Universities South Africa

Universities South Africa , formerly known as  Higher Education South Africa or HESA, is an umbrella body representative of the 26 public universities in South Africa. The USAF board is made up of 26 Vice-Chancellors drawn from member universities. USAf endorses a comprehensive and equitable national higher education system responsive to South Africa's challenges. Through lobbying and advocacy, USAf promotes and facilitates an optimal environment conducive for universities to function effectually and maximally contribute to the social, cultural, and economic advancement of South Africa and its people. These captains of academia were firmly committed to so called “digital transformation” during the pandemic. USAf has committed themselves to using data to offer “an optimal environment conducive for universities to function effectively” Their optimization extends into matters of transparency around remuneration and they too have committed to address the scourge of corruption in their respective university chambers. When it comes to the topic of transformation in Higher Education, the 26 members have not had much success. Neither has teaching and learning practice in South African higher education changed much under their watch. Short comings with governance and pedagogies failures, have not prevented USAf from proclaiming a "digital revolution" at their scheduled annual conference. Theme: "The future of the university". This an ahistorical meme, the change is neither industrial or revolutionary, yet espoused by many VCs in this organization, is at odds with scholarship about post-digital Perhaps their greatest success this far is McDonaldization of South African Higher education. With university branding, making themselves look appealing to prospective students and parents, instead of addressing actual student needs. The result, according to a body of elders, is public universities that are “poorly governed, unsafe and unhappy sites of tertiary learning and research”.

Background
Universities South Africa (USAf) is a membership organisation of the (current) 26 public universities in South Africa. USAf, previously known as Higher Education South Africa (HESA), was formed on 9 May 2005 as the successor to the two statutory representative organisations for universities and technikons (now universities of technology), the South African Universities Vice-Chancellors Association (SAUVCA) and the Committee of Technikon Principals (CTP).


 * SAUVCA was an aspirational framework for the transformation and restructuring of South African higher education. It was established as a statutory body for the 21 public universities in South Africa by the Universities Act (Act 61 of 1955). As a statutory body, it made recommendations to the Minister and Director-General of Education on matters referred to or any other issues deemed necessary for universities.
 * The CTP was a national higher education association established in 1967 regarding the Advanced Technical Education Act (No. 40 of 1967). It consisted of the rectors, principals and [Chancellor (education)|Vice-Chancellors] of technikons in South Africa.

The launch of USAf was partly driven by the restructuring of the higher education sector, which resulted in the establishment of new institutional types and the need for a robust and unified body of leadership. USAf represents all 26 public universities and universities of technology in South Africa and is a Section 21 company. HESA changed its name to Universities South Africa on 22 July 2015.

Programmes
The Higher Education Leadership and Management Programme (HELM) offers contextual and bespoke leadership and management programmes for emerging, middle and senior managers and leaders in universities that support their work performance, professional development and career advancement and contribute towards a context in which all can thrive. HELM plays a crucial role in developing effective leaders in higher education.

Transformation is a major issue that "bedevils the higher education sector These effective leaders have been talking about "transformation" for three decades, with little success. Student's "throughput, pass and dropout rates ...remain racialised and gendered". Universities transformation efforts are "agonisingly slow". Clearly, higher education has to consider alternative theorisations of teaching and learning. With a national unemployment rate of 32% in the first quarter of 2024. There's an obvious mismatch between the labour market demands, what students are being taught, and the qualifications they receive. In the absence of formal work opportunities, the imperative to drive student and graduate entrepreneurship is urgent and necessary.

 Additional USAf Programme 
 * Students need to meet the requirements for Matriculation Exemption to be accepted to universities. The Universities South Africa Matriculation Board (http://mb.usaf.ac.za) offers advice.
 * The university sector is underfunded. USAf uses Higher Education Price Index (HEPI) when negotiating subsidy increases with the government. HEPI measures the inflation rate for higher education by considering universities' typical spending patterns. HEPI plays a crucial role in ensuring the affordability and accessibility of higher education, an essential aspect of their commitment to fairness and equality.
 * Advancing Early Career Researchers and Scholars (AECRS) is an attempt by USAf, to build capacity, offer support and enrich careers through collaboration and partnerships in the South African higher education and research sector. ACERS manages two platforms. Thuso Resources a national toolbox for emerging scholars” and Thuso Connect, a mentorship platform.

Members

 * 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

USAf and Corruption
On the 20th of October 2020, USAf board members acknowledged that there was a possibility that universities might be involved in corrupt activities and resolved to root out corruption. With a previous chair admitting that the National System of Innovation was unable to act as a functioning system of research and innovation; published research that "university leaders have deliberately weakened the university systems that detect corruption to enable fraudsters to access funds through corrupt means"; and a popular book entitled "Corrupted: A study of chronic dysfunction in South African universities”, by Jonathan Jansen, a former VC of the University of the Free State. Jansen, who has studied, examined and unravelled the root causes of corruption in South African Higher Education, counts at least 20 interventions by the government into 15 of the country's 26 public universities since 1994. USAf has placed a "Fraud Hotline (free call)" on their webpage,, run by Delois’s thus indicating their firm commitment to rooting out corruption.

USAf and NSFAS
Policy changes within the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) have created risks and challenges for universities. USAf has highlighted risks of bad debt. 2023 marked a seminal point in state spending patterns. DHET allocated more money to NSFAS than universities for the first time. The non-payment of NSFAS funds in 2024 have created new challenges for universities. While South Africa is funding students' access to higher education through NSFAS, there hasn't been a visible improvement in stability within Higher Education and are still battling to function effectively

USAf and University Rankings
The Council for Higher Education (CHE) has recently raised important questions about university rankings. They published a critical opinion, on the rankings industry. The piece argues that rankings are both an example of neocolonialism and neoliberalism. It certainly seems that some members of USAf believe that this education is a market, instead of a collective endeavour. There are USAf member's press releases that mention their university rankings. Despite knowing that university rankings are biased and methodologically flawed, have short-term publicity gains and are acknowledged as an unscientific game, this practice continues.

Enquiry into VC remuneration
MP's have been advocating for an investigation into salaries of vice-chancellors and senior managers at universities since 2019. The Minister of Education wrote to the Council on Higher Education (CHE) requesting that they research the matter. In the CHE-led probe entitled an "Inquiry into the Remuneration of University Vice-Chancellors and Senior Executive Managers in South Africa", many serious issues about governance within some of the 26 member institutions were highlighted. According to the terms of reference, the CHE inquiry into remuneration was supposed to be completed by March 2021. The final inquiry to parliament was delivered on the 21 Feb 2024, three years later than promised. Ongoing salary increases in higher education have been compared to a runaway train. Among many issues raised, poor institutional governance and management and lax financial practices were highlighted. This salary disparity has been dragging on for almost a decade. USAf has stated its support for the inquiry and intends to regain the public's trust in its financial management. However, until substantive issues are addressed directly, history has shown that these self-serving patterns in universities will, in all probability, linger. The DHET has also committed itself to establishing an ombuds system, to resolve ongoing issues within tertiary education.

Academic Leadership and Integrity
Institutions can both empower and disempower because they shape the way their members see the world. University management often find themselves criticized and undermined, since their perspectives are not clear. Good governance requires that USAf clearly account annually to its membership and stakeholder groups about all its activities. HESA / USAf have published their annual reports from 2010 up until 2022. In the context of “disruption, complexity, change, and in the global pursuit of the Engaged University”, a leaders task is to reach out and listen.