That the issue of violence sits uneasily on the conscience of higher education is evident in the view that educated people are as likely as uneducated people to participate in violence. The concern of conscience is equally prevalent in the view that the public role of the university is "the responsibility of a community of thinking". This means that higher education has an equal potentiality and (im)potentiality for violence. In this article, we offer a threefold argument that the university classroom in democratic South Africa offers a relevant pedagogical site to teach citizenship education. First, higher education should be a pedagogical space where deliberative, compassionate and cosmopolitan encounters are cultivated; second, an active citizenship education is needed to prepare students to deal with violence; and third, a citizenship education in becoming seems to be most appropriate to contend with the unexpected challenges posed by violence.