The Brakpan University Initiative

The Brakpan University Initiative is encouraging a University to be created among the incorporation of Hosking Park, Jan Smuts Park, the Customer care Centre Brakpan and all the land owned by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Council in that area which is approximately 200 hectare of vacant land and built up properties previously all owned and paid for by all the citizens of Brakpan. The already built site is a perfect venue for a University. It consists of approximately 20 000 sq. meters of built office space. It also caters to parking space, good roads, sports fields, Olympic size swimming pool, rugby stadiums, and gardens with park like features. An existing council chamber which can be used by the University, the replacement value today to be about R300 million. There is also the Brakpan Dam and Entertainment features as well as a Clinic, a Library, and an enclosed Sports Centre of approximately 7000 sq. meters. The park is also situated near an Athletic sports arena and Netball fields. There is also a sewerage farm nearby which could be used for Water and Waste-water Treatment studies as well as Plant Operation Theory testing. There are two main hospitals nearby, the Dalview that is 2km’s away and the Far East Rand Hospital 3km’s away. The location is within walking distance of the C.B.D of Brakpan, easy to access by train, taxi or car from anywhere in Ekurhuleni. There is also accessible cheap accommodation bordering the site. The replacement value in 2016 is approximately 3 -4 billion rand. All that is required for a University to function is some minor construction changes to be made to make it suitable as a teaching facility and will provide teachers employment and an administration body must be set up which will be provided by a prospective University to run it. It could be functioning within a short period of time and it can accommodate tens of thousands of students and will grow through time. A very important feature for the citizens of Ekurhuleni is that it is envisaged that students will be accommodated at home and visit the University for tuition and this will result in more affordable education for everyone rich and poor. Hopefully this will lead to an end to the current situation where our best students leave for a university education far away and many don’t return as they settle elsewhere once educated. We have estimated that in the last 20 years more than 100 000 young educated persons have left Ekurhuleni and settled elsewhere in the country. The Customer Care Centre, Clinic, Library and other Municipal requirements can be moved to vacant areas in the C.B.D of Brakpan which could be purchased or rented for very much lower prices than what the current buildings can generate in rental or sale. The difference less expenses should be incorporated into a Brakpan Town Council Education Fund to finance the youth of Brakpan and Ekurhuleni. So that we can put an end to the loss of our most outstanding and other students because of Government policy which favours existing universities by enlarging them instead of providing new Education Institutions for populations where they reside and so that these students can put back into the community what they have learnt and have accomplished.