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ZIWAPHI • VOL 3 NO 24 • 4 - 17 DECEMBER  2009

Emalahleni

Even though it is now official that the province will finally have its own university after years of waiting, but the big question now is, how long is the wait going to take for it to come into being.

The Minister of higher Education and Learning, Blade Ndimande made it official last week that a University will soon be established in the province. But he, himself could not give a straight answer as to when the University will come into being.

“It is official that the national government will provide this province with its very own University, but we must bear in mind that this project will require huge efforts and a number of aspects to look into of which some may not be resolved in a short space of time,” said Ndimande.

The Minister was in the province, at Emalahleni for a consultative imbizo for a way forward towards establishing the University. In attendance, was local business guru, Robert Gumede, who had early in the year donated a cool million rand for the research on the establishment of the university in Mpumalanga.

Gumede, who delightedly applauded the government’s move for considering establishing a university in the province, could not hide his frustrations over the projected time frame.

“I am over the moon that we [Mpumalanga province] are finally going to have our own university, however, I am a little worried that the process is taking too long. We need to work on a specific time frame, we have been waiting for too long for this to happen and we can’t wait much longer now,” said Gumede.

Asked where he would prefer the University be situated, Gumede simply said, “in Mpumalanga province”. This was after a heated debate had sparked inside Emalahleni Hall over the desired neutral venue for the University to be situated.

This university is set to make history by becoming the first ever University to be established under the democratic government since 1994.