This paper presents a longitudinal case study of a cross-border student volunteer workcamps conducted between 2004–2012 by the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa) and Eduardo Mondlane University (Mozambique). Each year, 28 students from both institutions engaged in an eight-day immersive community service programme in the rural villages of Hokwe, Chokwe, Gaza Province (Mozambique), and Mooiplaas, Ehlanzeni, Mpumalanga Province (South Africa).
Rooted in the historical solidarity of South African exiles and Mozambique’s FRELIMO-led communities, the initiative fostered transformative learning, cultural exchange, and regional solidarity.
Drawing on 189 participant reflections, the study explores how the Programme cultivated critical consciousness, leadership, teamwork, humility, and intercultural skills in students—despite the absence of academic assessment. Communities also benefited through agricultural support, health education, and access to clean water. Using a theoretical framework grounded in transformative learning theory, critical pedagogy, decolonial theory, and Pan-Africanism, the findings highlight the programmes potential as a model for socially engaged, decolonial, and Pan-African higher education.
The paper calls for universities to adopt ethically grounded, experiential volunteer programmes that build mutual capacity between students and communities and contribute to youth development and regional integration in Africa.
- Quote paper
- Dr Thabo Putu (Author), 2025, Community Engagement in South African Higher Education. Frameworks, Case Studies, and Pathways to Social Justice, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1599205
