intervene.
In a separate statement, Moloi-Motsepe said she had been engaging with various internal and external stakeholders.
This was, she said, “to ensure that the respect and credibility that UCT enjoys globally, as an academic institution that upholds the highest standards of governance, transparency, ethics and accountability, is maintained and enhanced.”
The Black Academic Caucus accused the Senate of flouting its own governance procedures by “smuggling a letter” into a meeting, while normal protocol for such submissions to be submitted seven days earlier.
The letter was read out to the Senate by Professor Tom Moultrie, a breach of protocol, while Professor Sue Harrison, who was acting as chair, did not attempt to stop him.
Harrison was standing in for Phakeng as Acting Vice-Chancellor.
“There is a clear demonstration of anti-transformation and reform par excellence,” said the caucus, adding that they called for amendments in 2019 to bring the Senate in line with the Higher Education Act.
A complete explanation on what led to the tensions at UCT written by the Sunday Independent can be read here.
Education