A New Institutional Landscape for Higher Education in South Africa

The Government’s proposals would result in twenty-one higher education institutions and two National Institutes for Higher Education. This includes the proposals for institutional mergers announced in the National Plan, which are in the process of being implemented, namely:

• the merger of M L Sultan Technikon and Technikon Natal which came into effect on 1 April 2002;
• the merger of Technikon SA, the University of South Africa and the distance education campus of Vista University; and
• the incorporation of the Qwa Qwa Campus of the University of the North into the University of the Free State.

The consolidation in the number of institutions from 36 to 21 will not, however, lead to a decrease in provision, as all the existing sites of delivery would continue to operate, although in new institutional and organisational forms. The Government’s proposals would result in an institutional landscape consisting of:

• 11 Universities, 2 of which would be expected to develop career-focused technikon-type programmes to address regional needs.
• 6 Technikons.
• 4 Comprehensive Institutions, 3 of which would be established through the merger of a technikon and a university and 1 through the redevelopment and refocusing of an existing university.
• 2 National Institutes for Higher Education.

The  detailed proposals are as follows:

Eastern Cape

• Port Elizabeth Technikon and the University of Port Elizabeth will be merged, with the Port Elizabeth campus of Vista University incorporated into the merged institution. It will be a comprehensive institution offering both university and technikon-type programmes.
• Border Technikon and Eastern Cape Technikon will be merged, with two primary sites in East London and Umtata. The infrastructure of the University of Transkei will form the core of the academic activities in Umtata of the new technikon. It will also be used as a learning centre for the new dedicated distance education institution. This will ensure that there is vibrant and sustainable provision of higher education in Umtata with the focus on addressing the needs of the region, in particular, in teacher education, agriculture, rural development and tourism. The continued operation of the Butterworth campus of the Eastern Cape Technikon, will be determined by the merged technikon in consultation with the Ministry.
• The University of Fort Hare will be retained as a separate institution, incorporating the East London campus of Rhodes University and the Medical School of the University of the Transkei, which will remain in Umtata. It will focus on expanding access in the East London area. This proposal is in line with the recent decision of the Provincial Government to designate East London as an industrial development zone.
• Rhodes University will be retained as a separate institution.

Free State

• Technikon Free State will be retained as a separate institution, incorporating the Welkom campus of Vista University.
• The University of the Free State will be retained as a separate institution, incorporating the Bloemfontein campus of Vista University and the Qwa Qwa Campus of the University of the North, as previously announced in the National Plan for Higher Education.

Gauteng

• The Rand Afrikaans University and Technikon Witwatersrand will be merged to form a comprehensive institution, incorporating the East Rand and Soweto campuses of Vista University.
• The University of the Witwatersrand will be retained as a separate institution.
• The University of Pretoria will be retained as a separate institution, incorporating the Mamelodi campus of Vista University.
• Technikon Northern Gauteng, Technikon North-West and Technikon Pretoria will be merged. 
• The Vaal Triangle Technikon will be retained as a separate institution, incorporating the infrastructure and facilities of the Sebokeng campus of Vista University.
• The students and staff of the Sebokeng campus of Vista University will be incorporated into the Vaal Triangle campus of the merged Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education and the University of the North-West.

KwaZulu-Natal

• Mangosuthu Technikon will be merged with the new Durban Institute of Technology.
• The Umlazi campus of the University of Zululand will be transferred to the merged technikon.
• The University of Durban-Westville and the University of Natal (including the Pietermaritzburg campus) will be merged.
• The University of Zululand will refocus its mission and become a comprehensive institution offering technikon-type programmes as well as a limited number of relevant university-type programmes, with its future growth linked to the Richards Bay region.

Northern Province

• The University of the North, University of Venda and Medical University of Southern Africa will be merged. The new institution will extend the range of offerings available in the province by developing and introducing technikon-type vocational programmes and qualifications, in keeping with the needs-profile of the region.
• The Ministry of Education will, in consultation with the merged institution, assess, investigate and make decisions on the relocation (over the medium to long-term) of Medical University of Southern Africa’s programmes and infrastructure to the Northern Province.

North-West

• The Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education and the University of the North-West will be merged.
• The Vaal Triangle campus of Potchefstroom University will be retained as part of the merged institution, incorporating the students and staff (but not the facilities) of the Sebokeng campus of Vista University.  However, in the long term consideration will be given to whether the merged institution should continue to operate a campus in the Vaal Triangle.    

Western Cape

• The University of the Western Cape will be retained as a separate institution.
• The University of Cape Town will be retained as a separate institution.
• The University of Stellenbosch will be retained as a separate institution.
• The dentistry schools of the Universities of Western Cape and Stellenbosch will be merged into a single school, to be located at the University of the Western Cape.
• The Cape Technikon and Peninsula Technikon will be merged.
• The University of Cape Town and the University of Stellenbosch will discontinue offering undergraduate programmes in nursing education. These programmes should be offered by the University of the Western Cape and the merged technikon. 

National Institutes for Higher Education in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape

• National Institutes for Higher Education will be established in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape to serve as the administrative and governance hub for ensuring the coherent provision of higher education programmes, largely through programme collaboration between the higher education institutions currently operating in the two provinces.