University of Cape Town council chairperson steps down

University of Cape Town (UCT) Council Chairperson Babalwa Ngonyama resigned on Monday 22 May, blaming a lack of fairness in the independent panel appointed by the council in 2022 to “look into governance-related issues at the university”, writes Philani Nombembe for Times Live.

Her resignation comes a few months after UCT’s former vice-chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng opted to “retire early” from her position amid a clash with the council. Ngonyama said she had approached the high court in Cape Town to determine the panel’s fairness.

Ngonyama said the panel had not given her the statements she required to respond to allegations against her. “As part of the panel’s ongoing work, I was invited and informed there were allegations made against me by some individuals who had appeared before the panel. It is one thing to focus on improving governance at UCT; it is a completely different matter to use the process in an attempt to lay blame,” she wrote.
Full report on the Times Live site