Transformation of HE Leadership
Posted by Vicki Scholtz | 28 Nov, 2005
12 out of 28 members of Council are black. Assuming - and one cannot assume these things, safely - that all 12 black members voted in favour of a black VC, two further progressive votes were found among white members of Council. Which means, out of 16 white members of Council, fully 12% are prepared to consider the possibility of a black VC. I suppose after 11 years of a black president running the country, the idea has become sufficiently conceivable for two of these white members of Council - neither of which is the Chair.
On the other hand, perhaps the assumption of black Council members voting progressively is flawed. After all, the Matanzimas, the Buthelezis and the Mangopes were also at least superficially black. And, here at UCT, we had a black VC who brought about arguably the most reactionary intervention of all - the outsourcing of "non-core" services like cleaning, gardening and security.
The report is silent on whether the vote was between two candidates, one white and one black, or whether it was on the principle of a contract renewal for the incumbent white VC (thereby excluding the possibility of a black VC) and so perhaps one should be wary of reading too much into what is presented. But it does raise interesting questions around the transformation of senior leadership in the Higher Education sector in SA - a debate of much interest to us here too, particularly in the light of the fora concerned with these matters not yet having had sight of an employment equity plan for our own Senior Leadership Group.
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Posted by ... 10 Sep 2007, 19:44It is interesting that it comes down to how the white/black people voted. Maybe the white people votes for the black VC and some of the black people voted against... you hold that out as a possibility, I know.
Posted by Colourless 10 Sep 2007, 19:44transformation of what, to what?
Posted by ? 10 Sep 2007, 19:44"I can't see that they were an expression of extreme conservatism"
I can, but my lawyers have advised that this is best done offline.
Posted by the last trotskyist anarchist 10 Sep 2007, 19:44who are most militant, in any workplace? Those with the least to lose - the lowest paid workers. Militancy is not necessarily progressive, but it is seldom conservative.
Who are the most conservative? Those with the most to lose.
Who gets outsourced? The most vulnerable, who have least resources to fight. Who also happen to be the most militant.
Kneecap the unions, keep the workers docile and submissive, claim the political highground through skillful rhetoric with no one to challenge you. Happens everywhere.
Posted by quite sure 10 Sep 2007, 19:44The Rector at Stellenbosch has just been voted another term. Despite being too "verlig" for the Campus. Does that constitute transformation?
Posted by konfjoesd 10 Sep 2007, 19:44...
Posted by ... 10 Sep 2007, 19:44Die Stellenbosse Rektum gaan nou oorsee. Geld dit as transformasie?
Posted by kommapunt 10 Sep 2007, 19:44I always find it strange that we still ask questions concerning transfromation as though we have hardly heard of the word. We must be sufficiently dull to be so dogmatic! Remember the days of 'reform, reform, reform'? Now we have transfromation as a mantra.
Observing the dance between, on the one hand, ‘reform’, and ‘transform’ Steve Biko allowed for the following observation: "Blacks no longer seek to reform the system because so doing implies acceptance of the major points around which the system revolves. Blacks are out to transform the system and make of it what they wish."
And he did poay the supreme price, did he not?
Posted by sam 10 Sep 2007, 19:44huh?
Posted by o 10 Sep 2007, 19:44