Construction of the first phase of private Afrikaans university Akademia's new R3.2-billion campus on the eastern outskirts of Pretoria is progressing well.
Construction of phase one of the new R3.2-billion campus of the private Afrikaans university Akademia in Pretoria East is progressing well, with the facility expected to be ready for handover within a year.
That is according to an update from Francois van Vuuren, development manager at Kanton, the property investment arm executing the project on behalf of Akademia.
“We are aiming to start giving Akademia occupancy around the end of August 2027,” Van Vuuren said in a recent interview with Forum Nuus.
Van Vuuren explained that the handover would enable the deployment of equipment, furniture, and tech in the completed kitchen, cafeteria, laboratories, and classrooms.
“The idea is to get an occupancy certificate from the Tshwane council in December 2027, and then the campus can kick off classes in January 2028,” Van Vuuren said.
Four major parts of the core academic node are already at an advanced stage of construction, rising several floors above the ground. These are:
The new university is being built next to Boschkop Road on the eastern outskirts of Pretoria. The road connects with Graham Road about 6km from Solomon Mahlangu Drive.
Following many years of planning and approval processes, Kanton began ground earthworks at the university’s construction site in the second half of 2025.
The facility is funded through voluntary contributions from Solidarity members and donors, as well as from businesses and other supporters in the Afrikaans community.
Construction officially kicked off in January 2026, and Solidarity, Akademia, and Afriforum have provided new photos and videos of the site’s progress every few weeks.
The first phase’s buildings alone will cover about 55,000 square metres, including student residences for 750 beds in addition to the academic node.
View of the academic node under construction from a koppie overlooking the campus.
Akademia and Kanton are independent entities, but have benefited from funding and support from the Solidarity Movement.
Former South African minister Naledi Pandor and former University of Free State rector Jonathan Jansen have criticised the campus’s development.
Pandor described the campus as a concerning effort to reproduce privilege and isolate communities, specifically taking issue with Akademia’s link to Afriforum through their shared parent Solidarity.
“It is a massive challenge because we are battling centuries of racism and colonialism, and those who have held control do not let go easily,” she said.
“Instead, they find alternative ways. They recruit entrepreneurs to act as their tools and work against you.”
Jansen argued that institutions like Akademia harmed young South Africans by limiting students’ exposure to diversity, critical thinking, and diverse perspectives.
Solidarity Movement chairperson Flip Buys welcomed the criticism, arguing that it had often strengthened support for Akademia and other institutions to develop independent places of learning.
“We are not bothered by her remarks. We simply continue building. I see these remarks as an attempt to divert attention from the ANC’s own failures,” Buys said.
“Statements like these do not deter us. On the contrary, they only motivate us to build Akademia — and Sol-Tech — faster and stronger.”
Sol-Tech is a technical vocational college with its primary campus in Centurion. It was completed early and under budget, despite delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two main construction firms working on the Akademia campus — JC van der Linde and Venter Projects — also led the development of the Sol-Tech campus.
Satellite photo showing the site of the Akademia campus on the eastern outskirts of Pretoria in March 2025, a few months before groundworks began. Credit: Airbus/Google Earth.
Satellite photo of the Akademia campus on the eastern outskirts of Pretoria in May 2026, five months into construction. Credit: Airbus/Google Earth.
Satellite photo showing the site of the Akademia campus on the eastern outskirts of Pretoria in July 2026, seven months into construction. Credit: Airbus/Google Earth.
