South Africa’s 26 Public Universities
South Africa has 26 public universities, all part of Universities in South Africa, distributed across nine provinces. Each province has at least one university, with Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape establishing their own institutions in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Most universities are found in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape, which house major metropolitan areas. To explore detailed information about any university or location, simply click on the respective logo or marker on the map below, which visualizes the geographical distribution of universities across South Africa.
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Central University of Technology
Durban University of Technology
Mangosuthu University of Technology
Nelson Mandela University
North-West University
Rhodes University
Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University
Sol Plaatje University
Stellenbosch University
Tshwane University of Technology
University of South Africa
University of the Free State
University of Cape Town
University of Fort Hare
University of Johannesburg
University of KwaZulu-Natal
University of Limpopo
University of Mpumalanga
University of Pretoria
University of the Western Cape
University of the Witwatersrand
University of Venda
University of Zululand
Vaal University of Technology
Walter Sisulu University
Universities South Africa
Membership board
Members help to promote the best interests of South African Universities
Our members play a vital role in our governance structures, strategy determination, and operational planning. Vice-Chancellors of our member universities make up our Board of Directors and chair our various Governance Committees as well as Strategy Groups.
How do Universities South Africa members participate?
Universities South Africa membership comprises 26 public universities distributed across all 9 provinces in South Africa. This number grew from 23 when the newly-founded institutions, Mpumalanga University and Sol Plaatje University came on stream in 2014, and also when Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University was established during the 2014/15 financial year. Any public university in South Africa qualifies to become a member.
Each institution pays an annual membership fee. The cumulative fees fund the operations (i.e. university support programmes and administration) of Universities South Africa.
The Vice-Chancellors, as accounting officers of their respective institutions, constitute our Board of Directors. They also lead and participate in Strategy Groups which give effect to Universities South Africa’s strategic framework by determining, conceptualising and giving direction for the implementation of projects and programmes.
In addition to Vice-Chancellors, experts from our membership network also participate in the work of professional forums commonly known as Communities of Practice. Here members exchange information, challenges and devise potential solutions pertaining to their professional disciplines, and feed information into the relevant Strategy Group for joint action on specific matters of concern. Communities of Practice also foster collaboration between institutions on projects relevant to their focus areas.
Accountability to Universities South Africa Members
We are accountable to our members, to whom we report through the various Governance Committees, Strategy Groups and Communities of Practice. We also share information with our membership on our achievements through various publications and periodicals including the Annual Report.
