Inside solidarity's R3.2bn private varsity mega-project - Cape is next

Key topics:Akademia’s R3.2bn Pretoria campus construction gains momentumFirst students expected as Pretoria campus opens in 2028Akademia secures land for major new Western Cape campus.By Hanno Labuschagne.New photos of construction activity at Solidarity’s R3.2-billion Akademia private university campus in Pretoria East reveal substantial progress since the project officially kicked off in January 2026.Akademia recently also announced it secured land for a second comprehensive campus to be built in the Western Cape.Francois van Vuuren, real estate director at the campus’s developer, Kanton, shared photos of buildings in the planned academic node of the Pretoria East campus on LinkedIn.Facilities in this section will include lecture rooms, laboratories, a student centre and cafeteria, coffee shops, offices, a library, learning centres, and an amphitheatre.“Akademia campus in Pretoria is making good progress,” he said. “Around 2,500 students and 400 staff are going to be here daily.”.Read more:.Richard Wilkinson: Court victory brings new twist to Pretoria Girls saga.The campus is set to welcome its first students in January 2028, after its first R1.8-billion phase is completed. It will include the core academic facilities and a residence with beds for 750 students.The campus is located on a 220-hectare site in the Mooiplaats area next to Boschkop Road, which connects to Graham Road, about 8km from its intersection with Solomon Mahlangu Drive.Kanton previously highlighted the immense scale of the project, which began with the removal of 360,000 m³ of soil during ground earthworks in 2025.The soil could fill about 10,000 typical train wagons, which would run roughly 140km when connected end-to-end.The campus’ infrastructure will include 23km of underground water pipes and 19.3 million litres of water storage, 40km of optical fibre cables, and 30,000m² of tar for roads and parking.The two main contractors for the development are JC van der Linde and Venter Bouers, which were also responsible for delivering Solidarity’s Sol-Tech technical college campus.The campus will include courses across all five of Akademia’s existing faculties, which currently offer 20 Department of Higher Education-recognised degrees, certificates, and diplomas, all in Afrikaans.Land secured for Western Cape campus.Akademia has operated two smaller full-time campuses with residences in Pretoria for several years. It also launched an interim third campus in Paarl, Western Cape, in 2026.That facility will be replaced by a fully-fledged campus on 105 hectares of land in the Boschenmeer area, near the Paarl campus in the Western Cape.On 29 May, Akademia announced it secured the Vêrgesig terrain, which is said to have the ideal topography for an integrated campus development that can serve 3,000 students.The property will also be developed by Kanton, which is currently carrying out the required urban planning processes to secure development rights.Akademia managing director Marthinus Visser said the dream was to build a beautiful campus at the foot of the Wemmershoek Mountains with all the necessary facilities for a residential student campus.“A waterway flowing into the Berg River provides additional support for the site’s future water needs,” it said.“On clear days, the view stretches from Vêrgesig to Table Mountain and the Afrikaans Language Museum and Monument.”Akademia said the land transaction was made possible by the exceptional goodwill and trust of the community in the Western Cape.The institution received several appeals from the Afrikaans community in the province to also set up a full-time campus.“The goodwill of the Afrikaans community in the Western Cape deeply moved everyone involved,” said Kanton managing director Henk Schalekamp.“From the outset, this project testifies to what is possible when communities build a shared future together.”Photos of Akademia Pretoria East university campus construction in May 2026.This article was first published by MyBroadband and is republished with permission..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox every morning on weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa's bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here.

Inside solidarity's R3.2bn private varsity mega-project - Cape is next

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