For the last decade, Nelson Mandela University in South Africa has been at the forefront of embedding a humanising pedagogy within its educational strategies and policies. To champion social justice in higher education, the university aligns the learning and teaching agenda to a humanising pedagogy.

As a qualitative case study, this paper explores the transformative implementation of a humanising pedagogy at Nelson Mandela University, a response deeply rooted in Paulo Freire's (1970) critical pedagogy principles. In the context of South African higher education, marked by a historical legacy of social injustices, the university's commitment to a humanising pedagogy is seen and undertaken as both a moral and educational imperative. This paper discusses the relevance of critical pedagogy to South African higher education and explicates the university's engagement with humanising pedagogies to foster critical consciousness among academics and students.

Central to this investigation is the praxis-oriented approach by university lecturers, which involves a reflective and action-based engagement with a humanising pedagogy. The presentation will showcase specific instances and approaches wherein Nelson Mandela University operationalises these pedagogies, illustrating the practical application of theory to learning and teaching encounters in a university setting.

Additionally, the paper addresses the context-responsive nature of these educational strategies by integrating African educational philosophy and aligning with local cultural and historical contexts. This approach enriches the learning environment and ensures that education at Nelson Mandela University remains relevant, dynamic, and deeply reflective of the values and challenges of the broader South African society. Through this detailed analysis, the paper highlights the potential of humanising pedagogies in achieving a more just and equitable higher educational landscape.

Keywords: humanising pedagogy, pedagogy of care, Africanisation, transformation.