Advancing Higher Education: Centering Inclusion, Addressing Systemic Challenges, and Elevating Leadership for Black Women

Johannesburg – Achieving transformation in higher education cannot rely solely on policy declarations or symbolic actions.

It necessitates addressing systemic obstacles, reshaping institutional cultures, and intentionally advancing the leadership of black women with accountability.

This was the core message conveyed by Dr. Judy Dlamini, Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand, during a recent roundtable discussion at the University Chancellors’ Thought Leadership Seminar organized by Universities South Africa (USAf).

“This issue is crucial. Trust begins within our community—among our support staff, operational staff, academic personnel, and students, particularly those who have historically been marginalized, especially black women,” Dr. Dlamini emphasized.

Systemic barriers must be addressed, not merely acknowledged

Dr. Dlamini underscored the personal experiences of women in academia, highlighting challenges like bullying, gender-based violence, microaggressions, and sexual harassment—issues that remain inadequately resolved due to institutional silence, social taboos, and insufficient accountability.

She called on leaders to evaluate whether the structures for gender equality and transformation are genuinely trusted by the communities they were designed to assist.

Policies, she insisted, should be reviewed collaboratively with impacted groups, assessed for their effectiveness, and supported by dedicated financial and human resources.

Dr. Dlamini introduced the concept of the Big Six: gender, race, social class, geography, sexual orientation, and disability, as intersecting identities that contribute to exclusion in higher education.

“If you embody all six, you face significant challenges,” she remarked.

She urged leaders in higher education to scrutinize who occupies prominent positions such as deans, heads of schools, and deputy vice-chancellors, and to consider whether these leadership structures reflect the Big Six.

If they do not, leaders must reflect on the reasons behind it and their efforts to instigate change.

Leadership transformation demands bravery, not complacency

Dr. Dlamini cautioned against leadership cultures that resist change and cling to the status quo.

Universities must embrace intersectional strategies that enable underrepresented groups to flourish, rather than merely endure.

The inclusion of historically marginalized groups in leadership should not be reduced to mere numbers; without support, they encounter toxic masculinity, silent harassment, and institutional pushback.

She referenced the work of Prof. Refilwe Nancy Phaswana-Mafuya, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation at the University of Johannesburg, who warns against expecting black women to conform to unjust systems. Instead, it is imperative for leaders to reform the system itself by establishing comprehensive institutional agendas with clear objectives, measurable outcomes, and timelines.

Collective responsibility and allyship

Participants of the roundtable echoed Dr. Dlamini’s sentiments, underscoring:

• The critical role of allyship in addressing gender-based violence.
• The necessity for ethical councils composed of individuals of integrity, not just credentials.
• The obligation of universities to exemplify the world as it should be, rather than merely reflecting societal dysfunction.
• The immediate need to safeguard truth, evidence, and academic freedom.

In considering next steps, the roundtable defined a set of clear priorities:

• Transforming leadership to better reflect the diversity of South Africa.
• Promoting the advancement of black women through intentional pathways, mentorship, and structural reforms.
• Eliminating systemic barriers that hinder dignity, safety, and advancement.
• Creating environments that are inclusive and conducive to the thriving of historically excluded groups.
• Integrating accountability into gender governance and transformation frameworks.

A call for systemic change, rather than individual adaptation

“Achieving true diversity necessitates holistic systems of change. We must evaluate who succeeds, who is visible, and who receives support, and adjust the system accordingly,” Dr. Dlamini stated.

Her final message was that inclusion should not be limited to representation, and transformation cannot occur by merely asking individuals to conform to environments that were never intended for them.

Inclusion is not a charitable act; it is a structural obligation that requires courage, accountability, and institutional self-reflection.

Dr. Dlamini urged leaders to acknowledge that systemic barriers are not incidental.

These barriers are ingrained within organizational cultures, policies, leadership norms, and daily practices.

Transforming them demands more than just goodwill.

It necessitates intentional redesign, ongoing assessment, and leadership willing to face discomfort.

Dr. Dlamini asserted that the future of South African higher education relies on leaders who are ready to transform the system itself, including its assumptions, power dynamics, and structures, so that diversity emerges as a hallmark of excellence rather than an anomaly.

Only in this way will universities truly embody the values they espouse and gain the trust of those they are meant to serve.