Page 58 - Transformation Indaba Report

everyday practice for individual staff members. Translating un-implementable due to poorly articulated indicators, and
institutional commitments into everyday practice is her chief a lack of shared understanding. The new framework tries to
focus area. Claire’s work also involves developing new transfor- address some of these problems.
mation policies that will better enable a Transformation Plan.
She explained how accountability can be difficult when key Building on UCT’s benchmarking, SU is trying to work towards
strategic priorities lack clear definition. The M&E framework better alignment, a shared understanding and clear and
will help to bring about much needed definition and account- measurable indicators. Claire pointed out that key processes
ability. In 2015, SU adopted a Transformation Plan which arose important to framework development include co-creating;
out of the context of Fees Must Fall. The TP is located in Social benchmarking; embedding; and articulating.
Justice and the Bill of Rights. However, the Plan is somewhat

mAndelA identity in the Context of university trAnsformAtion

dAy 2, pAnel discUssion 2 │ Prof Verne Harris; Prof Crain Soudien; Prof Pamela Maseko;
Dr Muki Moeng; Patisanani Tokwana; Siyanda Qoto

The TIMS panel discussion and speakers were introduced by task to live up to, especially in considering the many role-
Dr Ruby-Ann Levendal, Director: Transformation at Mandela players involved in the resolution of issues such as free ed-
University, who handed over to Professor Verne Harris who set ucation – where the institution would normally be the one
the tone and coordinated the discussion. The session began that ‘takes the hit’. In light of this, the question of how we
with a brief reflection on the line of enquiry, or theme, could adopt a Mandela identity in the context of transform-
called TIMS over the past several years – an intervention ation was answered in a series of points.
inspired greatly by the University’s current and previous
Vice-Chancellors, Prof Sibongile Muthwa and Prof Derrick Professor Maseko’s input focused on the following two
Swartz respectively. Quoting Council from 2017, Prof Harris questions: i) Does the name Mandela have any implications
went further, “Council has reflected on the transformations for your field of study or discipline? If so, what are they?; and
we need to make in order to align ourselves more appro- ii) How should the name Mandela affect teaching and learning
priately to the name, Mandela”. Prof Harris noted the social at our University? The input here is also guided by the institu-
media survey which had been rolled out to the University tional strategic vision which urges for the establishment of an
community over the past months and went further to note African identity in our curriculum, and the need to be purpose-
each of the five provocative questions from the survey. The ful in our response to centuries of systematic and deliberate
anticipated inputs from the panellists were centred around marginalisation and erasure of indigenous ways of knowing –
these questions, with Prof Crain Soudien having reviewed and the reconstruction of that knowledge for solutions to local
the survey data would share a provocation based on the data and global challenges. Prof Maseko was also guided by the
and a response to the inputs made by panellists. possibilities presented by the Mandela stature to reimagine
Africa and attain what South American scholars call correc-
Mr Qoto’s response approached the questions in a broad, tive justice for Africa. The input is further led by the Faculty of
general way, and began with an initial reflection on the Uni- Humanities’ strategy to reimagine and revitalise our curric-
versity’s name change in 2017 noting it to be a poisoned ulum. In her response, Prof Maseko speaks to two areas in
chalice: How could we as an institution of higher learning in Mandela’s life. The first was the role that Mandela’s mother,
these turbulent times possibly live up to the name? The Nosekeni Mandela, had played in the development of his
adoption of the name, Mandela, appeared to be a mammoth character around integrity, resilience and all others attribut-

NelsoN MaNdela UNiversity • traNsforMatioN iNdaba • 2022 52