UCT VC apologies for her ‘agenda’ comments on allegations of rape by a student
She said the institution was working with all parties to get the full details of the alleged raped, including the Western Cape department of health.
“An appropriate response to unacceptable behaviour and related actions will remain a priority for the council and the university’s leadership,” she wrote.Ngonyama said she had engaged with Phakeng following her tweet and said the VC had reflected on the matter and had issued a public statement of apology:
Phakeng tweeted the apology letter on Wednesday morning and captioned it: “Here is my apology for the ‘agenda’ comment.” She tagged UCT and Ngonyama in her Twitter post. “Our students should never allow anyone to subject them to any abuse. The main purpose of this apology and withdrawal of my tweet is to make sure that our students have the courage to report such conduct, with the confidence that we will act,” she further wrote.
On Monday, in a statement, the South African Union of Students reacting to rape allegations on campuses called the way Phakeng responded to the Twitter post as “regrettable”.