Complexity theory has established itself internationally over the last two decades as a discipline of central importance. It engages in groundbreaking ways with central problems in the human and natural sciences. At present the discipline itself is differentiating in a number of ways and there is vigorous debate about its implications in several fields, including social science, organisational studies, physics, biology, computer science, health sciences and legal studies. Complexity theory is recognised the world over as a theoretical framework with crucial implications for the way we understand the world and how we act in it, specifically in the light of the failure of traditional reductionist strategies both in science and the humanities. In a highly differentiated context like that of South Africa, complexity theory will assist in developing strategies which may open the future in more sustainable and ethical ways.