The University of Cape Town (UCT) council has extended an ‘unreserved apology’ in writing to former senior executive Dr Russell Ally, who was forced to take early retirement during the tenure of deeply controversial vice-chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng.
In its letter to Ally, UCT also acknowledged its governance failure in the matter, noting that had the council at the time – in 2021 – fulfilled its governance duties as required, ‘the events that unfolded and emotional trauma to you and other executive staff who resigned or took early retirement could have been avoided’.
News24 reports that the apology from the UCT council follows the damning report of an independent panel, chaired by former Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Lex Mpati, into governance shortcomings at the university from 2018 to 2022.
The panel, which released its final report in October, found that Phakeng and the former council chair, Babalwa Ngonyama, breached the council’s code of conduct by engaging in disreputable conduct, including failing to act in good faith.
The 179-page report found that Phakeng ‘repeatedly conducted herself unprofessionally by engaging in activity that is prohibited in the UCT workplace, including using threats, intimidation, ethnic slurs, personal insults and also posting racially offensive material on social media’.
Phakeng, whom the UCT council placed on leave in February, subsequently left the university after reportedly agreeing to an exit settlement of R12 million.
In an email to Ally on December 23, UCT council chairperson Norman Arendse wrote: ‘We regret not acting sooner and we apologise unreservedly. Your principled actions should serve as a positive example for the UCT community.’
[Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/barbourians/5409559829]