UCT SRC Wants Council and VC Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng Investigated for Leadership Misconduct

• The University of Cape Town Student Representative Council (SRC) is intensifying its calls for an investigation
• The calls come amid the appointment of an external panel that will investigate misconduct claims
• The panel will also investigate matters related to executive relationships and resignations at the university

CAPE TOWN - The University of Cape Town Student Representative Council (SRC) calls for the institute’s ombudsman to investigate the council and vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng.

The growing calls for the investigation come amid claims of leadership misconduct that an external panel will probe. The panel plans to determine the circumstances surrounding Phakeng for the departure of teaching and learning Professor Liz Lange in March.

Acting vice-president of the UCT SRC, Siya Plaatjie, told EWN that the investigation should not be isolated to one person.

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Council chair, Babalwa Ngonyama, is alleged to have ignored numerous calls to discuss the resignation of Lange and several other senior staff. The panel will also investigate matters related to executive relationships and resignations within and beyond the UCT executive management team.

Council member Shuaib Manjra stated in a letter that the chair assumed the “gatekeeper” role and is feeding selective information to council members and withholding crucial information.

According to the Daily Maverick, the letter claims that Ngonyama deliberately delayed correspondence with the council to “frustrate and filibuster” the processes.

Citizens react to the drama:

@makhanip said:

“Prof Phakeng is under siege from the Anti transformation cabal. Some just believe that UCT must always be headed by a male person of European Ancestry. The accusations are also wishy-washy.”

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@MbaliNzimande12 commented:

“There is nothing to stand with Prof Phakeng here. Whether she stays or leave is meaningless. She has failed to transform that institution.”

UCT governance issues intensify, Union sends lawyer’s letter claiming council sitting was unlawful

In a related matter, Briefly News also reported the Academics Union of the University of Cape Town (UCT) has declared the special council sitting held last week unlawful. Several important decisions were made during the session, including an investigation into the conduct of the UCT’s vice-chancellor, Mamokgethi Phakeng.

The union sent a lawyer’s letter to the chairperson of the university council and said there were several reasons why the sitting was unlawful.

The letter stated there was a conflict of interest and bias on the part of the council chair, vice-chancellor, and deputy chair of the council as well as the unlawfulness, irrationality, and unreasonableness of its decision.

Source: Briefly News