Africa-Press – South-Africa. The council of the University of Cape Town (UCT) has voted to appoint Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng for a second five-year term as vice-chancellor (VC).
UCT council chair Babalwa Ngonyama made the announcement on Thursday, stating that the university’s policy for reappointing an incumbent vice-chancellor required extensive consultation.
This process included its student representative council (SRC), staff bodies and organised labour, deans, and the executive directors.
“A key requirement of both the University of Cape Town Statute and the policy for reappointing a vice-chancellor is consultation with Senate. A special meeting was called for this purpose, and a resounding 78% of Senate members endorsed Professor Phakeng’s reappointment for a second term. The reappointment of our vice-chancellor is about looking ahead to the future of our university,” Ngonyama said.
According to UCT, 17% of senate members were not in favour of the reappointment and 5% abstained.
Ngonyama said Phakeng had already built strong foundations.
“She has recognised that the university’s international reputation and increased donor funding, while important, will not be enough. There needs to be a wider vision for financial sustainability in the face of ever-diminishing public funding,” Ngonyama said.
Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng appointed new UCT vice-chancellor
Phakeng said she came to UCT to serve not just the university, but South Africa and the continent.
“My personal mission has been to develop African leaders who can inspire their own communities and the wider world. I’m humbled by the support I have received over the last four years and am proud to continue in office until 2028,” Phakeng said.
In a statement on Thursday, UCT said Phakeng took office on 1 July 2018 when the university needed inspirational leadership to recover from the previous three years of upheaval when universities across South Africa, including UCT, were “facing overwhelming protest by movements such as #RhodesMustFall, #FeesMustFall, and #PatriarchyMustFall”.
The institution highlighted the following notable accomplishments of the leadership team under Phakeng:
A vice-chancellor is initially appointed for five years. According to the institution, there is no limit to the number of contract renewals, which are subject to performance assessments.
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