XOLELA MANGCU,
CHUMANI MAXWELE AND ‘FALLISTS’, AND NOT UNVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN RACISTS, HAVE
BEEN UNMASKED
http://www.politicsweb.co.za/opinion/the-raceobsessives-destroying-uct?utm_source=Politicsweb+Daily+Headlines&utm_campaign=e7728e742d-DHN_8_Sept_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a86f25db99-e7728e742d-140202025
Unfortunately,
this letter did neither.
However, in a
much longer, unexpurgated Facebook post on the same day, Maxwele did reveal
names of people accused of racism by UCT Prof. Xolela Mangcu.
Mangcu’s
allegations stem from a dispute that began in January 2016 relating to
lecturing duties. Mangcu chronicles this
publicly in two of his weekly commentaries published by SI.
In his
‘fictional’ commentary “Different
times, same old Rhodes”, Mangcu identifies the primary racist as “Mary Rhodes”.
Her victim, is “Nkululeko” (= Mangcu). The dispute with “Rhodes” degenerated into a
department-wide “war of words” between
Mangcu, “Rhodes” and two other senior UCT academics outlined in part in widely
circulated e-mails to which Maxwele refers.
This culminated in “Rhodes” filing a formal
grievance against Mangcu, soon followed by counter-grievances by Mangcu against
‘”Rhodes” and the two other UCT academics.
On 4 September
2016, SI published a subsequent letter from Elijah Moholola (officially representing
UCT) that reveals “racist Rhodes” as UCT Prof. Nicoli Nattrass.
UCT’s letter
ends as follows:
“Fighting racism
is a noble act. Accusing individuals blindly
and publicly without evidence is not.”
UCT’s letter summarizes
the conclusions of a mutually agreed upon (by Mangcu and Nattrass) “stage 3”
UCT grievance procedure relating to Mangcu’s grievances against Nattrass and
the two other UCT academics. The
adjudicator nominated by UCT Vice Chancellor, Dr Max Price, was Deputy
Vice-Chancellor Danie Visser, an eminent professor of law and a “leading
internationally researcher” (“A” –rated by South Africa’s National Research
Foundation) in that discipline.
In short, Visser
ruled that all of Mangcu’s racism-related allegations were “defamatory and
unsubstantiated” and Mangcu should “publicly retract” them. So, no racists unmasked as yet.
Inter
alia, Mr Maxwele’s letter
makes other incorrect and/or defamatory statements. With one exception, I will not attempt to
defend those which defame me personally.
He and those who may tend to agree with him are referred to my
testimonial http://www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za/news/prof-tim-crowe-retires-31-december-2013-after-40-years-fitzpatrick-institute. To find out more
about my views on racism, consult some of my public intellectual publications
in:
The Conversation http://theconversation.com/how-science-has-been-abused-through-the-ages-to-promote-racism-50629
Politicsweb http://www.politicsweb.co.za/opinion/ditching-jammie
http://www.politicsweb.co.za/opinion/uct-the-flemming-rose-affair-reconsidered?utm_source=Politicsweb+Daily+Headlines&utm_campaign=dfdb2d4fbf-DHN_11_Aug_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a86f25db99-dfdb2d4fbf-140202025,
UCT In the News – debates section (when
it’s available)
and the Sunday Independent http://www.iol.co.za/sundayindependent/lets-ask-the-hard-questions-and-rebuild-uct-together-2054311
The exception is
Maxwele’s statement that, since I am “retired”, I am “no longer aware of what
is happening at UCT”
.
Mr Maxwele is
correct on the first score. He is not on
the second, which is blatant ageism. If
he had kept up with his reading of the Cape
Times (a newspaper in which he features prominently), he might have read my
piece “Proposals for quality university education” published on 28 October
2015.
Now to Maxwele’s
other incorrect and defamatory questions/statements.
“Can a white [UCT] administration judge
against a white professor?”
My personal assessment of the current administration
(which includes ‘blacks’), given the UCT Executive’s repeated lenient treatment
of Maxwele and other ‘fallists’, is most definitely: “No”. I
would have not been surprised if the DVC who adjudicated the “Mangcu Grievance Affair”
had ruled in his favour. My guess is
that Prof. Visser, being the law-abiding man he is (and about to enter
retirement), acted objectively on evidence instead of political correctness or
what Dr Price calls “contextualization”.
Just wonder might have happened to Maxwele et al. if Dr Mamphele Ramphele were still VC, given her well-known views
on student discipline and mistreatment of women?
“Professor Sakela Buhlungu [Dean of
Humanities] has been subject to racism too.”
This refers to events at a meeting of the UCT Board of the
Faculty of Humanities held in September 2015. http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2016-07-13-fanon-meets-biko-meets-jm-coetzee-as-uct-academic-row-over-food-highlights-racial-fault-lines/#.V8x8w2fr3IU
They relate to a proposal by Professor David Benatar, head of the
Department of Philosophy, and several other colleagues suggesting that, on
ethical grounds, no meat or animal products be served at any Faculty event or
meeting.
Mangcu and Adam Haupt
(Associate Professor Media Studies) condemned this proposal as “an ad hominem
attack on the Dean, on his authority as chair of the Board and the authority of
his office as Dean.” Those in favour of
the proposal were thereafter prevented from replying and, in protest, left the
room. So, still no more racists
unmasked.
“The [RMF] movement is a political project
that seeks to confront white power using radical political approaches.”
At last, Maxwele “unmasks” something! If the various “movements” are “political
projects”, please identify their party affiliations and political positions. Their modus
operandi is indeed “confrontation”.
Maxwele and ‘co-activists’ (reinforced by Mangcu? http://www.iol.co.za/sundayindependent/so-many-stories-so-much-neglect-2036141) have long-since abandoned the processes
of non-intimidatory, rational
debate/dialogue and consensus-seeking.
http://www.groundup.org.za/article/rhodes-and-politics-pain_2796/ Given the actions of Maxwele et al. to date and their
consequences: intimidation, destruction and arson, the goal of their “radical
political approaches” appears to be not replacing an oppressive colonial cultural
hegemony (sensu Gramsci) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Gramsci with an enlightened, organic
intellectual-driven Afrocentric alternative. The goal appears to be the destruction
of UCT by the Movements’ ‘organic-intellectual’ perpetrators: a leaderless,
intellectually bankrupt, non-democratic minority of educationally misguided
humanity. By the way, hasn’t Mr Maxwele
been ejected
from the Rhodes Must Fall movement (for allegedly assaulting women) as stated
by well-known member Mohammed Abdulla? http://www.iol.co.za/capetimes/rmf-movement-dumps-activist-maxwele-2006149
The ‘Fallist’s’ Gramscian 'war of manoeuvre'
(direct revolution) was further implemented at a recent panel discussion held
the University of the Western Cape.
Rather than participate in a constructive discussion about how South
African universities can be transformed,
http://www.iol.co.za/sundayindependent/students-shouted-me-down-2027581
‘fallists’ attacked Mangcu, describing him as a “typically
self-indulgent” “Uthengiwe
lo” (sellout) when he tried to persuade them to allow speakers to
present their views without interruption/intimidation. http://www.thedailyvox.co.za/uwc-students-response-xolela-mangcu/
To close,
the tactics of the wholesale or situational branding of opponents as racists in
the absence of evidence might have had some application at some South African
universities 25 years ago. It never had
any such application during my 40-year association with the University of Cape
Town and, to use it now, is professionally disgraceful. The facts that the current UCT Executive
refuses to deal with it quickly and decisively and many (most?) of my ‘extant’ academic
colleagues quietly tolerate it is shameful.
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