First Students Could Enrol Before Campus Is Built For Proposed Ekurhuleni University

Archived image: Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela - SANews.gov.za

Responding to questions in the National Assembly on Wednesday, 11 March, Manamela said the project’s immediate priority is not the start of construction, but the registration of the institution’s first students, which could occur before a permanent campus is built.

“The goal is not construction commencement, but it is about registration of the first student,” Manamela told Parliament.

The remaining feasibility work, together with a Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI) application to National Treasury and the necessary design and procurement processes, amounts to approximately three years from now.

Manamela told Parliament that following a meeting with the Executive Mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni, both parties agreed to revive the feasibility process with renewed commitment.

“The city has offered land and infrastructure options, and the department is exploring whether temporary facilities or blended academic delivery could allow students to enrol ahead of the 2029 construction date,” he said.

Delays due to budget constraints

The proposed university was first announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in the 2020 State of the Nation Address and was later reaffirmed in the national budget. However, six years later, the Minister confirmed that a location study, which is a key component of the feasibility process that will determine the site, has not yet started due to a budget shortfall of R19.5m.

He said steps are underway to resolve the shortfall through the reprioritisation of existing infrastructure grants.

“A significant change in the project’s financial outlook came in the February 2026 Budget, when National Treasury indicated its willingness to allocate infrastructure funding for both the Ekurhuleni and Hammanskraal universities through the Budget Facility for Infrastructure,” Manamela said.

He added that under previous administrations, no additional funding had been allocated, forcing government to consider a public-private partnership model, which National Treasury had not approved for university infrastructure projects.

Stronger controls on student accommodation

Manamela also confirmed that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is conducting an active investigation into National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) student accommodation under a Presidential Proclamation.

“NSFAS has commenced paying accommodation providers directly, removing solution partners from the disbursement chain. A national audit of all accredited accommodation is underway,” he said.

Intensive monitoring for high-risk universities

Responding to questions about recent disruptions at Walter Sisulu University (WSU) and the University of Fort Hare, Manamela acknowledged structural challenges affecting institutions.

These include NSFAS payment delays, accommodation shortages, and multi-year financial deficits.

He said the department is implementing differentiated intensive monitoring for institutions identified as high-risk.

“Our assessment is that the early detection framework successfully identified risk conditions at both Fort Hare and WSU in advance of disruptions, but structural drivers need to be resolved within the registration period,” he said.

Manamela added that the gap between identifying risks and implementing interventions requires sustained remediation rather than short-term crisis management.

Tracking outcomes from Seta training programmes

When asked how many people Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas) had trained over the past decade and how many secured employment, Manamela acknowledged that consolidated cross-Seta data is not currently available as a single figure.

He said the department has committed to publishing a baseline report by the end of the 2025/26 financial year, while also establishing a Skills Observatory coordinated independently by the Human Resource Development Council of South Africa (HRDC).

The Minister added that Seta performance figures are currently published annually in Seta annual reports, which reflect programme performance across the skills development system.

Pset “war room” for registration period

Manamela also reported that a Post-School Education and Training (Pset) War Room, established and chaired by the Minister, met weekly during the academic registration period to provide focused oversight of the process across the getting to grips with the SA post-school education and PSET sector.

“The War Room reviewed institutional and sector-wide reports, enabling the monitoring of developments in real time and allowing for swift, evidence-based responses where necessary,” he said.

He added that the structure helped identify emerging risks early and enabled coordinated interventions across institutions.

“Where challenges were cross-cutting in nature, responses were implemented simultaneously by the relevant institutions, with actions aligned and coordinated through the War Room structure. This demonstrated that a single, coherent PSET that is coordinated can be responsive to the needs of students,” Manamela said.