Cape Town - The UCT council has been forced to schedule a special meeting following the resignation with immediate effect of chairperson Babalwa Ngonyama.
At the time of publication, the university could not say exactly when the council would meet.
UCT spokesperson Elijah Moholola would not comment on the resignation or Ngonyama’s resignation letter, but said: “The University of Cape Town council will schedule a special meeting to consider the matter of the chair of the council’s notice of resignation as reported in the media.”
Asked when the council would be meeting, Moholola said: “We cannot say when the meeting will be held.”
Ngonyama’s resignation came eight months after the council resolved that allegations of breach of governance by former vice-chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng and Ngonyama be probed by an independent panel.
Ngonyama said in her letter that she had decided to quit after having considered the impact of the current circumstances on her wellness and health.
With regard to the panel Ngonyama said in her letter: “I wish to also state, as I always have that I remain committed to the work of the panel, and I have always been unwavering in my willingness to appear before and co-operate fully with the panel.”
The panel, which began its work in February was established to investigate governance issues, including the resignations of staff at UCT.
The panel is chaired by former Supreme Court of Appeal Judge President Lex Mpati and the other members are retired Judge Azhar Cachalia, Dr Bernadette Johnson, and Dr Trish Hanekom.
In October 2022, Ngonyama and Phakeng were accused of misleading the university’s executive and senate about the reasons for the departure of the deputy vice-chancellor for teaching and learning, associate professor Lis Lange.
They allegedly claimed that Lange had resigned in March 2022, for personal reasons. However three months after she left, Lange said in a letter to the senate that she had been forced out.
There have been several other departures of long-standing senior executives, many of whom were reportedly obliged to sign non-disclosure agreements.