Ombud says her work at UCT is far from over
THE recently departed guardian of the moral conscience of UCT, fearless ombudsman Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa, has cleared out her office with a whimper than the acrimony which marked the past two years of her tenure.
She says, however, the lessons she learnt have ramifications for truth and freedom of expression on campuses way beyond UCT, to ensure that people have a solutions-driven outlet for their challenges without fear of repercussions – as at UCT.
Her decade at UCT ended on December 31 as the university conveniently ran down the clock on her term without addressing the bullying complaints against the vice-chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng in her 2019 Ombud report.
The university also muzzled the Ombud via a cooked-up disciplinary process lapse without addressing any of the frivolous charges put to her in September. She had been left hanging, so to speak.
Makamandela-Mguqulwa, however, believes the issues had been depicted unfairly as a clash between her and the vice-chancellor over the allegations by 37
