Governance of the South African University under Democracy and the Triumphalism of Managerialism over Transformational Leadership

Abstract

Universities are by their origin controversial and contested public spaces, with perennially precarious relationships with the state and society. The South African University has not been an exception to this norm; and, political democratization necessitated its restructuring and transformation into learning organization. This article argues that the Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DoHET’s) 2008 interventions have ironically reinforced the triumph of managerialism over transformational leadership in the governance of the South African University. Reverence for managerialism and over-bureaucratization eroded the necessary public spaces for innovativeness, imaginativeness, risk-taking, application of common sense and experimentation required for the transformation of the South African University. The most vivid manifestation of the triumph of managerialism is in the DoHET’s technocratic funding model for the South African University. The article concludes that the potential for transformational leadership has faced intractable governance dilemmas of a disabling environment that is diametrically opposed to qualities of charisma, inspiration, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration. It suggests that the present South African University yawns for re-humanize, democratization and collaborative strategies which place emphasis on personal relationships, cross-cultural communications, integration of heart and head as well as judicious mix of soft and hard tactics, given the historical legacies of apartheid and racial segregation.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n27p1655