The University of Cape Town (UCT) Council has expressed its commitment to remedying past governance failures and to strengthening current structures through the compliance and enforcement of the Council code of conduct.

The Council met on Saturday to discuss the implementation plan of an independent panel investigation report, led by former Supreme Court of Appeal President Judge Lex Mpati.

Council chairperson Advocate Norman Arendse SC has placed emphasis on providing clarity to the oversight governance role of Council from an executive management function coupled with matters that fell within the ambit of the university’s Senate. The Council also reiterated that student governance through the Student Representative Council and the role of the Institutional Forum remained critical arms of institutional governance.

In strengthening the governance framework, a council subcommittee has suggested the introduction of induction processes for Council members, a review of Council performances and the alignment of functions to execute Council decisions without undue impediments.

The UCT Council has highlighted the inclusion of the human resources and remuneration committees towards the execution of Council decisions.

Further recommendations were made by the panel that were directed towards the reporting of wrongdoing by individuals to professional bodies, commencing with disciplinary procedures where university jurisdiction applied, reassigning the executive reporting line from Human Resources to the Vice-Chancellor and for the Council to offer a written apology (to be posted on the UCT website) to those who were wronged between 2018 and 2022, as referenced in the panel report. 

“We believe that this revised focus on governance will set the right tone for a future marked by accountability and transparency. The measures agreed to in the roadmap and framework will live beyond the term of the current Council and go a long way in ensuring that the failures as identified in the report of the panel do not happen again. Council is determined to ensure UCT moves forward and in doing so restore the university community and the public’s trust and confidence in us as a leading institution of higher learning,” said Arendse.