Universities South Africa
Transformation Strategy Group News
Developing an Approach to Internationalisation in South African Universities: Employment Equity and the Appointment of International Staff
On 3 August 2026, Universities South Africa (USAf) officially launched the Position Paper titled, Developing an Approach to Internationalisation in South African Universities: Employment Equity and...
Universities South Africa’s Strategy groups recap the outcomes of their sessions at the HE Conference
One of the intended outcomes of the recent Higher Education conference of Universities South Africa (USAf) was to come up with proposals to enhance the...
North-West University’s sustainability programme aims to drive societal change
Plastic litter is a big no-no at North-West University (NWU). From banning plastic bottles on its three campuses in Mahikeng, Potchefstroom and Vanderbijlpark, to prohibiting...
“A university cannot survive without water,” says Professor Kirsty Carden of UCT on Day Zero
“The availability of water of acceptable quality is one of our single greatest and most urgent development constraints. So we really do need to do...
Tshilidzi Marwala’s vision for transformative Higher Education
The plenary session titled The University, its Future and Academic Freedom – A Global Conversation presented a range of perspectives, from a veteran politician advocating...
University leaders reflect on the academic freedom discourse
The discussion that followed the address by Dr Naledi Pandor, a politician and the former Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, at the recent 3rd...
The erosion of academic freedom; Pandor’s call for intellectual integrity in higher education
At the 3rd Higher Education Conference hosted by University South Africa (USAf), Dr Naledi Pandor, former Minister of International Relations and Cooperation in South Africa,...
Can SA universities realise genuine transformation and endure, long-term?
How to achieve transformation without risking sustainability; what defines a university; whether blackness is synonymous with dysfunctionality, and whether black elites are enforcing an educational...
Transformation must not become synonymous with instability
The concept of transformation in higher education needs to transform, itself, if it is not to be made synonymous with instability and unsustainability. Universities also...
Imperfections in the transformation of South Africa’s higher education – Lis Lange’s perspective
Deviating from what is considered a norm in the South African higher education system requires conviction and an ability to take a risk that very...
Five crucial lessons learnt from the last 30 years in higher education
A dark dystopian future awaits our children and grandchildren, said Professor Adam Habib, Director: School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS) of the University of...
How universities can make globalisation achieve better results and longevity — Adam Habib’s perspective
The incentive structure on research subsidies and the ranking systems have pushed South African universities to try and be like each other. This undermines the...
USAf’s Transformation Dialogue seeks to shift higher education from a compliance-driven to an innovation and inclusivity-driven transformation process
Is there real transformative activity taking place in higher education, or has this been a box-ticking exercise? This question spurred Universities South Africa’s (USAf) Transformation...
Reconstituting institutional culture by focusing on the design of the universities around our students and around their more intensive engagement with their local and regional contexts:
There is a growing view that the TSG ought to be more engaged in the project of helping the sector to give effect to institutional...
Transformation Strategy Group
Implementation in 2018 of the transformation barometer in public universities: the Transformation Barometer is essentially a self-monitoring and reporting tool that enables institutions to set...