South Africa - Introduction

The University of Oxford has deep and historic ties to South Africa, most famously through the Rhodes Trust, an educational charity. Cecil Rhodes, an Englishman who became a prominent businessman and politician in South Africa established the 'Rhodes Scholarships' in his will, to support students selected to study at Oxford and certain other universities. In 2003, to mark the centenary of the Rhodes Scholarships and to continue the historic commitment of the Rhodes Trust to Africa and specifically to leadership development for Africa, the Rhodes Trust joined in the creation of the Mandela Rhodes Foundation. The Foundation honours Nelson Mandela and provides scholarships for African students, chosen on criteria very similar to those for the Rhodes Scholarships, to undertake postgraduate study in South Africa.

Oxford has a presence in South Africa through the Oxford University Press Southern Africa (OUP SA). Opening in Cape Town in 1915, this was the fifth OUP International Branch to be established. OUP SA published its first local title, South African Short Stories, in 1947; a title which remained in print for 50 years. OUP SA is now one of the larger  OUP publishing offices, with a South African staff of 75 and sales offices in Johannesburg, Durban, East London, and Pietersburg. It is also responsible for the territories of Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, and Namibia, and has agents in two of these countries and in Zimbabwe. In addition to developing a South African publishing programme, OUP SA markets, sells and distributes the publications of other OUP offices around the world. South African academics are published locally, or in Oxford or New York.