NWU plans a mining campus in Rustenburg to boost education, jobs, skills, and mineral beneficiation from 2027 to 2030.
North-West University is planning to build a mining campus in Rustenburg, the region’s mining hub which produces the bulk of the country’s platinum.
The campus, which will be constructed from 2027 to 2030, is listed as one of the three major strategic projects the university has planned, along with a medical school with hospital tertiary capability and university enterprise.
Vice-chancellor and principal Prof Bismark Tyobeka emphasised its potential to enhance educational access for those in critical need, particularly those from low-income backgrounds.
NWU plans mining campus to expand access to education
But, he said, the initiative would not only create jobs and develop skills among the youth, it would also significantly enhance mineral beneficiation in the country.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasised the importance of mineral beneficiation to create jobs and strengthen the economy.
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The North-West University mining faculty is expected to join other strategic projects on the varsity’s books.
The Desmond Tutu School of Medicine, named after the late anti-apartheid cleric Desmond Tutu, is currently under construction.
It is expected to open its doors to the first 80 medical undergraduates in January 2028.
Doors opening in 2028
Tyobeka received the green light from the university council to start the medical school, which was approved by the state, to also provide academic health services to local hospitals.
This is part of higher education and training, and health departments’ expansion of tertiary health care and science research to hospitals outside of Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
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