With millions of Rands invested and Newcastle’s community seeking answers, uncertainty surrounds the delayed tertiary institute, originally scheduled for completion by January 2025. As a cornerstone of the town’s development plans, this project continues to draw attention, particularly as delays fuel public scrutiny.
As part of Newcastle Municipality’s 2024/2025 Integrated Development Plan, the Mayor announced a formal agreement with the University of South Africa (UNISA) to establish a tertiary education facility in the town.
According to the Municipality’s Communications Unit, this development plays a key role in Newcastle’s long-term goal of being reclassified as a city by 2035. One of the prerequisites for achieving city status is the presence of a multi-campus university—something this partnership with UNISA aims to address.
To begin the process, the Municipality initiated renovations at the Old Borough Engineers’ offices, located at the corner of Hospital and Link Street, with a targeted opening date set for January 2025. A budget of R2,570,000 was allocated for Phase 1 of construction, followed by R3,693,659.53 for Phase 2. These phases focused on structural upgrades necessary to meet UNISA’s operational standards.
By August 2024, Phase 1—which included roof replacement, floor repairs, and plumbing—had been completed.
Phase 2 was already progressing with electrical installations, improved ablution facilities, and further flooring enhancements. The completed facility is designed to feature lecture rooms, online learning areas, administrative and security offices, and bathrooms. It is intended to serve not only Newcastle but also surrounding towns such as Ladysmith, Dannhauser, and Dundee—ultimately reducing travel costs for students and stimulating local economic growth.
A joint site visit by UNISA and municipal officials in September 2024 confirmed that construction was on track, with completion anticipated by December 2024 to align with the 2025 academic year. However, according to the municipality, on 28 January 2025, new requirements from UNISA delayed the project. The university requested further changes to ensure the facility met the specifications for a regional services centre capable of offering both vocational and academic programmes.
Councillor Bertie Meiring, Chairperson of Town Planning and Development, confirmed that these adjustments were being implemented, with completion rescheduled for 31 January 2025—pending UNISA’s final confirmation of an official opening date.
Despite this, during Newcastle’s Cabinet Day on 31 March 2025, Strategic Executive Director Ntsiki Khathide revealed that the project had already progressed beyond the initial two phases.
“We have gone beyond the initial two phases, and this included the necessary structural changes within the premises,” she stated. However, Phase 3, which involves client-specific installations, was deferred to June 2025 to accommodate further UNISA requirements—resulting in another timeline extension.
However, as of August 2025, the facility remains incomplete, leaving residents without its intended benefits. Councillor Bertie Meiring, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee for Development Planning and Human Settlement, explained, “The Newcastle Municipality has completed the necessary work which we were requested to do and we are now currently waiting for Unisa. Presently, they still need to make the necessary changes to the building which they are responsible for attending to, and they only managed to secure the contractor in June.”
Moreover, Meiring stated, “We are just waiting for Unisa now, but it should not take much longer,” though he acknowledged no precise timeline exists, with completion projected by 31 December 2025.
As the tertiary institute faces delays, this is not the only project which is moving slower than anticipated. Across KwaZulu-Natal, several tertiary education initiatives are grappling with compelling setbacks, each marked by bold visions and unexpected hurdles.
According to KZN Department of Education reports, the uMfolozi TVET College’s Richards Bay campus expansion, envisaged as a maritime training hub to fuel the port’s shipping industry, has been stalled since 2023 due to a bizarre funding standoff between provincial and national authorities, leaving state-of-the-art simulators gathering dust and local youth without promised opportunities.
Similarly, according to Durban University of Technology announcements, the Indumiso Campus in Pietermaritzburg, meant to house cutting-edge studios for creative arts, is delayed until mid-2026 after a contractor vanished mid-procurement, forcing budget reallocations that have frustrated aspiring artists and stalled talent development.
Additionally, the KwaZulu-Natal CET College’s strategic plan reveals that its rollout of learning centres in uMzinyathi, aimed at empowering rural adults with digital skills, has been frozen since 2024 due to a heated land dispute with local chiefs, derailing hopes for accessible education in underserved communities.
In Newcastle, according to municipal updates, Majuba TVET College’s annexe for renewable energy training, poised to lead KZN’s green revolution, is stuck due to a backlog in environmental assessments caused by concerns over a rare bat habitat, pushing completion past 2026 and hindering the region’s sustainability goals.
Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health reports note that the Vryheid Nursing College campus, set to train midwives to ease KZN’s healthcare crisis, has been halted since 2024 after a key supplier lost critical medical equipment in a warehouse fire, leaving the project in limbo and exacerbating the nursing shortage.
These setbacks highlight the unpredictable obstacles hindering KZN’s ambitious tertiary education expansion.
Yet, these delays underscore the complexity of aligning bold educational visions with practical realities in KZN. The province’s commitment to expanding tertiary education remains a vital driver for social and economic progress, but it demands greater agility in navigating bureaucratic and logistical challenges to deliver on these transformative goals.
Looking forward, KZN’s educational leaders must harness innovative strategies, such as public-private partnerships or streamlined regulatory frameworks, to break through these bottlenecks.
By fostering resilience and collaboration, the province can transform these setbacks into opportunities, building a powerful tertiary education network that empowers future generations and cements KZN’s role as an educational hub.
Be sure to read, Pitbull Attack in Newcastle: Man Severely Injured on Amiel Road, if you missed it.
