Does representation equal transformation? The racial profile of academic staff in South Africa from 2005 to 2020

Over the past two decades, the racial profile of academic staff in South Africa’s higher education institutions (HEIs) has undergone notable change, driven in part by national and global pressures for diversity, equity and inclusion. This article extends previous work by examining the racial composition of academic staff across all South African HEIs from 2005 to 2020, with a focus on trends in representation by race, gender, rank and institutional type. Using data from the Department of Higher Education and Training, we find that black African academics now represent the largest racial group in academia for the first time in the history of the country, with particularly rapid gains since 2015. However, representation remains uneven at senior academic ranks and within historically white institutions. Later, we explore whether national demographic representativity should be considered a benchmark of transformation and argue that while representativity is an important marker of equity and redress, it is not synonymous with transformation. We caution against a metrics-only approach and advocate for a broader transformation agenda that includes pedagogical reform, institutional restructuring and financial sustainability. Contribution: This article contributes to the ongoing debate about the meaning of transformation in post-apartheid South African higher education and highlights the need for clarity in both vision and policy.