Conference Program

More than three decades after the end of apartheid, South Africa continues to grapple with enduring patterns of racial and class inequality within its schooling system. While national education policy formally commits to the principle of non-racial education, the persistence of white-majority enrolments in many former white schools raises critical questions about the democratic transformation of schooling. This study examines the micropolitics of school re-segregation in elite schools located in the affluent southern suburbs of Cape Town. The research forms part of a broader investigation into the politics of school admissions and seeks to explain how historically privileged schools sustain racial and socio-economic exclusivity despite the policy framework of post-apartheid democratic education.

The study draws on a two-year qualitative investigation involving intensive interviews with principals and admissions officers from thirty former white schools. The sample was deliberately structured to include schools across a spectrum of socio-economic contexts, ranging from wealthy institutions with predominantly white enrolments and high school fees, to middle-class schools with smaller white majorities, and lower-middle-class schools that have experienced re-segregation as predominantly black institutions with relatively low school fees. This sampling strategy enabled comparative insights into how elite schools maintain racial and class privilege while other former white schools undergo demographic transformation.

Data collection integrated multiple sources to capture the complex processes shaping admissions decisions. These included in-depth interviews with school administrators responsible for admissions, focus group discussions with teachers and parents, analysis of government enrolment data disaggregated by race, geographic analysis of school locations and socio-economic neighbourhoods, examination of admissions policy documents obtained from school records and websites, and interviews with estate agents who often influence parental school choice through residential “steering”. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts and policy documents was combined with statistical analysis of enrolment patterns to develop a comprehensive understanding of how admissions processes operate in practice.

Using the metaphor of a spiderweb, the study demonstrates how these mechanisms, often embedded in admissions policies, language requirements, feeder systems, and residential patterns, operate simultaneously and reinforce one another. While each instrument may appear neutral when considered individually, together they create a powerful structure that shapes access to elite schooling. Drawing on interest convergence theory, the study suggests that these micropolitical practices are sustained by broader macro-political arrangements that emerged during South Africa’s democratic transition.

Within the broader theme of reimagining democracy in schools, the study highlights the tensions between formal democratic ideals and the lived realities of schooling structures that continue to reproduce inequality. The findings suggest that meaningful democratic renewal requires more than policy commitments; it demands critical engagement with the organisational and governance practices that shape access to educational opportunity.

By illuminating the micropolitical mechanisms through which privilege is reproduced, this study contributes to ongoing debates on how democratic participation, institutional accountability, and policy reform might foster more inclusive schooling environments in post-apartheid South Africa.