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Mamokgethi Phakeng has shaken the edifice(s) of white social certification 

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Ismail Lagardien is a writer, columnist and political economist with extensive exposure and experience in global political economic affairs. He was educated at the London School of Economics, and holds a PhD in International Political Economy.

There were people who did not want Mamokgethi Phakeng to be appointed as University of Cape Town Vice-Chancellor, and they have not stopped their resistance. Her appointment violated the sacred edifice of social certification — that which gave whites licence to dominate — and soiled the souls of dead white men who turn in their graves at the sight of a smart, intelligent, outspoken and courageous black woman as vice-chancellor.

A special council meeting of the University of Cape Town held on 24 April 2020, reportedly deliberated a “damning report” on the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng. The report alleged that the vice-chancellor had a “problematic and divisive leadership” which was, now, at “the centre of a raging controversy” at the institution. 

This development is stunning, though not surprising. South Africa has entered a dangerous phase of politics. A politics of emboldenment, the circling of wagons, and a “fight back” based on spurious claims of bullying, and gripes that are, at their base, about white people (not all), realising that they are no longer in power. There is, also, a growing unrest among millions of young people that white people, from the cricketing establishment to landowners, have been given a free pass — and that they have contributed little or nothing to reconciliation and social cohesion.

With respect to UCT, once (along with the likes of Wits, Stellenbosch and Pretoria) the citadels of white intellectual power, including (especially) the power of certification (do as we expect of you and we will give you a certificate), Professor Phakeng was a threat worse than death.

To everyone else, it has been clear that Professor Phakeng is an independent, intelligent, sometimes irreverent and always an authentic black woman who achieved the highest of accolades in her academic passage.

Some people have never been able to deal with Phakeng’s appointment as vice-chancellor. She threatened the edifice(s) that provided the social certification of academic qualifications to generations of white women and men. As soon as she was appointed, vituperation exploded all over social media about her “weakness”, about “affirmative action” and charges that she was a “lightweight”. When she wore a colourful dress, it was decried as conduct unbecoming. When she dared step on a plane, she was placed under a microscope. 

Some lessons from the past

Let me take two steps back, first to early 2016. I had just been appointed as the first black Dean of Business and Economics Sciences at one of the country’s big universities. Very early in my tenure, I learnt about things that I am legally prohibited to write about. It’s a great institution.

Within a month of my appointment, I called someone, a prominent and respectable South African. I shared some of my observations and asked him for advice on a range of things. At the end of our conversation, he left me with the following advice: “And, make sure you have a good lawyer.”

Now let me take a step further back. Once, a long time ago, I recused myself from a meeting. It was a meeting of five men — three were white, one was Asian, and me, a South African pavement special. We had gathered to discuss the appointment of a woman to an exceptionally influential position in global public policy-making. The woman was Asian. She was appointed to lead a team and complete the institution’s flagship product… We were five men discussing the future of a highly qualified, professional, progressive and tough woman.

I felt uncomfortable from the minute I sat down, but kept my lefty views in check… I also have a habit of saying things that are meant to be whispered, and of using expletives — which does not endear me to some people. The first speaker said the woman only got the appointment because she slept with the boss. Another speaker said she was unqualified (although she had a PhD in economics, and had been in the institution for about a decade), she was incompetent, a lightweight, a “flake”, and would not be able to handle the enormous pressure that came with the job. That was when I lost it.

“Why is it that whenever a woman reaches the top of her profession, we say that she slept with the boss. And, if this was a man we were discussing, and he was a lightweight and incompetent, we would build support structures [human and material], around him, to ensure that he was successful, and that the institute’s flagship product was as brilliant as all of those that came before it — each year.” As in my position referred to above, I used words like “fuck” and “shit” — I left the meeting, but as the previous case, I was marked for standing up for women and using expletives. Let’s fast forward to a few years later.

Phakeng is a threat to the edifice(s) of social certification

Over the past couple of weeks, there have been “concerns” about Professor Phakeng. These “concerns” came to light in the 10 June 2020 final recommendations to the university council by the outgoing chair, Sipho Pityana who had, before her appointment, pointed out to the selection committee, the Senate, as well as the council that Professor Phakeng had “leadership and personality shortcomings”. In spite of this, Pityana said, Professor Phakeng had stood out “head and shoulders above her competitors… It was the view of the selection committee that with the necessary support she should be able to overcome these and serve the university with distinction,” Pityana wrote.

Right there it was “with the necessary support”… Recall, that when I protested, two decades ago, against resistance to the appointment of the woman to a senior post, I specifically said that if a man was appointed, and he had “leadership and personality shortcomings,” we would build support structures around him — to make sure he succeeded.

But the problem for Phakeng runs deeper. Consider the following as hypothetical, and even apocryphal, if you will. It’s the way it always starts… One or two people are dissatisfied, from the start, with the appointment of the vice-chancellor — at least one of whom imagined they should have gotten the job, but were overlooked because they were white. Perhaps the vice-chancellor asked questions about possible unethical conduct and cronyism among “the old guard” (white people). And something like (for example), why is all outsourcing of say, catering, going to the same people who have links to the old guard? 

This old guard then gather black people to legitimise their claims against the vice-chancellor. It might also be that the vice-chancellor started questioning how some of the “old guard” have been able to hold on to positions for decades, without mentoring or making sure there were black persons to succeed them. That is when they accuse the vice-chancellor of bullying white people, and at worst, stories are made up and spread inside and outside the university that the vice-chancellor does not like white people, that she is unqualified to hold the post… It’s all so familiar. 

There were people who did not want Phakeng to be appointed as vice-chancellor, and they have not stopped their resistance. It violated the sacred edifice of certification — that which gave whites licence to dominate — and soiled the souls of dead white men who turn in their graves at the sight of a smart, intelligent, outspoken — slightly crazy, in a good way — and courageous black woman as vice-chancellor. We should not be surprised if the old guard does not rope in pliant black administrators and academics — it has always been a tactic of the powerful. 

When I resigned from my old position I did have a good lawyer, but I did not have the money for a long court case that would have taken down two black executives who emboldened the old guard, who poisoned the community and the city with the claim that I hated whites and bullied them. I trust Professor Phakeng has a good lawyer. This could get messy. DM

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