In South Africa, the 1989-1994 negotiated settlement between anti-apartheid forces and the apartheid regime did not see the defeat of apartheid. In this context, continuities of the apartheid past undercut and truncate African intellectual expression, leading to questions being asked about the comprehensive transformation of the university in South Africa. I concertedly point out that South Africa requires changes and innovations in the humanities that will enable its people to address development challenges. Specifically, I quest for a motif that best describes the necessary change process. To this end, I query if what is at stake is a question of transformation, renaissance, metamorphosis or resurrection of the humanities. I will favour talk of ending apartheid humanities that recognises that the needed change either demands allowing apartheid humanities to die or killing it off to allow a humanities for the people to rise - i.e. t