Vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town (UCT), Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, was the subject of furore on social media following her tweet about her former colleague, Professor Bongani Mayosi.
Here’s the tweet that landed UCT VC Phakeng in hot water
Phakeng was the target of harsh criticism after she likened her mental health battles to Mayosi, who, in 2018, succumbed to depression and took his own life. In a tweet that’s since been deleted, UCT’s vice-chancellor, responding to a vote of support from one of her near-300 000 followers, revealed she “almost went the Mayosi route in 2020.”
“…thank God for my psychiatric treatment, which I am still on. I am stronger now,” she tweeted.
Phakeng’s tweet response was in reference to UCT’s ongoing investigation into her conduct. As reported by The Daily Maverick, Phakeng and council chairperson Babalwa Ngonyama are being probed over the tertiary’s governance crisis.
Following two tumultuous weeks that drove a wedge in UCT’s senior leadership, a council meeting held on Saturday, 15 October 2022, resulted in a 17-7 vote for the investigation to be carried out by an independent panel, the possible outcome of which may end in Phakeng losing her job.
Bongani Mayosi sister blasts Phakeng in scathing open letter
But, on social media, these were the least of her worries since the sister of Professor Mayosi, Advocate Ncumisa, chimed in with a scathing open letter criticising the UCT vice-chancellor for using Bongani’s name for clout.
“You do this for your own gratuitous reasons, using my brother’s name flippantly to add flavour to a narrative that concerns you and only you with no regard of my late brother and his legacy or for that matter what may be your very own followers’ mental health concerns and status, and certainly with no consideration for or permission from my late brother’s family.
“Your references to my brother in this manner are opportunistic and self-serving. You have no right to refer to his name for this end. It is immoral, unethical and quite simply hurtful for you to do so,” Advocate Ncumisa wrote.
Here is the full open letter:
Watch: UCT vice-chancellor responds to social media backlash
In response to the events of the past couple of days, Phakeng appeared in a video addressing her followers.
Set against the backdrop of Cape Town’s picturesque flora and mountain, Phakeng thanked her supporters for backing her despite the ongoing controversies in her professional and personal life.
“In times like this, it is those messages that keep me alive, even in times when I feel I wish I didn’t wake up. It is tough on the top but one can do it with support and I really appreciate it,” she said.