Ekurhuleni university targets 2027 start

Detailed summary

The planned university in Ekurhuleni aims to enrol its first students by late 2027, with government and industry partners exploring sites in Boksburg to offer…

The proposed university in Ekurhuleni could begin admitting its first students in the second half of 2027 but the institution is still some distance from becoming a reality, with government yet to finalise its location, funding arrangements, academic programmes and the regulatory processes required for its establishment.

Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela said the project had been reactivated and was progressing through feasibility and institutional planning. However, he cautioned against treating the proposed opening date as a confirmed commitment. “The university is still a project in development. It has not yet been formally established as a university. And it has not yet enrolled students,” Manamela said.

The government is exploring an initial intake in the second half of 2027, while permanent campus construction is envisaged for 2029. Both timelines remain dependent on the completion of the necessary planning, regulatory approvals, and funding arrangements.

Manamela said establishing a university required more than a public announcement, pointing to the need for sound governance, academic quality, sustainable funding and partnerships with industry. The proposed institution is intended to respond to the skills requirements of Ekurhuleni, a region with a significant industrial and manufacturing base and to its proximity to OR Tambo International Airport and the associated aviation and logistics industries.

Dr Tembile Kulati, project manager of the proposed New Higher Education Institution (NHEI), said the feasibility process had identified a need to address the gap between the skills industries require and what existing higher education institutions can offer. He said the region also had young people who performed well in subjects such as mathematics and physical sciences but struggled to secure places at other universities.

Kulati said the institution was being designed to bring industry into its academic and governance structures rather than…

The…

Ca…

Opening of the article, excerpted from Mail & Guardian. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.