Cyril Ramaphosa’s new Technology University versus Solidarity’s new Afrikaans University
Solidarity’s new Akademia Campus is rising rapidly, while Cyril Ramaphosa’s new University of Science and Innovation remains only bushes and a dilapidated building.
Comparing these two projects shows the difference between the effective private sector and the mismanaged and ineffective public sector in South Africa.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the new University of Science and Innovation in Ekurhuleni during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 13 February 2020.
Ekurhuleni is the only major metropolitan area in South Africa without a university, and it made sense to build a new university there.
The country also lacks scientific and technological skills, which supports Ramaphosa’s plan to create a new University of Science and Innovation.
The President said the new university will train young people in high-impact and cutting-edge technological innovation for current and future industries.
In 2021, the City of Ekurhuleni said it had conducted a feasibility study, which showed immense potential for a university.
It reached an in-principle agreement with the Department of Higher Education and Training to establish this university.
In September 2024, the City of Ekurhuleni Mayor, Nkosindiphile Doctor Xhakaza, met with the Department of Higher Education Project Steering Committee about the project.
“This is the second phase of the process towards the establishment of the University,” Xhakaza said.
The department intended to get the project underway in 2025 on the former Cinderella Prison property and the surrounding land.
A recent visit to the proposed University of Science and Innovation grounds revealed only bushes and a dilapidated building.
It was clear that not much was happening at this site. There were no signs of any clearing or construction.
New Akademia Campus in Pretoria
The new Akademia Campus development project in Pretoria, announced on 1 August 2024, is showing rapid progress.
The project, which is developed through a partnership between Solidarity and Kanton, is located eight kilometres from Solomon Mahlangu Drive on the Boschkop Road.
This campus will cater for 5,000 full-time undergraduate students and 1,500 postgraduate students.
Four men’s and four women’s residences on the new Akademia campus will accommodate 1,500 students on campus.
The development includes office blocks, lecture halls, laboratories, an auditorium, dedicated research halls, a cafeteria, restaurants, and coffee shops.
There will also be a student centre, library, residences, staff accommodation and world-class sports facilities.
An experimental farm is also planned for the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Agriculture on the new site.
“Phase one of the project will amount to approximately R1.8 billion and will be completed on 1 January 2028,” said Kanton MD Henk Schalekamp.
“The second phase involves the completion of the academic campus and residences, followed by the sports facilities, chapel and auditorium.”
The total development will cost more than R3 billion. Akademia received no government funding or assistance for the new university campus.
In August 2025, a year after the project was announced, Kanton broke ground on the new Akademia campus.
Schalekamp posted a recent update, which showed that construction work on Akademia’s new campus is already clearly visible.
“Foundations are being poured, walls are taking shape, and the first buildings are beginning to take their place in the landscape,” he said.
“The focus was not on individual buildings, but on the bigger picture of a university where academic formation, culture, and community reinforce one another.”
New Akademia Campus construction
Cyril Ramaphosa’s new University of Science and Innovation grounds
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