In a Senate meeting on 30 September, allegations of mismanagement and misleading were made against UCT’s Council chair, Babalwa Ngonyama.
Concerns over good governance and the circumstances around the departure of senior administrator, Lis Lange, were raised.
Also read: UCT senior staff exit raises an alarm – is the VC to blame?
Investigations by the Daily Maverick (DM) revealed worries from UCT insiders that “the university is being brought to the brink of a governance crisis through the actions of Ngonyama and vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng”.
On Thursday night, the UCT Council gathered again. This time, to vote for a way forward.
Two options were proposed: launch an independent panel to investigate the governance allegations or, Phakeng and Ngonyama’s idea, investigate the UCT Senate for potential procedural irregularities over the senate meeting.
28 votes were cast and the consensus was split equally – 14/14.
Pheladi Gwangwa was responsible for the deciding vote: investigate “some concerning governance and procedural matters relating to the senate meeting on 30 September”.
After the meeting, Gwangwa offered a positive summary of the proceedings. Meanwhile, another member told the DM that “It was bad, and then it got worse”.
Read the full report and the Council’s statement rejecting Gwangwa’s memo here.
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Picture: UCT online