The concept of good governance and the King IV principle 1 of ethical and effective leadership as absolutes for effective and efficient South African higher education setting

Abstract

Essentially, to fulfil their core mandate of teaching and learning, research and community engagement higher education institutions (HEIs) are highly dependent on an environment that is supportive to their effective and efficient functioning. Accordingly, this environment relies entirely on good governance, ethical and effective leadership roles and responsibilities. The two roles and responsibilities are critical in ensuring effective functioning, stability and success of HEIs. During 2012 there were about four South African HEIs that, in accordance with Section 41A of the Higher Education Act, 1997 (Act 101 of 1997, as amended) (RSA 1997:37) and section 38 of the Higher Education and Training Laws Amendment Act (Act 23 of 2012) (RSA 2012:8), were placed under administration, and this was as a result of challenges that they experienced which were related to poor governance and ineffective and unethical leadership. The reports of the independent assessors that were appointed to the four HEIs put under administration revealed how activities and behaviours, of especially those who had fiducial responsibility, compromised key elements embedded in good governance and effective and ethical leadership roles and responsibilities easily led to the HEIs being ineffective and unstable. The main aim of this article is to briefly interrogate the experiences of the four HEIs and highlight how good governance practices and the King IV Principle 1 of ethical and effective leadership roles and responsibilities are absolutes to effective, stable and successful South African Higher Education (SAHE) setting. In addition, as this article wish to demonstrate these roles and responsibilities are critical in ensuring that the post-1994 SAHEIs as public institutions are governed and led in a transparent and accountable manner.

Keywords: higher education, management, governance, leadership, roles, effective functioning