I am writing in response to RW Johnson's article, "The rise and decline of ANC hegemony", which appeared on Politicsweb on 18 December 2011.
As readers may recall, Johnson infers that the ANC led an assault on universities, during which English-speaking universities "effectively became parastatals whose vice chancellors could not be appointed save with ANC assent".
The University of Cape Town rejects the notion that it ingratiates itself to the ruling party each time it appoints its vice-chancellors. Our vice-chancellors are appointed solely by Senate and Council and there is no ANC interference whatsoever.
Johnson adds that universities have "ceased to be reservoirs of critical thought. With no real exceptions they embraced the new ANC-friendly political correctness, with Wits setting a low point by giving William Makgoba its highest honour although as Deputy Vice Chancellor he had illegally purloined the personnel files of numerous senior faculty and used them to defame the faculty members in question. "This low point was matched by UCT bestowing a special leadership award on President Mbeki, making special mention of his Aids denialism in favourable terms. What these awards betokened was that the country's two leading English-speaking universities were willing to go to almost any lengths to ingratiate themselves with the new elite".
Johnson has his facts wrong. UCT did not award President Mbeki the inaugural Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Leadership in Africa in 2004 in order to curry favour with the ANC, nor did we make special mention of Mbeki's Aids denialism in favourable terms.
The former president received the award in recognition of the lifelong pioneering role he played in the struggle against apartheid and his inspiring example of disciplined study and hard work under challenging circumstances. Furthermore, he was honoured for his role as an international statesman and for winning the respect of international politicians and business people for South Africa on his visits abroad.
He was also commended for never shying away from addressing challenging issues around the disparity in trade and other relations between the developed and underdeveloped nations. He was recognised for his vision of an African Renaissance, and for ensuring that South Africa's stability was inextricably linked with that of the African continent.
Johnson's assertion that university Senates, the "best guarantee of academic freedom and academic standards", are being maligned is totally untrue in the case of UCT. Our senate still reigns supreme and is heavily involved in the running of the university, particularly the academic enterprise. In addition, two-thirds of UCT's 300-strong senate body is representation by professors and academics whilst the rest are representatives of students, support staff etc.
Johnson equates transformation with a collapse in standards, but this is not the case at UCT. The academic standard at UCT is monitored and scrutinised and we compete with some of the best universities in the world. Our students pass on merit and merit alone. No exceptions are made. Our students often go on to post graduate courses at leading international universities and do well. This is but one indication that standards are on par and Mr Johnson's allegation that that they have dropped because of transformation attempts are baseless.
Finally Johnson states about our former Vice-Chancellor, Dr Mamphele Ramphele that she had: "caused enormous damage when she was vice-chancellor of UCT."
It is hard to see what facts or evidence underpins this statement and we strongly reject this statement. Dr Ramphele is recognised as a person a great courage, integrity and vision. Her independent spirit, remarkable leadership, academic achievements and insistence on excellence speak for itself and made her a remarkable Vice-Chancellor. Her contribution to UCT was significant and is well recorded.
Gerda Kruger is University of Cape Town Executive Director: Communication and Marketing.
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