Education is a human right. For many people, it may often be the only way to escape a life of poverty; for nations, it is crucial for development and growth. Education ideally transmits values, such as integrity, equality and social justice, and the sense of shared responsibility and is, thus, a key to social cohesion and good governance. For a long time, Universities in South Africa have been able to manage their affairs autonomously at all levels – strategical, operational and tactical. However, of late, attention and debate has turned to a growing discontent with the slow pace of transformation and equitable access within these academic institutions. This article argues that both transformation and equitable access to higher education will remain largely unattainable goals if the higher education landscape does not first contain its relatively high levels of internal strife, and unethical and corrupt conduct. To this end, th