On October 30 2022, Sunday World published “Phakeng, Price are equally sectarian”, an opinion piece by Sandile Memela.
It was about the saga around the University of Cape Town’s then vice-chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng. Memela also made several references to the former vice-chancellor, Dr Max Price.
Sunday World retracts Memela’s allegations against Price.
We specifically acknowledge that Memela’s allegations that Price “twisted and turned governance processes to ensure that Prof Lis Lange got the job of deputy vice-chancellor: teaching and learning, simply because she was white and part of the old guard” are false.
In fact, the Western Cape High Court found in 2020 that “the university had considered all the issues and that the process and the appointment of Lis Lange, tested objectively, was rational and reasonable.”
There is no basis for the claim that Price was trying to “rule from the grave”. Price has indicated that in the four years since he retired as VC, he has not played any role at all in influencing the council or and decisions at UCT, nor has he made any comments on anything going on at UCT since his retirement.
Memela extensively criticised Price without checking the facts against court records or rebuttal articles.
Sunday World apologises for this breach of journalistic ethics and also apologises to Price for publishing the opinion piece that is prima facie defamatory.
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