In this paper, I seek to make a claim for the case for Comparative political theory in two related ways. First, to suggest that the nascent field of comparative political theory is ripe for development insofar as it offers the methodological tools that will transform the focus of political theory as currently conceived. Second, to propose that the implications of comparative political theory are particularly significant for political theory in Africa and South Africa. This I argue is underpinned by the goal of comparative political theory to encourage high quality scholarly work, which moves away from the singular focus on European and North American approaches to one, which both encompasses and appreciates the richness, diversity and complexity of African epistemology and non-western traditions in political thought. This I argue can be implemented in both our current research and teaching objectives. Moreover, in the current context of crisis in higher education in South Africa, where calls for the decolonization of the curriculum have been tabled as urgent and pressing demands, the history of political thought is particularly useful in rethinking central political concerns in Africa: the role of political institutions and the place of liberal ideas in justifications of colonialism.