The period since the advent of democracy in South Africa in 1994 has been characterised by the development and implementation of reform measures from a racially and ethnically based higher education system to a non-racial and single-coordinated system that would serve all [Page 1366]South Africans on an equal footing. As South Africa entered this process of societal change after the end of the apartheid era, it was clear that mere reform of certain aspects of higher education would not suffice to meet the challenges of a democratic country. Rather, a comprehensive transformation of higher education was required, marking a fundamental departure from the sociopolitical foundations of the previous regime.

The seriousness with which the government took the task of reforming the higher education system was demonstrated ...