Abstract:

Evidently, the drive towards achieving social justice remains a pivotal goal in many countries, of which South Africa a known point in case. The paramount importance of uplifting local and international communities to correct wrongs from the past, in especially the South African education ecosystems, is not yet fully realised. While transformational leadership is on the agendas of both private and public HEIs, real progress is too often lacking in praxis. Urgent progress is needed from all quarters and role players to redress past injustice and to promote a sustainable future. It is time to relook and explore alternative leadership ideologies and actors. As such, the question begs: why and how are private higher education institutions (PHEI) in South Africa measuring up as change agents and transformational leaders? This study sets out to explore this scenario as a case study of a leading PHEI. Following a critical realist paradigm and informed by recent studies on transformational leadership in the Third Space and the value of Freirean critical ideology and theory, qualitative data were collected by means of in-depth interviews with the leadership team in this case. An interpretivist approach permitted the sourcing of in-depth personal and professional views, expectations and experiences reported. Key constructs contextualising this study include the nature of social injustice, and transformation in a post-apartheid era. The main themes resulting from the reflective thematic analysis of findings are social-linguistic factors, race and socio-cultural factors in social inequality, prevailing socio-economic strata and the inclusion of all role players in transformation efforts. Leadership strategies must be devised around these themes. The importance of leading by example was evidently the quintessential success factor for leading, transforming, developing and managing a conducive learning environment for students from all backgrounds equitably. The value of the study lies in realising that redress cannot be left to public HE alone. It provides much needed new knowledge in an area with a paucity of research in transformative leadership by explaining recognising the importance of third space towards decolonisation of higher education. Recommendations outline the importance of including PHEI in transformation efforts and offers a best practice model. The important role of PHEI in eradicating past injustices and participating in transforming HE is paramount in achieving the much-needed change and social justice in a still unequal education landscape.

Keywords:

Transformation, private higher education, social justice, socio-cultural tradition critical realism, Third Space Leadership.