Engaging Communities – Emerging University, Government, Business and Community Partnerships in South Africa

Taylor W¹*, Erwin G¹* and Bytheway A¹*

1. Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa

The practice of democracy in South Africa and the emergence of the modern internet as we currently know it, have been around for just over 10 years. Both are continually struggling with how to best deliver the promises of increased community engagement in decision making for local benefit. After 10 years of effort, the full social appropriation of a continuing practice of governance and modern information communication technologies (ICT) is yet to be fully realized in South Africa. Whilst these two phenomena are vastly different, they are none the less shackled together in relationships that are on the one hand symbiotic and the other potentially antagonistic. Whilst humankind’s capacity for justice makes the social appropriation of ICT both desirable and possible, humankind’s capacity for the pursuit of individual wealth and power to the disadvantage of others creates urgencies of necessity in even the most undeveloped situations. At the same time, the reformation of the higher education systems in South Africa has placed a greater emphasis on demonstrable community benefit and engagement. Such an environment provides the opportunity for higher education to assume a collaborative leadership position in assisting individuals and communities maximise self reliance and participation through the increased use of ICT within a framework of economic, social and cultural well being. This paper examines the theory and praxis of work undertaken by Cape Peninsula University of Technology in addressing the practice of community engagement at the nexus of democratic governance, Information Society Technologies (IST) and the responsibilities of higher education in the South African context.

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