University of Cape Town Council Chairperson Norman Arendse announced on October 19 that he will step aside from deliberations on Vice-Chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela's High Court review application, but a former UCT employee is demanding he withdraw from a separate matter that touches him directly.
Wilna Venter, a former UCT staff member, has asked Arendse to recuse himself from all decisions concerning her formal complaint against him. She wants an independent investigator, free of Council and the university, to examine how her name became attached to a misconduct complaint against Moshabela that she says she never submitted. According to IOL, Venter submitted her correspondence on October 8 under the institution's Council Code of Conduct.
What Wilna Venter is demanding
Venter's complaint is precise and procedural. She has asked that Arendse withdraw from every discussion and decision relating to her complaint, with the deputy chairperson overseeing the process instead. She also wants an investigator appointed who is independent of both Council and the university to establish how her identity became linked to the original allegations against Moshabela.
Her latest letter follows correspondence submitted in September, in which she sought a copy of the complaint allegedly made in her name and an investigation into how it was attributed to her. The Registrar reportedly confirmed that her correspondence would be forwarded to Council, but Venter says she has received neither a substantive response nor the complaint itself.
A source told IOL that Venter wants clarity on three points: what information was available to Council, where it originated, and whether the handling of her concerns complied with the university's Code of Conduct. She has given the university two weeks to confirm the proposed investigation process in writing.
Arendse steps aside, but only from one battle
Arendse's announcement concerns a different front in the widening conflict at UCT. An independent arbitration determination dated October 16, by Advocate Bawa SC, found that he had no conflict of interest requiring his recusal from Council matters involving Moshabela's High Court review application. News24 reported that the dispute has escalated even after that finding, and