Johannesburg – Universities South Africa (USAf) has launched a new sector-wide position paper to guide South African universities in balancing internationalisation with employment equity when appointing international academic staff.
The paper, titled “Developing an Approach to Internationalisation in South African Universities: Employment Equity and the Appointment of International Staff,” was launched on 3 August 2026 during a Higher Education Leadership and Management (HELM) Engage Webinar.
The launch brought together senior university leaders, government officials, human resources executives and higher education scholars to discuss how universities can remain globally competitive while advancing transformation and building South Africa’s academic workforce.
A sector milestone
Opening the event, Programme Director Mahlubi Mabizela, USAf’s Director of Operations and Sector Support, said the paper arrives at a critical moment for the sector.
“Universities must respond simultaneously to local imperatives and global realities,” he said, noting that South Africa faces the dual challenge of deepening transformation while maintaining global competitiveness.
He emphasised that the paper does not position internationalisation and transformation as opposing forces but rather explores how they can be advanced together.
USAf CEO Dr. Phethiwe Matutu described the paper as the culmination of a multi-year process that began in 2021, when amendments to employment equity legislation prompted extensive consultations among the Department of Employment and Labour, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and university stakeholders.
“What was meant to be a two-page statement has become a comprehensive 40-page document,” she said, acknowledging the contributions of USAf’s Transformation Strategy Group, Human Resources Directors, Transformation forums, Employment Equity Managers, and DHET officials and data specialists.
Internationalisation under pressure
Presenting the paper, lead author Professor Crain Soudien highlighted the growing complexity of internationalisation in higher education.
He explained that global debates increasingly reflect two competing logics – a cosmopolitan ideal of knowledge exchange, and a competitive, rankings-driven model that treats internationalisation as a race for talent, revenue and prestige.
South Africa’s own policy framework, he noted, reflects this tension.
The 1997 White Paper on Higher Education and the DHET’s 2019 internationalisation policy both emphasise global competitiveness while also calling for Africanisation, intellectual diversity and the strengthening of local capacity.
Professor Soudien said universities have largely embraced internationalisation within a transformation-oriented framework.
Institutional policies from universities such as Cape Peninsula University of Technology, University of the Free State, Stellenbosch University and North-West University show a clear effort to integrate Africanisation, decolonisation and global South collaboration into their internationalisation strategies.
Employment equity and foreign staff
A major focus of the paper is the role of foreign academics in South Africa’s universities.
Contrary to public claims, foreign nationals make up a relatively small proportion of academic staff and are often concentrated in areas of critical skills, carrying out a significant share of postgraduate supervision and knowledge production.
The paper also highlights significant challenges in appointing international staff, particularly visa and work permit delays.
Professor Soudien noted that institutions repeatedly raised concerns about the Department of Home Affairs’ processing times, which can deter international scholars and disrupt academic programmes.
USAf’s earlier submission to DHET already warned that Home Affairs was “not acting in keeping with expectations of facilitating student and staff mobility,” and the position paper calls for urgent interdepartmental coordination to resolve these issues.
Balancing transformation and global engagement
A panel of experts responded to the paper, including Professor Andre Keet (Nelson Mandela University), Professor Thandi Lewin (DDG, University Education, DHET), Professor Siphokazi Magadla (Dean, Faculty of Humanities, Rhodes University), and Meko Magida (Chairperson of the Commission for Employment Equity).
Professor Lewin emphasised that universities must balance internationalisation with transformation, noting that public debates often oversimplify the issue.
She stressed the need for better data, clearer definitions of foreign nationals and stronger cooperation between universities and the government.
Professor Magadla urged the sector to consider South Africa’s broader socio-political context, including rising inequality and institutional fragility.
She argued that internationalisation must be rooted in African intellectual traditions and linked to the continent’s shared challenges.
Magida highlighted the need for a coherent governance framework to ensure that international appointments support both excellence and transformation.
“Internationalisation must never become a substitute for transformation,” he said, calling for transparent recruitment processes, clearer definitions and evidence-based assessments of scarce skills.
Recommendations and next steps
The position paper proposes several actions for USAf, universities and government:
• Develop a sector-wide framework for appointing international staff.
• Develop clear guidelines, including processes for importing international staff, with the Department of Home Affairs.
• Improve coordination among USAf, DHET, Home Affairs and Labour.
• Strengthen data collection on foreign staff and critical skills.
• Align employment equity targets with academic labour market realities.
• Ensure internationalisation strategies support Africanisation and local capacity-building.
Closing the webinar, Professor Keet described the launch as “a milestone” and encouraged universities to engage actively with the paper’s recommendations.
Dr. Matutu reaffirmed USAf’s commitment to leading the sector through this complex policy terrain.
