Nkandla to have its own colleg

Nkandla to have its own college

Construction of a new state-of-the-art technical vocation and training [TVET] college is under way near the Nkandla CBD, and if all goes according to plan, it will be up and running by January next year, Nkandla Mayor Thami Ntuli said on Monday.

Nkandla to have its own colleg

According to a statement released by the Presidency on December 31, 2015, the college was part of 15 TVET colleges being built around the country.

Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande announced in Nkandla that the college would be built in the area.

According to the Leads2Business website, the campus was being built by the Department of Higher Education and Training for the main Umfolozi TVET College at Nkandla B, previously known as an FET college, in the Uthungulu District Municipality in Kwazulu-Natal.

Speaking to News24 at his office at the Nkandla Municipality, which is governed by the Inkatha Freedom Party, Ntuli said the municipality viewed education as a tool that could be used to improve the lives of the youth and citizens of Nkandla.

“I wrote to the Department of Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande requesting that the TVET be built here and after there were delays, I personally went to Pretoria to have a meeting with officials and senior directors in the department.

Bursaries for students

“We agreed that if we can provide land for the erection of the college then it would be built.”

Ntuli said he came back and he convinced council that a college was needed in Nkandla.

I tried to convince them not to sell the municipal land but to give it to the department for free for them to build a college.”

He said he had set aside funding for bursaries to be given to students who will be studying there.

“I will be taking 100 students to study and stay at the residence for free and I don’t expect them to pay a single cent because we see investing through skills as a solution to the situation here in Nkandla.”

Speaker of the local municipality Nonhlanhla Nzuza said construction began last year.

“We hope that by January, it will be up and running. We had a few challenges, especially with the drought, but we hope that everything will be sorted so that pupils can start next year,” said Nzuza.

She said the community was happy about the college and would benefit highly from it because its proximity meant there would be no need for parents to fork out money for accommodation.
(Amanda Khoza, News24)

‘Happy’

One of those hoping to enrol at the college was Emphahleni High School pupil Nomzamo Sikhakhane, 20.

Sikhakhane said she was very excited about the construction of the new college.

The Grade 12 learner said, “We are happy because we are going to study close to home and there will be no travelling. The costs will drop and everything will be easier now,” said Sikhakhane.

She said when the college opened next year she wanted to be among the first years enrolled there.

“I want to do marketing. I want to own my own business because I don’t want to work for anyone,” said the young woman from Esigcalabeni.

Khawulani Zulu (Amanda Khoza, News24)

Big dreams

Khawulani Zulu, 25, from Emadiyane said he never completed his matric.

“The college means a lot to us because we can study and get jobs, especially the youth.”

Zulu said he wanted to be a bodyguard protecting politicians.

“I want to be in the VIP protection unit. I would love to protect the mayor.”

He said when the college opens next year, he will also enrol there.

Samukelisiwe Africana, 30, said there was no need to travel to big cities such as Durban and Johannesburg to study.

“We will leave home, attend class and then return home,” said the woman from Ethalaneni.