Clouds continue to gather over UCT vice-chancellor

Vice-Chancellor (VC) Mamokgethi Phakeng has been accused of bullying the University of Cape Town (UCT) staff, and of squashing an annual university ombud report outlining such complaints against her.

The university’s ombud, Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa, told Daily Maverick that she had received a flood of corroborating complaints after publishing her report online on Thursday.

“Since publishing the report on Thursday, I have been inundated with more complaints about the vice-chancellor’s leadership style,” she said. 

“It shows how sometimes people lose hope, sometimes people think ‘What’s the point of speaking out?’ But seeing the complaints made public, it gave more people courage to step forward.”

In the report, which covers the period from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019, she notes: 

“During this reporting period a number of work-related complaints came to me about professional interactions with the VC where people felt bullied, silenced, undermined, rebuked and/or treated unfairly. Their pain was visible. 

“Some affected bystanders also came to express fear and told me how they were impacted individually by different incidents. My usual approach is to be guided by the visitor on what they want to achieve by bringing the issue to my attention. Not one of those who brought these issues wanted me to approach the VC, as they feared retaliation.”

Makamandela-Mguqulwa said she made the report public in a bid to expose the truth, after the university’s executive had effectively muzzled her findings since March.

Makamandela-Mguqulwa said her concerns were two-fold: first, Phakeng’s leadership style, and second, how the university’s previous council, under chair Sipho Pityana, failed to act on her findings, which included complaints by 37 individuals against Phakeng.

These findings were originally scheduled for presentation before the university’s council on 14 March, but were taken off the agenda amid a flurry of e-mailed correspondence, including legal advice sought by Phakeng against Makamandela-Mguqulwa’s report in April.

In the emails, Phakeng passionately defends her reputation, questioning the tone of the ombud report, and accusing the ombud of acting outside of her mandate.

On Tuesday 14 July, Makamandela-Mguqulwa poured cold water on speculation that the complaints against Phakeng were a “white racist plot”, and that she was a member of a university faction with “knives out” for the VC.

“The original 37 complainants... they were a mixture of staff from different levels, of all different races,” she said. 

“There were academics and supporting staff too, and a few students. What they had in common was that none of them were keen for me to contact the vice-chancellor, to mediate. They were all so scared. ‘She is going to punish me. She would know,’ many of them kept on saying.

“I mean, why would I want to bring down the vice-chancellor? Why would I let myself be used by any race group? I cannot be manipulated, by any journalist, by any vice-chancellor, black or white, Phakeng or [former VC] Max Price. 

“I am clearly delivering on my mandate. When I assumed this position, I promised to challenge the highest powers, if need be. To hold a mirror to the institution: ‘This is what’s not quite working, please fix it.’ I cannot be forced to sweep the truth under a rug. How can I be party to knives being out? This narrative in itself, it is bullying. 

“I want everyone to stop and breathe, and to think about bullying. The very person who should be reflecting about her leadership style right now, is lashing out to discredit my report. I mean, my office is independent. If you have an issue with an ombud, you don’t go to lawyers. This is bullying.”

First appointed as ombud in 2011 by then council chair Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, Makamandela-Mguqulwa’s role was then described as “impartial dispute resolution practitioner”.  

Created as part of the university’s broader transformation initiative, her office is designed to be independent, and to report to the university council via its chair and deputy chair.

The university website further describes her position: 

“She is available to receive and attempt to resolve the individual complaints and grievances of members of the UCT community; and to recommend procedural changes within the university in response to experience acquired in dealing with individual cases.”

Makamandela-Mguqulwa said her concerns were two-fold: first, Phakeng’s leadership style, and second, how the university’s previous council, under chair Sipho Pityana, failed to act on her findings, which included complaints by 37 individuals against Phakeng.