Mamokgethi Phakeng on keeping the faith and fighting to the bitter end

UCT vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng, at the centre of the university’s latest crisis, has no intention of quitting without a fight

27 November 2022 - 00:00 By Bongani Madondo

An orange  Suzuki Jimny, one of more than a million  I’ve spotted in  Cape Town, gently swerves to a  stop  on the University of Cape Town (UCT) lower campus.  Out steps a woman who is no  taller than a broom. She’s  in a navy bell-skirt, sleeveless white and navy striped top, flat pumps and a matching navy wristband. She  greets me in  SeTswana before opening the gate  to Glenara, official residence of the vice-chancellor. I  steal a look at the words tattooed on  her  upper arms: “Believe” and “Forgiven”...

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