Infrastructure for, and with, universities

Partnerships between government and universities for developing sustainable infrastructure solutions for tertiary education institutions are the way to go in order to take advantage of existing and underutilised facilities in the province. This was the main point of discussion when MEC for Infrastructure Development Jacob Mamabolo hosted a round table discussion with chancellors of different universities in Gauteng. The meeting took place at Emperor’s Palace on July 7, following an earlier one which was held at the Innovation Hub in Tshwane in late May this year. At the first meeting, five of the seven universities had made presentations on their envisioned infrastructure solutions to government.

This time around, key points of discussion on the day ranged from the currently pressing demand for student accommodation to the need for space to build additional educational facilities such as lecture halls, libraries and laboratories. The round table discussion is an initiative of Mamabolo, who has been tasked by Premier David Makhura to champion multiple uses for public facilities and underutilised land parcels within the precincts of schools, hospitals and community centres in addressing other community needs.

The various university representatives have also responded positively to the idea and are now advising on various models that could be undertaken in order to realise the vision espoused by the province.

According to the MEC “the growing demand for education also means the growing demand for student accommodation. Young people are hungry for a brighter future and are therefore seeking high education to reach their goals. We as the Gauteng Provincial Government are committed to the delivery of public infrastructure whose impact fully addresses the needs of various stakeholders in our communities, especially the institutions of learning since education is one of the priorities in our country today.

“We have already started the process of making government-owned land and buildings available for the development of more student accommodation in our province”, added Mamabolo.

With Gauteng accounting for only 1.4% of South Africa’s land area, the tiny province punches far above its weight by contributing around 34% to the national economy and some 7% to the GDP of the entire African continent. Such economic prospects also mean that there is rapid migration as people search for work opportunities to make a living, thus increasing the demand of infrastructure in the province.