Four Boksburg sites flagged in first feasibility phase for Ekurhuleni University, minister says

Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela has confirmed that four sites in Boksburg have been identified during the first phase of feasibility studies for the proposed Ekurhuleni University, with further approvals dependent on the completion of phase two and securing funding.

What the minister told Parliament

Speaking in a question-and-answer session in the National Assembly, Manamela said the four sites identified in Boksburg were in close proximity to one another. He said three of the sites belong to the Ekurhuleni Municipality and the fourth to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

Manamela said assessments are underway to determine the suitability of these sites for the needs of the proposed higher education institution and that site approval processes can only be carried out once the final leg of phase two feasibility has been completed and funding secured.

Steering committee, interim sites and timelines

The minister said the project steering committee is being reappointed and that it will be extremely busy over the next six to nine months. He added that he would update Parliament further once the steering committee has met.

Manamela also said two other potential sites have been identified as possible interim sites of delivery, but emphasised that these interim sites are not municipal owned and will not be part of the long-term development of the university.

On the project timeline, Manamela said the government remains committed to having the first student at the University of Ekurhuleni by 2028 and to having the first brick laid by 2029.

Questions from opposition MPs and funding

During the exchange, EFF MP Sihle Lonzi asked whether a site had been identified and approved and when acquisition would be finalised. Manamela said the department was working to complete the feasibility work in collaboration with the municipality and other partners and that they would provide the coordinates of the sites.

DA MP Delmaine Christians questioned what funding model had been approved and whether Treasury had committed to both establishment and long-term operational funding. In response, Manamela said the instruction to establish the university came from President Cyril Ramaphosa and that the department was in discussions with Treasury.

Manamela said that, according to the Minister of Finance’s budget speech, the Budget Facility for Infrastructure would be used to ensure funding for the project.

Background

Manamela’s update referenced a previous announcement that in February 2020 President Ramaphosa said the government had decided to establish a new University of Science and Innovation in Ekurhuleni. He also noted that, during this year’s State of the Nation Address, Ramaphosa had directed the ministers of Finance and Higher Education to work on a proposal to build more universities and TVET colleges with specialised areas of focus.

“There are a number of assessments underway to determine the suitability of these sites for the needs of the proposed higher education institution.”

The department will provide further updates to Parliament as the steering committee meets and feasibility work progresses.