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This article presents the case of the South African curriculum reform, which chose--on ideological rather than pragmatic grounds--a radical progressive/constructivist pedagogy model, with the expectation that it would help to redress the educational (as well as political, social and economic) inequalities of the country's inglorious racist past. However, a severe shortage of the necessary expertise within the existing school system--specifically, extremely poor mastery of the content area, and low levels of language skills and pedagogical know-how on the part of South African teachers--turned the intended recipe for educational success into a new variety of educational malpractice, producing yet another generation of illiterate, innumerate South Africans. The article draws on published sources as well as on the author's 12-year-long involvement, through work with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and publishing, in the South African education system during the time of transition. The views and conclusions are the author's own, and should not be identified with positions of any of the institutions with which she has been associated. (Contains 1 table and 6 notes.)