UNIVERSITY CRISIS
UCT VC Phakeng denies sick-leave account, student assaults academic and Registrar resigns as campus instability continues
The governance crisis at the University of Cape Town continues to spiral, with Vice-Chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng and Council Chair Babalwa Ngonyama now at loggerheads over claims that Phakeng has been hospitalised due to stress. Separately, a senior UCT academic has reported being assaulted by a student at a UCT event.
“I write to inform you that the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, was admitted to hospital on Monday, 5 December,” University of Cape Town (UCT) Council Chair Babalwa Ngonyama announced in a statement to the UCT campus on Wednesday.
“Professor Phakeng is receiving medical attention and will be out of office while recuperating. Given the stress the Vice-Chancellor has been under, this time away from office will also serve to give her a bit of rest.”
Ngonyama stated that the UCT Council had been informed of Phakeng’s medical condition in a special meeting held on Tuesday night, with deputy vice-chancellor Elelwani Ramugondo to step into the VC’s shoes in an acting capacity in the interim.
“The university Council is united in stabilising the situation, and is concerned for Professor Phakeng’s health,” Ngonyama wrote.
But in a sign that the relationship between the VC and Council Chair has severely deteriorated, amid UCT’s spiralling governance crisis, Phakeng has denied Ngonyama’s account.
Vice-Chancellor says health announcement ‘not so true’
In an email sent by Phakeng to Ngonyama and a number of other top executives, seen by Daily Maverick, Phakeng has expressed “great concern” over Ngonyama’s public statement.
Calling Ngonyama’s version of events “not so true”, Phakeng wrote: “I do not think my mere hospital admission for just a day was necessary to unleash the series of urgent special meetings (executive, Council and Leadership Lekgotla) flouting governance prescripts with a singular agenda item [of] ‘VC’s health risk’”.
Phakeng said that as a result of the “violation of [her] constitutional right to privacy”, she had been inundated by concerned messages.
“Let me repeat that I am here in hospital for a series of tests and that as a precaution, was admitted whilst awaiting results,” the VC wrote.
“This is indeed a disturbing phenomenon that my rights appear to be very easy to be violated at every opportunity.”
Phakeng has asked for Ngonyama’s announcement to be retracted.
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Senior academic assaulted at UCT event
In a separate incident this week, a senior UCT academic has written to UCT authorities to report having been assaulted at a UCT seminar on Tuesday afternoon.
Politics and Sociology Professor Jeremy Seekings has claimed that student Chumani Maxwele twice “struck at [my] face”, knocking Seekings’ glasses to the floor, after accosting Seekings following a book launch at the Centre for Social Science Research.
In Seekings’ email, seen by Daily Maverick, he alleges that Maxwele originally used the discussion portion of the book event to launch an “aggressive tirade” focused on accusing Seekings and others of racism.
“I don’t know how we are supposed to respond when someone disrupts events in this way, launching into tirades that have little or no bearing on the subject of the academic event. Mr Maxwele intimidates most people into silence,” Seekings wrote.
Maxwele allegedly stayed at the event until most people had departed, following wine and snacks.
“When there were only four other people remaining, and I was beginning to tidy up, Mr Maxwele got into an altercation with me,” Seekings alleges.
“He struck at my face, forcefully knocking my glasses off my face onto the floor. After I retrieved my glasses, he again struck at me, again knocking my glasses off my face, damaging them. I did not retaliate. Fortunately, Prof [Lungisile] Ntsebeza — who was still there — persuaded Mr Maxwele to desist and to leave without further violence.”
Daily Maverick’s attempts to reach Maxwele on Thursday for comment were unsuccessful.
Maxwele famously threw faeces on the statute of Cecil John Rhodes on the UCT campus in 2015, birthing the Rhodes Must Fall movement. He has since been accused of assault on a number of different occasions.
