UCT leadership crisis ‘needs independent probe’: Metcalfe

Higher education minister Buti Manamela should appoint an independent assessor to investigate the stand-off between UCT vice-chancellor Mosa Moshabela and the university’s council, says education expert Mary Metcalfe.

The latest leadership crisis has escalated into a legal battle over how UCT’s governing structures investigated Moshabela, with court papers accusing the university of abandoning procedural safeguards and subjecting him to a second investigation into a matter he says was never put to him.

Moshabela, who was appointed UCT vice-chancellor for a five-year term in May 2024, argues in a 64-page affidavit before the Western Cape High Court that a complaints-based investigation approved by the university’s council was progressively altered, leaving him without the opportunity to respond to allegations before decisions concerning his conduct were taken.

His challenge comes against the backdrop of UCT’s previous leadership turmoil under former vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng, who left the university in March 2023 after agreeing to early retirement.

The council subsequently commissioned an independent investigation into governance at the university, with a panel chaired by retired judge Lex Mpati examining issues surrounding Phakeng’s tenure and the departure of senior university officials.

Moshabela’s case now raises fresh questions about council oversight, procedural safeguards and the handling of allegations against the institution’s most senior executive.

The investigators’ file, in other words, already contained a recorded account implicating me, obtained without the matter ever having been put to me—  Mosa Moshabela, UCT vice-chancellor

According to Moshabela’s affidavit, the investigation into his conduct was initially governed by a defined, complaints-based framework. He says it was later expanded to 34 complaints, but only one complaint was ever put to him during the investigation.

The court papers detail six resolutions adopted by the council at a special meeting on May 30.

One mandated the investigators and council leadership to engage confidentially with Moshabela over “certain concerns” about his behaviour identified in the investigators’ report.

Another directed him to undergo executive coaching and an annual structured evaluation, while similar measures were only ever “strongly encouraged” for other senior university leaders.

The resolutions also ordered further investigation into what became known as “the Forest Hill incident”. This second investigation lies at the heart of Moshabela’s court challenge.

He says the university’s attorneys had told his attorneys that his interview with investigators on April 9 would be recorded and transcribed by Inlexso transcription services. However, he says no transcription service provider attended either session and that the audio was instead captured informally on a cellphone operated by one of the university’s attorneys.

Then, just days later, the Forest Hill matter resurfaced. On June 2, the university’s attorneys wrote to Moshabela to set up an interview concerning an “incident at Forest Hill”, rather than a complaint.

According to the affidavit, the letter stated that the investigators had been mandated by the council at its May 30 special meeting to investigate the matter and that the incident had come to their attention during their initial investigation. It disclosed that Moshabela’s driver, campus security guard Grant De Monk, had already been interviewed and admitted entering the property following an instruction from Moshabela.

“The investigators’ file, in other words, already contained a recorded account implicating me, obtained without the matter ever having been put to me,” he says.

The Higher Education Act gives the minister of higher education and training discretionary powers to intervene in a university governance dispute … My view is that the minister must appoint an independent assessor in terms of the act—  Mary Metcalfe, education expert

In his account of the incident, Moshabela says that in November 2025 he was contacted by the mother of a staff member via WhatsApp. According to his affidavit, she told him that her daughter had not responded for an unusually long period and asked that someone check on her wellbeing.

Moshabela says he was out of town and instructed De Monk to go to the staff member’s Forest Hill residence and check on her. He and another official went to the residence and gained access using a master key. The staff member was safe and asleep in her bedroom after having been unwell, he says he was told.

Moshabela says he is not aware of any objection from the employee or her mother to what was done. On the contrary, her mother thanked him for the assistance. He says he has nevertheless never been told what he is alleged to have done in relation to the Forest Hill matter.

Moshabela says his court challenge is not an attempt to prevent UCT from investigating the Forest Hill matter altogether. Rather, he is challenging what he describes as an unlawfully constituted process. He is seeking to set aside four of the resolutions adopted by the council.

Metcalfe, a professor at the University of Johannesburg, told the Sunday Times it was difficult for an outsider to form an opinion because the council had not disclosed the substantive concerns behind its May 30 resolution, meaning its full reasoning was not publicly known.

She said the investigation into 34 complaints found no basis for disciplinary action against the vice-chancellor.

“The council is divided. There seem to be selective ‘leaks’ to the media,” she said.

“The Higher Education Act gives the minister of higher education and training discretionary powers to intervene in a university governance dispute. One of the conditions for him to do so is when circumstances ‘seriously undermine the effective functioning’ of the institution, and the council has failed to resolve them. My view is that the minister must appoint an independent assessor in terms of the act.”

Approached for comment, higher education and training spokesperson Matshepo Seedet said Manamela was concerned by the developments.

“The minister will be engaging the university council to request a comprehensive report on the matter. He will consider the report and take any appropriate steps based on the information provided,” she said.

UCT spokesperson Elijah Moholola said as the matter is before the courts, it would not be appropriate for either Moshabela or the university to comment.