What does it mean to be a responsible 21st Century South African university?

​This paper explores three themes underlying debates on South African universities. The first is the dichotomy of the global or the local in defining university identity and purpose. The second discusses the binary necessities to widen access and to ensure sustainability, which often require hard policy choices to be made. The third theme relates to curriculum and explores the debates on what should be taught, that range from decolonisation, to focusing on preparation for participation in the fourth industrial revolution. It concludes that a consistent set of principles, tempered with significant pragmatism, will lead to a responsible higher education sector.