By Yaseen Kippie

On Tuesday night, The University of Cape Town held its annual TB Davies Memorial Lecture, organised by the Academic Freedom Committee. Professor Mahmood Mamdani, previously employed at UCT, returned as the guest speaker after 16 years away.

He answered critics of his acceptance to speak at the memorial lecture, by saying that he was back because “Rhodes fell”, in line with the topic ‘Decolonising the Post-Colonial University.  While the talk provided an academic defence of decolonisation in outlining its theory and the historical context of the post-colonial university, the entire event was a representation of the current climate of the entire decolonisation project in South Africa.

Mamdani views decolonisation as reversing the colonial usage of the West as the reference point when comparing societies.

“If you regard yourselves as prisoners in this on-going colonising project, then your task has to be one of subverting that process from within. This must be done through a series of acts which sift through the historical legacy, and the contemporary reality, discarding some parts and adapting others to a new-found purpose. In short: decolonisation,” said Mamdani.

The evening started with calls from workers and student activists chanting “Panzi Max Price, Panzi!”calling for UCT Vice-Chancellor to resign. At the same time, as Professor Mamdani entered, chants in support of the guest was heard, “Hands off comrade Mamdani, hands off!”

Tensions arose between attendees when white students spoke between each other while protest songs were sung in Xhosa by students in support of FMF. One attendee rebuked them, shouting “If you can’t speak Xhosa, today will be the day that you will learn how to!”

A FMF student representative spoke to the audience about the inconsistencies of UCT’s management and its refusal to allow free education.

“Senior management at UCT were awarded bonuses of R2.85 million in 2016. This was up from R1.5 million in 2015. Bonuses were paid on top of salaries of R1.5-2.5 million. Some of these bonuses equate to the annual salary of five full-time workers (Pay Class 2) at UCT.  Eight members of Senior Management received large pay outs for “other services” that are not described. A retiring member of Senior Management received an accumulated leave pay out of over R1 million.”

Questions were raised by FMF members.

“How can it be ethical to pay outrageous bonuses in the midst of impending financial exclusion of students, when the resource needs of disabled persons are not prioritised, and when the demands of insourced workers are not being positively responded to because of ‘financial constraints’?”

It was very representative of the current relationship between the FMF movement and university management when UCT Vice-Chancellor Max Price responded to the prelude to the lecture by saying that UCT would publish a written response on its website.

Students were dissatisfied with Dr Price’s attitude throughout the event, especially after he refused to apologise to Mamdani for his ousting 16 years ago, due to curricula differences.

“It is not surprising that Dr Price will not apologise to you. We will wait for another 40 years as they did to AC Jordan. Max Price, you are morally bankrupt!” said student activist Chumani Maxwele.

The decolonisation project at UCT looks set to continue growing this year, with protests imminent.
UCT’s Jamie Plaza, known to student activists as Marikana Plaza, will be the meeting place for workers, students and supporters of the Fees Must Fall Movement on Tuesday 29 August at 1pm.