Labour Brokering in South African Public Universities: Regulatory Frameworks, Ethical Tensions, and Institutional Practice

This article examines labour brokering in South African public universities as a contested employment strategy that balances cost efficiency with profound implications for equity, social justice, and governance. It traces the evolution of the legislative framework regulating Temporary Employment Services, highlighting strengthened worker protections alongside persistent enforcement gaps and institutional non-compliance. Drawing on thematic analysis of contemporary literature and empirical evidence, the article interrogates ethical dilemmas, institutional governance failures, and the lived experiences of brokered employees, who frequently face precarity, marginalisation, and restricted mobility despite formal legal safeguards. The discussion foregrounds the roles of key stakeholders, management, HR, labour brokers, unions, students, and policymakers and critically assesses the promise and limitations of insourcing reforms following #FeesMustFall and related movements. It argues that labour brokering persists less due to legislative absence than to institutional tolerance, and calls for coherent policy, robust oversight, and principled leadership to centre human dignity within university employment regimes.