The politicisation of the university in South Africa and its consequent demise

Abstract

In the light of transformational discourses in higher education in South Africa, it has become necessary to pose the question – what is a university? Such a question requires that the idea of the university, as well as its role in society be reflected upon critically. The University of Cape Town, one of South Africa’s top institutions is undertaking an ambitious programme to balance race relations on campus. The university is accelerating its pace of transformation in the light of the government-commissioned probe into racism in higher education. The investigation launched in March 2008 following a racist scandal at the University of the Free State also went onto expose pervasive racial and sexual discrimination at university campuses across the country, and the failure of institutions to confront these challenges. (Moodie 2010).