Place, race and exclusion: university student voices in post-apartheid South Africa

Abstract

The slogan ‘no education without representation’ symbolised a belief in the anti-apartheid movement that without a democratic government, South Africa's people could not receive an inclusive education. Since the end of official apartheid in 1994, the education system has faced new transformative aims focused on ending racial separation and inequality. This article seeks, in three main ways, to contribute to debates over the progress made. First, post-apartheid policy is explored. Desegregation of schools and universities is seen as a key goal but is shown not to have led simplistically to inclusion. Second, three concepts of ‘place’ are considered as analytical tools in the study of inclusion. These are shown to hold different but relevant interpretations of how ‘place’ can influence processes of in- and exclusion. Third, the voices of students at the Universities of Cape Town and the Western Cape set out how students experience, negotiate and participate in campus in- and exclusion. Racial inequalities and divisions are seen to be reproduced as primary fault-lines of exclusion, but new class cleavages and recognition of other social differences are partly disrupting this traditional picture. The article considers the implications for both inclusive education in South Africa and wider geographical engagements.

Keywords:

• class
• exclusion
• higher education
• post-apartheid
• race
• South Africa
• student voice
• transformation

Notes

Whilst recognising that ‘race’ is socially constructed, this article uses the terms black African, so-called Coloured, Indian and White as ‘unavoidable social categories for analysis in South Africa’ (Lemon 2004, 270). These remain as everyday terms within South African social life and are used by government to collect official data on inclusion and affirmative action. The term ‘black’ is used to refer collectively to black Africans, Coloureds and Indians (Lemon 2004, 270).

Universities that traditionally served black African, Coloured or Indian populations have been terms HBUs or Historically Disadvantaged Universities. This is to acknowledge the systemic inequalities these institutions continue to face relative to HWUs. Repetitive calls by the Association of Vice Chancellors of Historically Disadvantaged Tertiary Institutions (Association of Vice Chancellors of Historically Disadvantaged Tertiary Institutions 2000) for substantial compensatory institutional redress have not been met by government.

The third was the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg (Walker 2005).

At 179th, UCT was South Africa's highest ranked institution in the THE-QS World University Rankings (2008). The second highest, at 319th was University of Witwatersrand. UWC was not ranked in the top 600 universities.

Stellenbosch is 50 km from Cape Town. The university has traditionally served Western Cape's Afrikaner population. Tuition continues predominately in Afrikaans, the language spoken by many of Western Cape's Coloured population (although most are bilingual, also speaking English).

The ‘matric exemption’ was traditionally the minimum level of achievement in the Senior Certificate Examination required to again admission into a South African degree course.