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Sunday Independent reports that confusion reigned on Friday over the suspension of Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, University of Cape Town (UCT) vice-chancellor (VC).
In a new twist to a long leadership controversy, the university council reportedly offered to drop all claims against Phakeng if she agreed to early retirement – but she refused. Most major media outlets reported last week that Phakeng had been suspended or was about to be suspended. Asked late on Friday whether the VC had been suspended, chair of the council Babalwa Ngonyama said: “No, that’s not correct. She is not suspended.” Meanwhile, UCT was buffeted last week by student protests over fees and accommodation problems, prompting the university to shut down and move classes online. An agreement over Phakeng’s early retirement would halt an investigation into governance concerns that rocked UCT during much of 2022. Unbeknown to a four-member investigation panel – led by retired Supreme Court of Appeal president Lex Mpati – the council made overtures in a lawyers’ letter to Phakeng, offering her a retirement package. The VC had to accept the offer close of business on 14 February. But amid ongoing discussions, Phakeng, through her lawyer, told the university that the retirement offer should not depend on halting the probe. Her lawyers said: “Our client asserts that she remains willing to subject herself before the panel as she is yet to be provided with an opportunity to ventilate her case.”
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Edwin Naidu at Sunday Independent
- Read too, Chaos as ‘ugly power struggle’ rocks UCT, at Sunday Times (subscriber access only)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page