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In her University Opening Address recently, WSU Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Rushiella Nolundi Songca, raved about University’s infrastructure projects as a key achievement amongst others.
Situated in the heart of the Eastern Cape Province, WSU has long been regarded as a beacon of higher education in the region. In 2021, under the leadership of Songca, the university embarked on a full renewal initiative to modernise its facilities and ensure that students have access to state-of-the-art resources.
“In January 2021, we were one of the worst performing institutions when it came to the spending of infrastructure grants. I made a promise to the Department of Higher Education in April 2021 that we are going to make sure that we improve in terms of the spending of infrastructure grants because we have policies in place that will enable us to do so,” said Songca.
Addressing the University stakeholders, Songca said that WSU is now recognised as one of the few universities that have done the impossible by renovating its campuses. She stated that there is Wi-Fi connection and cameras across all campuses.
WSU Chief Operations Officer, Sinethemba Mpambane, said: “WSU had very dilapidated infrastructure across all its campuses and that infrastructure dilapidated over several years of neglect. Now we started rigorous renovations in 2021 and as part of Vision2030. All I can say is that the Zamukulungisa site renovations are 90% revamped , with the exception of the library and the few offices that are still pending.”
Mpambane further noted that renovations have been completed on 60% of the residences and the East Teaching Mall at the Nelson Mandela Drive site. In Butterworth, residential units have also undergone renewal, while all residences in East London are relatively new. He added that, new classrooms and offices have been constructed in Grey Street in Komani.
“In Potsdam we are currently building a Faculty of Engineering building that is going to host laboratories for mechanical, electrical and civil engineering. We are also going to have laboratories that will be built for Information Technology, but most importantly we are going to have lecture venues, an auditorium and offices for our academic staff. https://bit.ly/EngineeringFaculty
Mpambane stated that works on the building started in November 2023 and the plan is for it to be finished by December 2024. Songca also cited that the Nelson Mandela Delivery site will also be new by 2025.
Songca further explained that part of the reason students at times are so angry is that they feel that the university is not taking them seriously as human beings. Therefore, somehow their dignity is impaired, but when spaces like these are created, then the university addresses that aspect of the problem.
“One of the things we need to do as managers is to inculcate a culture among our students to take care of these buildings and these classes and defend them and not for them to destroy them,” concluded Songca.
Songca concluded by saying that In October 2022 they received reports from DHET that WSU was now amongst the best 10 performing institutions when it comes to infrastructure grant spending and the latest report which we received in March 2023 stated that WSU was the second performing institution.
By Anita Roji
