Abstract
Today's South African education system is characterised by inequalities historically determined by the apartheid policy. Schools and learners' wealth or poverty levels reflect society's widening gap between the rich and poor. Typically, poverty-stricken learners are black and attend schools in socio-economically disadvantaged townships that lack adequate resources, with implications for these learners of poor performance outcomes, a high risk of dropping out, and pervasive generational poverty. This study draws on transformative leadership theory to explore how school principals enact transformative leadership in supporting and empowering at-risk learners. A qualitative case study was undertaken using purposive sampling of six transformative leaders in no-fee Quintile 1 and 2 primary schools in the Johannesburg West district of Gauteng Province, South Africa. The findings revealed that principals were confronted by starving learners with no uniform, traveling long distances to school and inadequate parental support. They worked with support structures to mediate against these challenges to provide the necessary resources for learners. Data were analysed and interpreted through the transformative leadership lens, and the following themes emerged: (1) Principals' challenges; (2) Principals’ solidarity and external partnerships; (3) Flexible support for equitable change; (4) Community engagement; and (5) Caring and persuasive organisational behaviour dynamics.