UCT crisis over Moshabela probe deepens as experts urge outside investigator
University of Cape Town’s latest leadership fight has spilled into court, and an education expert says the only way out now is an independent probe.
University of Cape Town’s latest leadership fight has spilled into court, and an education expert says the only way out now is an independent probe. Mary Metcalfe has urged higher education minister Buti Manamela to appoint an outside assessor to examine the stand-off between vice-chancellor Mosa Moshabela and the university council.
The row has sharpened into a legal battle over how UCT handled complaints against Moshabela. Court papers accuse the university of dropping procedural safeguards and subjecting him to a second investigation into a matter he says was never properly put to him.
Council freezes four resolutions
UCT’s council moved on Saturday to suspend implementation of four resolutions at the centre of Moshabela’s judicial review application, pending the Western Cape High Court’s final ruling. Those resolutions, adopted on May 30, deal with allegations about his conduct, executive coaching, an annual structured 360-degree evaluation and a further investigation into the Forest Hill incident.
Moshabela, appointed for a five-year term in May 2024, is asking the court to review and set aside the resolutions. In a 64-page affidavit, he says the investigation began as a complaints-based process approved by council but was gradually altered, leaving him without a fair chance to answer the allegations before decisions were taken.
UCT council chair Norman Arendse said the council had received and considered independent legal advice before acting. The university has not publicly detailed that advice in the material released so far.
A familiar governance headache
The dispute lands less than four years after UCT’s previous leadership turmoil, when former vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng left in March 2023 after agreeing to early retirement. For Africa’s top-ranked university, the renewed fight has again exposed tensions over oversight, process and the role of council in managing senior leadership.
Daily Maverick reported earlier this month that the current probe followed 34 complaints from staff and students about Moshabela’s conduct, ending with council deciding not to pursue disciplinary action while still recording “certain concerns” about his behaviour. The same account said council had also ordered a separate investigation into an incident involving entry into a female academic’s home without prior permission.
In 2026, that sequence has now reached the courts. And for Metcalfe, the answer is not another internal fix.
“Higher education minister Buti Manamela should appoint an independent assessor,” she said, arguing the dispute needs an external review rather than more institutional crossfire.
