New R3 billion private university for South Africa

Real estate development firm Kanton revealed its design on 1 August for Akademia’s new campus, a private Afrikaans university backed by Solidarity located in Pretoria.

This ambitious R3-billion project is set to take shape on Boschkop Road, East Pretoria, positioned approximately eight kilometres away from Solomon Mahlangu Drive.

The campus will support a wide-ranging academic curriculum across all its departments, offering space for up to 5,000 full-time undergraduates and around 1,500 postgraduate students.

The planned facilities include office blocks, lecture rooms, labs, an auditorium, specialized research spaces, a dining hall, various dining establishments, coffee spots, a student hub, a library, and accommodations for staff.

Housing will also be available, featuring four residences each for men and women, collectively providing around 1,500 student beds.

Henk Schalekamp, the managing director of Kanton, shared that the initial phase of the project is budgeted at about R1.8 billion and is expected to be finalized by the 1st of January, 2028, covering all essential academic and operational services.

The initial groundwork is slated to start in the middle of 2027, while the commencement of the first construction phase is planned for January 2026.

Kanton has a track record of delivering projects on time and within budget, as demonstrated by their work on the Solidarity’s Sol-Tech technical college campus in Centurion, which was completed successfully despite Covid-19-related setbacks.

“The second phase will see the completion of the academic campus and residences, followed by the sports facilities, a chapel and auditorium,” said Schalekamp.

The developers say that the campus will sport “world-class” sports facilities for rugby, cricket, netball, tennis, athletics, hockey, swimming, and indoor sports.

“There is also an experimental farm planned for the Faculties Natural Sciences and Agriculture,” Schalekamp added.

Kanton said the campus project represents a turning point in ensuring the sustainability of higher education in Afrikaans.

“We are going to build a giant monument for Afrikaans higher education,” said Schalekamp.

For years, buzz has surrounded Akademia’s new campus development but Schalekamp said that securing the necessary permissions for the new development from the appropriate authorities took about three and a half years.

Presently, Akademia operates from two smaller campuses and four residences in Centurion, considered temporary facilities pending the completion of the new campus.

It sees the development of the new campus as a chance to solidify its growth achievements over the last ten years and to provide a stable and vibrant environment for student life.

Founded in 2011, Akademia was created in response to many public universities transitioning from Afrikaans to English-only instruction to enhance inclusivity.

It has expanded from offering three qualifications to providing 12 degrees along with a variety of diplomas and higher certificates, all conducted in Afrikaans.

This includes offering:

From 2012 to 2022, Akademia increased its student body from 40 to 2,350 and its staff from five to nearly 200.

In addition to its existing campuses, Akademia supports part-time distance learning through five study centres and plans to open a new small campus in the Western Cape by 2026.

Read: South Africa is getting two new universities – here’s what they will offer