Unizulu’s R160-million City Campus expansion

Mike Khuboni


A major R160-million city campus for the University of Zululand (Unizulu) is on the cards for Richards Bay. The uMhlathuze municipality has given its blessing to the development, which is a long-term investment over 13 years.
Unizulu, tucked away in KwaDlangezwa just south of Empangeni, sees its future growth in offering career-focused programmes in northern KwaZulu-Natal in general and uMhlathuze (Empangeni/Richards Bay) – as an aspiring metro council – in particular, says Rector & Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Rachel V. Gumbi.

This project is fully supported by the uMhlathuze Coucil. The council believes such a development would be of benefit to the City’s business community, with the University presently some distance from the urban centre and not easily accessible to prospective students who wish to study on a part time basis in the evenings. The council sees this project as a logical extension by Unizulu and will make an enormous difference to its growth.

Unizulu was established in 1959 with just 41 students, the University had its main campus at KwaDlangezwa and a satellite facility at Umlazi, which closed in January 2005. Funded initially by the Department of Bantu Affairs and later by the KwaZulu Homeland Government, it was granted full autonomy in 1984 and has a present enrolment of some 10 000 students – making the campus almost a city of its own. In 2000 the Government decided Unizulu should be a stand-alone institution to service communities in northern KZN to provide skills and expertise – focusing on teaching, nursing and agriculture and technical skills for the industrial area of Richards Bay. Its bold new vision was to be the leading rural-based comprehensive university providing quality career-focused education including research in the social and natural sciences in partnership with the local and global community. Its mission was to offer relevant programmes that responded to the development needs of society – and this included providing the skills necessary for employment in highly industrialised Richards Bay.

Unizulu’s intention is to create of a City Campus at a site close to all amenities with easy access for both full and part-time students in an aesthetically appealing building which would add value to the fast growing City of uMhlathuze. The proposed site would be close to the Richards Bay civic centre and the R400 million extension to the Boardwalk shopping centre.

Adapting to changes and demands gave rise to plans for a City Campus offering degrees, diplomas and certificates in business, commerce, law and public administration, I.T. and, in further phases, science and technology. UniZulu has been offered finance from the Department of Education, the Development Bank of Southern Africa and other donor organisations to fund the construction of the buildings and other infrastructure.

The new campus would be built in five defined phases and the following three important phases forms a backbone of this project:

*Phase 1 (2007 – 2009): During the first phase, a building will be constructed for the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Administration.

*Phase 2 (2010 – 2012): This phase will accommodate the Faculty of Science and Agriculture.

*Phase 3 (2013 – 2015): This phase will see the central structure of the Campus being completed, including venues that will be made available to both public and private sector organisations.

Initially, the city campus will be offering degree, diploma and certificate programmes in Business, Commerce, Law, Public Administration, and Information Technology, and in the second and later phases, Science and Technology will follow.

Unizulu annually contributes about R300 million to the local economy and expects this to grow by at least R100 million in the next five years. In the early stages it will employ about 90 academic, administration and support personnel. Construction costs over the next 13 years of development will involve an investment of R160 million.

The University has created local partnerships with the Umfolozi FET College which has campuses at Richards Bay and Esikhawini and other centres in Zululand, while regional links include the University of KZN, UNISA, DUT, Mangosuthu Technikon and the Coastal FET College in Durban, especially in teacher education and other vocational courses such as business. It also has joint programmes with a number of U.S. universities. Unizulu has set up an office to cater for the needs of international students and the City Campus is likely to also enroll students from neighbouring Mozambique and other SADC countries.

The proposed site of the new campus had a number of advantages, including easy access, adequate transport network to and from the facility, safe and controlled access to students and improved status because of its local within a city centre. Appealing to the local council to endorse the identified site, the University said it was keen to partner with the City of uMhlathuze and the business community to development the region.

The temporary University of Zulund campus at Tuzu Gazi, Richards Bay have started offering limited programmes for evening part-time students. It is envisaged that more programmes will be offered in 2009 onwards in various disciplines.Currently the following programmes are already offered . The National Higher Certificate in Accounting, National Higher Diploma in Accounting. National Higher Certificate in Public Relations and the National Higher Diploma in Public Relations.



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