More than a year has passed since Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal was expected to welcome its first university campus, originally scheduled to open in January 2025.
However, as the current academic year progresses, the Newcastle Municipality has reassured residents that the project has not stalled, despite the setbacks encountered.
In an interview with Newcastillian News, Newcastle’s Municipal Manager, Zamani Mcinecka, provided an update on developments relating to the University of South Africa (UNISA) facility.
He explained that the tertiary education project was discussed at a Municipal EXCO meeting held on Tuesday, 17 March 2026, during which officials reviewed the next steps for the delayed initiative.
“The Newcastle Municipality has done everything on its side, but the matter is currently sitting with UNISA’s management, They are considering no longer entering a lease agreement with the Newcastle Municipality, but are rather looking at purchasing the premises where it is being built,” explained Mcinecka, who added the Municipality has already submitted the necessary proposals and procedures for this.
For context, in May 2024, the Newcastle Municipality’s Communications Unit confirmed the signing of a lease agreement with the University of South Africa (UNISA).
This agreement marked a key milestone, laying the foundation for UNISA to establish its tertiary education facility at the historic Old Borough Engineers’ offices — a building dating back to the early 1950s, which originally served as a school before later becoming the Borough Engineer’s office — situated at the corner of Hospital and Link Street.
By September 2024, as previously reported, interior renovations were nearing completion, with main construction expected to conclude by the end of that year.
The building’s historical façade was deliberately left unchanged to preserve its heritage value. However, additional adjustments to interior fixtures, including doors and other fittings requested by UNISA, were subsequently required before the facility could proceed to launch.
At the time of the initial announcement, the Communications Unit emphasised the facility’s central role in advancing Newcastle’s development agenda. It was noted that the university would stimulate key sectors of the local economy, create much-needed employment opportunities, and contribute to a measurable increase in the town’s GDP.
While the Municipality continues to await formal feedback from UNISA, the Municipal Manager indicated that clarity on the campus’s future is expected in the near term.
“Representatives from the Newcastle Municipality and Unisa will be meeting either next week, or the week after, where the necessary discussions will take place. It will then be established if Unisa will remain with the lease agreement or purchase the property from the Municipality, and we will then have an idea on when the facility will officially be open.”
While the Municipality maintains that progress has been made, the extended delays and shifting approach to the agreement raise legitimate questions around timelines and delivery. The outcome of the upcoming engagements between UNISA and the Municipality will be critical in determining whether the project regains momentum or faces further uncertainty.
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One Response
I commend the progress made by the Newcastle municipality thus far.I would like to suggest that the lease agreement is a workable and plausible solution as this will benefit both the municipality in terms of raising funds,( as supported by the Public Finance Management Act) and local residents in terms of service delivery,job opportunities and the towns GDP. However,this initiative will be a fatal exercise if the local Academics and ordinary citizens are not prioritised for job opportunities and excluded in decision making processes. I thank you
Mr Nkosinathi Magwaza