The Sekhukhune Kingdom and its chiefs in Limpopo are livid over Tshwane University of Technology’s (TUT) silence on the building of a “promised” campus after a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
It is alleged that in May 2021, the Kingdom and TUT signed the MOU at the Royal house in Sekhukhune to build a campus that would accommodate students who would be interested in enrolling in mining related studies. At the time, it was widely reported that TUT and the Kingdom had identified the old Sekhukhune Teaching College as the site where the campus would be based as the college’s building was no longer being used.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor in Teaching, Learning and Technology, Professor Stanley Mukhola, at the time had endorsed the deal, saying the new campus would concentrate mining and agriculture to no avail.
“We are grateful to be accepted in the Sekhukhune area to start what I call, not a satellite, but a distant campus. So the idea is to start a new campus here focusing mainly on mining and agriculture. We believe in educating people. We realise that there is nothing dealing with mining; there is a very good infrastructure, the Sekhukhune training college, the old one, where we say now we can make use of that facility,” Mukhola reportedly said at the time.
Despite this, the university has been mum on the project four years later, sparking an outrage among the Bapedi people of Sekhukhune, who are saying they feel betrayed at the non-communication, especially from the Vice-Chancellor Professor Tinyiko Maluleke.
President Cyril Ramaphosa also endorsed the project in his visit during the burial of the late King Victor Thulare III.
Fuelling the anger was a meeting between the Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba, who had occupied office for just over a month, and Maluleke recently, over an establishment of a Giyani TUT campus, an idea - according to the Kingdom - that came after the Sekhukhune campus breaking ground.
The office of the premier recently wrote on social media: “Premier DR. Phophi Ramathuba recently met with the TUT delegation, led by Vice-Chancellor Prof Tinyiko Maluleke, to discuss the establishment of the Giyani TUT campus. The meeting was highly productive, yielding a positive outlook.”
This sparked more anger in the Kingdom with some saying this was bordering on tribalism because Maluleke was Shangaan-speaking, he preferred to build the campus in a Shangaan-populated area.
In a letter signed by prince Phatudi Thulare and the members of the royal council, seen by The Star, it states that they demand to see Maluleke so that they can forge a way forward, but some are threatening legal action.
“We request a formal engagement with the university… It has been four years since TUT signed the MOU with the kingdom of Bapedi nation, an event which was witnessed by the entire provincial and national community that created so much hope for the young and old generations in the Sekhukhune nation,” the letter read.
The letter expressed its disappointment with the university.
“We are deeply disappointed and concerned about the lack of communication and feedback in relation to the progress of the project, this despite the fact that the kingdom through its project management team has made several efforts to communicate with the university but such attempts have been ignored,” it read.
Responding to an inquiry from The Star, TUT’s spokesperson Phaphama Tshisikhawe acknowledged receipt of the letter but could not divulge as to when they would be meeting.
“University management has received and acknowledged receipt of the letter. The university will be contacting the representative of the Bapedi Kingdom to arrange a meeting with them. All inquiries regarding the ‘alleged utterances of the Limpopo premier’ should be directed to the office of premier of Limpopo,” she said.
Attempts to get the office of the premier spokesperson, Ndavhe Ramakuela, to comment resulted in nought despite promises that he would respond.
The Star