Northern Cape Premier’s Intergovernmental Forum enthused by Minister Nzimande’s progress report on new university

Kimberley, 19 March 2013 – The Northern Cape Premier’s Inter-Governmental Forum received a progress report on the establishment of a new university in Kimberley by the Minister of Higher Education and Training (DHET) Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, with great enthusiasm as the possibility of having the institution in the Province became even more of a reality.

Minister Nzimande today led a high powered delegation of his senior officials to provide the Northern Cape Provincial Executive Committee with an overview of the progress made in establishing the new university in the Northern Cape Province.

“Part of the reason for this engagement is that we wanted to draw the Provincial Executive Committee’s attention to the spatial framework for the new university in Kimberley with specific reference to land owned by the Province and Sol Plaatjie Municipality. At the same time we will request the Premier and Mayor of the Sol Plaatjie Municipality, to sign a Record of Intention to enable the publication of the Gazette establishing the new university as a juristic person. This will enable further planning for construction to commence in September 2013, and for the first programmes to be offered in the 2014 academic year,” Minister Nzimande said.

At this key stakeholder engagement stage in the establishment process of one of the first two universities to be established in post-democracy South Africa, Minister Nzimande addressed members of the provincial government’s executive council, led by the acting Premier, Ms GB Cjikella, Heads of Departments, Mayors and Municipal Managers.

The meeting ended with the Minister signing a Record of Intention with Premier Cjikella and Mayor Agnes Ntlangula of the Sol Plaatjie Municipality which will enable the publication of the Gazette establishing the new university as a juristic person. Construction will commence in September 2013.

The development of the new universities, one in the Northern Cape and another one in Mpumalanga, have been identified and prioritised within the Strategic Integrated Projects (SIP 14) by the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Committee (PICC).

“Full and comprehensive feasibility studies for both universities, in terms of infrastructure and operations, were completed and submitted to National Treasury in September last year. National Treasury endorsed the feasibility studies, and allocated over R2 billion over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period for 2013 to 2016, for the capital and operational expenditure on both universities,” Minister Nzimande said.

The Northern Cape Provincial Government and the Sol Plaatjie Municipality have a key role to play in supporting the development of the new university in Kimberly, with specific reference to committing government owned and municipality owned land in the Kimberly City Centre for the development of the university.

The provincial government sees the planning for the new university as fully integrated into the City urban planning framework, with both the provincial government and the Sol Plaatjie Municipality playing a key role in supporting the development of the new university, with the intention of committing government owned land in the Kimberly City Centre for the development of the university.

Issued on behalf of the Ministry for Higher Education and Training.