Johannesburg - In the same week that the UCT lost it status to Wits as South Africa’s top university, shocking claims of racism and bullying have emerged against UCT postgraduate students’ female surgeons, including several of the country’s first black registrars within traditionally white surgical divisions stationed at the world-renowned Groote Schuur Hospital.
Despite desperate pleas for help from some of the most senior women on campus while UCT proudly celebrates Women’s Month, most of the students’ complaints were largely ignored.
One of the postgraduate students, a trained medical doctor, allegedly begged vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng for help but was given conditions before being fobbed off to controversial deputy vice-chancellor Sue Harrison, who allegedly laughed off the claims and dismissed the student as a joke.
University Ombud Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa was also asked for help but said she referred the matter to the faculty dean Lionel Green-Thompson because she had an understanding with the province over who presides on matters relating to provincial complaints so she was unable to probe.
“I am overseeing and awaiting reports on the matter,” she said.
But the university gave the postgraduate student the cold shoulder, according to Busobengwe Magadla, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) Ikapa South regional chairperson.
Magadla told Sunday Independent that he was particularly disappointed by Phakeng’s non-response when the student was subjected to most crass racism and bullying by white medical doctors, while women are being celebrated.
“She (Phakeng) needs to stop being a puppet and act,” he said.
“The postgraduate student has lost weight (and she) is in a fragile emotional state, and we don’t want to wait until it is too late before addressing the matter,” he said.
The student is employed in the division of surgery at Groote Schuur and the hospital is attached to the Faculty of Health Sciences, where Dean Professor Bongani Mayosi took his life on July 27, 2018.
Several women among the first black in their roles - including a neurosurgeon, a cardiothoracic surgeon, an ophthalmologist, an orthopaedic surgeon and urologist - are facing similar racism and discrimination issues and while some were afraid to speak out because of victimisation, two individuals said they received no joy from the hospital or university in addressing racism.
Magadla said that the country’s largest public sector union with 240 000 members would strive to exhaust all internal processes to resolve this matter before taking the matter to court.
He said the problems began on March 23 when, in breach of labour practices, her (student) salary was cut by one-third and she was delisted as a student following numerous arbitrary, sometimes petty, complaints from doctors at the hospital.
Magadla said there was a culture of fear on campus but in the case of the black surgeon registrar, the union was aware of the labour issues and a strategy to performance manage her out of her job.
“Infact, a professor told the student in the presence of the hospital’s human resources director that she was going to be fired and they must help manage the process,” he said. Black students alleged they were randomly tested and asked to take an examination that was meant for a 5th year student, which they refused, to which their professor threatened dismissal.
One doctor after another questioned her competency for the role, constantly writing notes to the hospital and the university complaining that she was not cut out for the job.
Sunday Independent received an anonymous tip-off from a white academic who said she was concerned that the first black surgeon registrar whose health has deteriorated - she has lost about 8kg - and was depressed, would consider ending her life due to the incessant racist behaviour and the lack of support from the university - just as in the Mayosi matter.
According to Magadla, the hospital does not have a proper evaluation mechanism in place - the student was monitored on a whim, ignored when she passed but picked on when her answers were wrong.
“The corridor talk is that she should not be there. I’ve heard people say that she should be a domestic worker or a housewife.
“This gross racism should be taken seriously by the university and hospital.
“They know what is happening but still refuse to take action and hold people to account for racism,” Magadla said.
He said it seemed as if they wanted to frustrate her so that she leaves.
“Yet since she joined, the supervision and mentorship has been zero but when there are mistakes they come down hard and adopt a united front against her.
“She did not receive assistance when requested before going into surgery or for training,” he said.
She was made to sign forms which she did with a proviso at the end that she does not agree with them, but those very documents were allegedly edited using tippex to remove the disclaimers she wrote.
“Furthermore, she was screamed at in front of colleagues and patients and treated without respect and sworn at using abusive language on several occasions.”
To rub salt into her wounds, when the student sought legal advice to fight the racism, discrimination and labour matters, she turned to Phakeng.
But the UCT head allegedly became threatening, saying that the student must address the issues alone without lawyers or representation - then only the university would listen.
Several questions were sent to the vice-chancellor about the case, including a request for clarity on how does the university celebrate predominantly white and coloured women while black women are being targeted throughout the university.
On its website, UCT’s virtual Women’s Day celebrating women has no black African academic, instead lauding research grant recipient’s Dr Katye Altieri, Professor Floretta Boonzaier and Professor Janet Hapgood.
In a statement the university said the matter involving the postgraduate student was under review.
“UCT takes seriously all allegations of racism and sexism. Racism and sexism are in conflict with UCT’s values and commitment to build an equitable society based on respect and compassion for each other,” the statement said.
Groote Schuur Hospital spokesperson Alaric Jacobs confirmed that employees have raised concerns directly with the university and the hospital has been advised that an investigating officer has been appointed to investigate the matter.
Chairperson of the Black Academic Caucus (BAC) at UCT, Nomusa Makhubu said while the matter had not been formally brought to the BAC it still has to understand the intricacies around the case but there was no doubt an urgent need to address what sounds like “a deplorable situation”.
Brightness Mangolothi, director of the Higher Education Resource Services South Africa, said workplace bullying was pervasive in higher education.
“Recent research shows that the black and minority ethnic groups are more prone to bullying,” she said, adding the racism challenges at UCT were well-documented.
Sunday Independent