GEORGE NEWS - A huge new campus for the South Cape College that will accommodate about 6 000 students is set to become a reality. It has been made possible after the George Council approved the exchange of a piece of its own land for the property of the college on the corner of Hibernia and Cradock streets.
The move will almost double the current number of students (6 400) that are being served by the six campuses of the college. It applied in 2014 for the acquisition of the municipal land in question - 23 hectares located along the R102, close to the traffic circle linking York Street and Pacaltsdorp.
However, the municipality proposed that an exchange be done and the college had to obtain approval from the Department of Higher Education and Training, which has now been granted. College principal Elsie Potgieter says the George campus exceeds its current capacity of 750 with more than double the number of students.
The new campus will be an addition to the other five campuses in Riversdale (Hessequa campus), Mossel Bay, Bitou, Beaufort West and Oudtshoorn, that will continue operating.
Facilities will include workshops for all the new QCTO (Quality Council for Trades and Occupations) qualifications and apprenticeships, computer halls, a student centre, administration centre, hostels, sport grounds, a sport hall, theory halls, a conference facility, entrepreneurship centre, innovation centre and various other career-orientated training facilities.
"We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to develop a new campus. This will enable the college to expand its services to George and surrounding communities," says Potgieter. Financial backing for the development will be mainly from the Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta).
According to a report that was tabled in Council, the municipality urgently needs to extend office space in and around York Street because it is expanding rapidly. The buildings of the current George campus in Hibernia Street are ideally situated for municipal service delivery in the future.
Being located on main routes, the land on the R102 is also well-suited for a college campus, being accessible to local and migrant students and close to amenities in the CBD and potential residential accommodation opportunities.
Rezoning (from undetermined to rights for a place of instruction) and subdividing as well as environmental approval processes will have to run their course before construction can start.
The exchange of properties will take place only after the college has relocated successfully.
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