Kimberley in the Northern Cape in South Africa is a sorry old mining town, but at the same time has the charms that you only find in a former mining community. The Kimberlite diamonds that made Rhodes, de Beers and the Oppenheimers some of the wealthiest people in history are mined out, and for a hundered years what has remained is literally a big hole, high unemployment, poverty and the inequality that is so prevalent across the country, but maybe even starker here. The Kimberley mine is the deepest hole in the world, and the 'former' here is ubiquitous. Everything seems to remind of something former... That 'former' includes some remaining gems too, like De Beers' stunning (but still private) mining archive, an excellent Africana Library, a resourceful museum, but nothing new.
Something is new.In 2013 a new public university was established in Kimberley named after its most famous son: Sol Plaatje. In 2017, Sol Plaatje University (SPU) has over 1,000 students and at the end of the year, it will celebrate its first degree graduation. The SPU students are pioneers, indeed, who study in a stunning facility and with academics that are fully invested in their students' success.
Today was my fourth time in Kimberley (visited the 'Great Hole' like any good tourist with my dad in 1999 on my first visit), and it was my second time at Sol Plaatje University. I spent the day as part of the HSRC delegation to SPU, exploring potential collaborations in research with colleagues here.
We heard Prof Yunus Ballim, the first Vice-Chancellor of SPU; we were hosted by Jerome September, the Head of Student Affairs here, and we had great discussions with the SPU colleagues who were mostly from the School of Humanities.
Prof Crain Soudien, the CEO of HSRC gave a most engaging presentation on the long transition and struggles in SA higher education, pointing out some extraordinary data like the 260% increase in black student enrollment since the 1990s, and more generally, the massive expansion of the black South African middle class since the end of apartheid. Universities are doing there part. SPU wants to do more.
We heard Prof Yunus Ballim, the first Vice-Chancellor of SPU; we were hosted by Jerome September, the Head of Student Affairs here, and we had great discussions with the SPU colleagues who were mostly from the School of Humanities.
Prof Crain Soudien, the CEO of HSRC gave a most engaging presentation on the long transition and struggles in SA higher education, pointing out some extraordinary data like the 260% increase in black student enrollment since the 1990s, and more generally, the massive expansion of the black South African middle class since the end of apartheid. Universities are doing there part. SPU wants to do more.
Sol Plaatje University is a city university and the first brand new university built in democratic South Africa. And she is beautiful. Some new buildings have gone up and they are just absolutely amazing. But the 'pioneering spirit' here is indeed ingrained, and the idea not only to be a university in the city, but a university that makes this city great, and this time focuses on unearthing and polishing the real gems: the people of Kimberley and the Northern Cape, so that like the Kimberlites of old, they may sparkle a precious light from Africa.
