<![CDATA[Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have come under scrutiny for not sharing their substantial resources and immediate support with nearby communities. As a result, they should not be seen as deviating from the main goals of HEIs in terms of active research, teaching and learning, or scholarship. Therefore, HEIs must reach out to assist nearby communities to raise the profile of the latter, foster its growth, and provide the social capital necessary for sustainable development. This research makes a case that HEIs and communities should establish a collaboration to promote rapid gains in the diversification of the communities' sources of income. HEIs should assist the surrounding communities, aid in community empowerment, enhance the quality of life, and act as change agents to address socioeconomic conditions. The paper draws on existing literature and reports to explore each of the roles of HEIs in community engagement in South African communities. Different databases like Google, Google Scholar, Scopus, AOSIS, ProQuest, and university repositories utilised to search data. Themes were developed and used to search the data until completion. The Thematic Content Analysis (TCA) approach was applied. Additionally, the research is supported by observation and real-world experience. The Social Capital Theory is acknowledged in this article to create the foundation of its argument. The conclusion that can be derived from this research is that for successful transformation and growth, HEIs and communities must work together amicably.]]>
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