Minister of Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande has denied reports that he has blocked or delayed the establishment of the Tshwane University of Technology, Giyani campus.
The minister labelled these reports false and believes they have been manufactured to create confusion, cause chaos and disrupt the finalisation of the project.
Nzimande said he felt compelled to address these reports as the establishment of the Giyani campus was made under his leadership of the higher education department.
In 2022, TUT announced that a satellite campus would be established in Giyani Limpopo. The announcement came after the Department of Higher Education (DHET) conducted feasibility studies and decided that the facilities of the former Giyani College of Education would be used to establish the new TUT campus.
The minister explained that the decision to establish the Giyani campus was informed by several strategic considerations, including the need to extend access to higher education for the young people of Giyani and surrounding areas. The establishment of a campus in Giyani is critical as it will serve students from high schools in the Mopani District and will focus on digital agriculture and science education.
It then becomes utterly ridiculous and mischievous to suggest that the Minister is delaying or frustrating his very own initiative.
Nzimande acknowledged that in May 2023, the Department commenced a feasibility study for the establishment of the TUT Giyani campus, but it then experienced a delay of more than 5 months from the Limpopo Department of Education (LDoE).
In September 2023, the Minister allocated R31.916 million to TUT for the University to carry out refurbishments and deferred maintenance on existing facilities of the former Giyani College of Education upon the completion of the feasibility study.
An agreement on the way forward was finally reached within the (LDoE) in October last year. Work on refurbishments and deferred maintenance is expected to begin in February 2024 for the institution to begin welcoming students for the 2025 academic year.
As progress continues on the project, the Department's project team, appointed by the Minister, has maintained regular engagement with relevant stakeholders from the Giyani community, government, and private sectors. These stakeholders received consistent updates and collaborated with the project team to establish a mechanism for addressing any emerging concerns.
It was revealed that certain individuals actively obstructed the technical team's efforts. These actions appear aimed at causing confusion and hindering the project's completion. Additionally, the Department has observed the involvement of various interest groups, some of which seem intent on exploiting the genuine concerns of the Giyani community for their own malicious purposes.
We also notice the malicious attempt to exploit the legitimate concerns of the community of Giyani to further what seems to be an established campaign to tarnish the name and reputation of the Minister, through lies and misinformation.
Despite these concerns, Minister Nzimande said the DHET continues to enjoy the full support of TUT and the LDoE.
Establishment Of Two New Universities
In 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that two new universities would be established in the country.
A University of Science and Innovation will be built in Ekurhuleni while a Crime Detection University will be established in Hammanskraal. The establishment of a university in Ekurhuleni is particularly important as it is the country’s only metropolitan area that does not have a university.
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Now that the Tshwane University of Technology has opened applications for 2025 make sure you read our article on how to apply to TUT for 2025.