Seekings concluded his email by posing a number of questions to UCT authorities, including: “What can or should the university do to protect its employees from this kind of aggressive disruption and/or violence, whilst at the same time allowing appropriate academic debate?”
UCT Registrar resigns
Among the executives to whom Seekings directed his email was UCT’s longstanding Registrar, Royston Pillay.
Daily Maverick understands, however, that Pillay has tendered his resignation after more than two decades at UCT. He will become the latest senior executive to leave UCT amid a stream of similar departures in recent years, as first reported by Daily Maverick in October.
The news of Pillay’s resignation shocked the UCT Council when members were informed last week.
The Council is still yet to resolve the details of an independent probe into potential misconduct on the part of Phakeng and Ngonyama.
Almost two months after the investigation was agreed on by a vote by the Council, the composition of the panel responsible for the probe has still yet to be announced. Although the panel was originally supposed to submit a detailed report to the Council by 31 December 2022, this deadline now looks to be extended well into 2023. DM
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Maxwele rose to prominence in February 2010 when he gave the middle finger to Zuma’s motorcade. He was described at the time as a UCT student.
Twelve years and ten months later, can’t they just give him a degree and tell him to bugger off?
No not a degree … they should give him a middle finger and tell him to bugger off!
Are the ANC now extending their wrecking ball behaviour into proud institutions like UCT? why was this Maxwele idiot not arrested and charged with assault?
There is no evidence whatever that the ANC is involved in any of the nonsense at UCT. Maxwele certainly isn’t affiliated; none of the other players have any overt ties to the party.
Because the era of total wokeness and appeasement had been adopted by the University!
Indeed!
Correction John : Once proud.
What does this mean: he has been accused of assault on different occasions meaning Mr Chumani Maxwele? Why hasn’t he been charged and certainly he should be expelled – what will a thug do with a degree? Paid for by taxpayers. Is he untouchable, and if so, why? It’s crazy to tolerate violence – and then we ask, why is SA so violent? Because it has been normalised!
If this thug is not expelled promptly…..?
So, if Mr Chumani Maxwele was a mischievous student in March 2015 and we are now at the end of 2022, what exactly has this professional student achieved in these 8 academic years? Has he been funded by the state (taxpayers) and what is he studying? Most degree courses are 3-4 years so perhaps if he had applied himself as diligently to his studies as he does to his bullying and disruptive activities, a space for a genuine student could have been provided. Perhaps UCT should ask why this circumstance exists. I am pretty certain there are more deserving people out there who would actually contribute to society far more than this Mr Chumani. Lay a charge at the police station Professor, this aggression by students towards staff members is not uncommon at UCT and needs to be addressed.
Absolutely agree – sounds like one like ego trip – please publish his marks! What s the bet they aren’t very good?
Possibly a mature student in the Mpofu School of Law?
Great comment!
It’s up to Seekings to file a charge of assault, if he really wants to waste his time; the “transformationists” at UCT are basically untouchable – thanks to Max Price from the getgo.
Would it be too far fetched to suggest that “something is (very?) rotten in the state of Denmark.” ? Could it be the sniff of misguided or reckless transformation ?
Oh, my. Phalaphala here, Phala Phala there, Phala Phala everywhere. Small wonder there’s global warming. You don’t arrest Phala Phala stirrers; you can’t even get close enough to hose them down. No, there’s only one solution for Phala Phala: put it on a boat to Russia as a gift for Putin.
During my time at UCT (1983 – 1988) no student ever assaulted a member of staff. Stuart Saunders would have had the student disciplined and reported hin to the police. What has VC Phakeng done to ensure staff are protected against violent assault?
Nothing, and neither did Price….
Sadly racism has finally shown it’s true face in the Academic world and this sort of behaviour, insubordination and hierarchy infighting is a direct result of racist BEE policies and an example of ANC led behaviour. ….until we face how dangerous these policies are and admit that they have had their day…South Africa can not advance as a fair and democratic country regaining some of its former reputation as a civilised powerhouse of Africa