Professor Sue Harrison will be serving as the acting vice-chancellor for the University of Cape Town (UCT) while consultations concerning the appointment of an interim vice-chancellor is underway.
Babalwa Ngonyama, chair of UCT Council, confirmed Harrison’s temporary appointment in a statement dated Wednesday 1 March.
She said the arrangement would be effective while Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng is on leave until her last day in office on Friday 3 March.
Ngonyama said council would convene during the course of the week of 6 March to make a decision on the appointment of an interim vice-chancellor.
“We are following the process as prescribed by the UCT Statute. This requires that if the office of the vice-chancellor becomes vacant, council – after consulting the Senate and the Institutional Forum – must appoint an interim vice-chancellor to hold office until such time as a new vice-chancellor takes up appointment.”
Last month, News24 reported that Phakeng would take an early retirement package from UCT after the vice-chancellor and university council reached an exit settlement deal (“Embattled vice-chancellor Phakeng leaves UCT with R12m golden handshake,22 February).
It was reported that Phakeng would be paid more than R12 million as part of an early retirement package.
In October last year, the UCT council made the decision to establish an independent panel, headed by retired Supreme Court of Appeal President Judge Lex Mpati, to investigate complaints and a formal grievance against Phakeng.
At the time, Pheladi Gwangwa, deputy chair of the council, said that the investigation would focus on the circumstances related to the departure of a former UCT Deputy vice-chancellor: Teaching and Learning, Lis Lange, as well as matters related to executive relationships and resignations within and beyond the UCT executive management team.
Lange left the university in May last year.
At a UCT council meeting held a few months later, allegations surfaced that Phakeng and Ngonyama had lied about the true reasons for Lange’s departure.
In a “private an confidential” internal memorandum sent out on Friday 22 February, Ngonyama said that, in respect of the independent investigation panel, the council had resolved that the council would “review the current constitution and mandate of the panel in order to determine an appropriate form for the panel”.
“Which would enable it to consider and investigate issues of governance that have affected and are affecting the university – without specifically considering or investigating the conduct of the vice-chancellor,” Ngonyama said.
