{"id":620698,"date":"2025-11-28T13:08:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T11:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=620698"},"modified":"2025-11-28T13:44:01","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T11:44:01","slug":"new-university-breaks-ground-in-south-africa-40km-fibre-cable-23km-of-water-pipes-and-enough-tar-to-cover-four-rugby-fields","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/science\/620698-new-university-breaks-ground-in-south-africa-40km-fibre-cable-23km-of-water-pipes-and-enough-tar-to-cover-four-rugby-fields.html","title":{"rendered":"New university breaks ground in South Africa \u2014 40km fibre cable, 23km of water pipes, and enough tar to cover four rugby fields"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Solidarity’s private Afrikaans university, Akademia, and real estate developer Kanton have broken ground on a new R3.2-billion residential full-time campus on the outskirts of Pretoria East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A sod-turning ceremony on Friday at the Mooiplaats site on Boschkop Road, about eight kilometres from Solomon Mahlangu Drive, marked the start of the project’s first phase of construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Akademia said the project is the largest of its kind in the history of the Afrikaans language and cultural communities in terms of higher education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Phase one of the project, which has an investment value of R1.8 billion, represents the core of the future campus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ground preparation has already begun, while full-scale construction activities are scheduled to commence in January 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first phase will include construction of numerous state-of-the-art lecture halls, advanced laboratories, dedicated research spaces, staff spaces, and various support facilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The design will further emphasise the integration of innovative spaces, technology, and fluent human interaction,” Akademia said. Other infrastructure highlights in this phase include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
2,500-square-metre student centre <\/li>\n\n\n\n
Residences for about 750 students, after which the capacity will be expanded to 1,500 during the second phase<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Large entry point to the academic campus called Die Poort (“the gate”), which consists of eight arches of 18 metres each<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Amphitheatre with a capacity for 1,500 people <\/li>\n\n\n\n
Chapel plaza surrounded by water canals and gardens<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Dome structure of glass and steel, 20 metres high and 32 metres in diameter<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
The project will require the relocation of more than 220,000 cubic metres of land and 7.1 million bricks for buildings and other structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Supporting infrastructure will include 30,000 square metres of tarmac roads, 23 kilometres of underground pipes, and 19.3-million-litre water storage capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To facilitate Internet connectivity, 40 kilometres of new optical fibre cable will be deployed. The main contractors for the first phase will be JC van der Linde and Venter Bouers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These companies were also responsible for the successful delivery of the Sol-Tech campus, which was completed early and under budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kanton managing director Henk Schalekamp said the chosen main contractors’ experience, expertise, discipline, and shared values attest to their designation as the team to handle this complex development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Akademia-sod-turning-edited.jpg\")