Today marks Professor Adam Mendelsohn’s High Court hearing in Cape Town, a pivotal moment in the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) clash over its Gaza-era resolutions.

The conflict began after the UCT Council voted in June 2024 to condemn Israel’s actions in Gaza and to limit collaboration with Israeli-linked academics and institutions.

Mendelsohn, head of historical studies at UCT, has asked the Western Cape High Court to review or set aside council decisions adopted on 22 June 2024. Mendelsohn said: “I worry, too, about the implications for academic freedom, grant and donor funding, and the politicisation of the university,” adding that when concerns were raised in Senate: “they were shouted down and seemingly disregarded by the Council.” His application includes five supporting affidavits from other UCT academics.

This council vote has created serious internal conflict not just within the university but within the Council itself. Council member Professor Glenda Gray laid a formal complaint against fellow Council members Mark Oppenheimer and Kessler Perumalsamy after a fractious March meeting where she was accused of downplaying warnings about funding exposure. Oppenheimer and Perumalsamy argued that a report from the Vice-Chancellor pointed to material exposure running to hundreds of millions of rands. The university says the matter sits within confidential internal processes.

It seems that Mendelsohn’s complaints and Oppenheimer and Perumalsamy’s concerns were warranted. People close to the matter say roughly R200 million has already been lost, with internal estimates suggesting exposure could near R1 billion and place up to 200 jobs at risk if direction does not change.

Insiders say that unless the Council reverses course, UCT faces the prospect of significant losses that will erode its research, teaching, and reputation.