Mesera, Mahungu2011-05-132011-05-132011-05-13http://hdl.handle.net/10539/9768MM - P&DMSince the 1994 democratic elections, South African schools found themselves having to implement new policies. The changes brought challenges to principals as leaders in schools. The study explores the leadership challenges that rural high school principals are facing. Th epurpose of this research is to explore the challenges facing rural high school principals with special reference to leadership, governance, management, communication and organizational relations. School principals in rural communities seem to have no capacity to lead the processes of implementation of the new policies. The study based on the findings presents as a recommendation that the principals take an initiative to capacitate themselves.enLeadershipRural schoolsHigh schools, RuralSecondary schoolsThesis