Kuruman TVET College Plans On a Roll
Press Release
To: All Media
16 November 2021
The John Taolo Gaetsewe Developmental Trust Management team under the CEO Mr. Tumelo Mpolokeng, accompanied by Mr. Tao Mutsago and the team from SIOC-cdt, today 16 November 2021, took a benchmarking site tour to the Waterberg TVET College in Thabazimbi in the Limpopo Province. The meeting is in partnership with Department of Higher Education and Training, Northern Cape Rural TVET College and Waterberg TVET College. The meeting was to kickstart plans to build a TVET College in Kuruman.
“We are a generation that will change the status quo in the FET sector in our district, we need to break the chains of poverty by tackling high rate of unemployment which is exacerbated by high level of illiteracy due to lack of FET centres. This noble concept emanates from years in memoriam and it’s time for actual implementation of this massive infrastructure that our students deserves. Our visit was to understudy the Waterberg TVET college model and see how we can implement something more similar in Kuruman, in collaboration with all potential funders or stakeholders. The plans have to start now for us to fully implement this project,and if we don’t do it, who will? This will become a legacy project for all stakeholders, and the challenge now is for everyone to dig deep in their pockets to achieving this. Northern Cape, specifically Kuruman, has the capability to pull this anticipated infrastructure off the ground considering the number of mines we have in the area, and we need to chant from the same hymn book as it can only be possible through collective effort.” JTGDT CEO Mr. Tumelo Mpolokeng said after the meeting.
Higher Education and Training Director Mr. Sedibe appreciated the coordinated efforts of all stakeholders in kickstarting the discussions to roll out the TVET College, “Us as the Department of Higher Education & Training need stakeholders in the developmental space like community development trusts as well as mining companies to build a multi campus facility in Kuruman. The model in Thabazimbi will need massive support from all role- players to be pulled off in Kuruman, and we believe all of us coordinated, it will be achieved. A task team will be set up comprising of all stakeholders and we will keep updating the community”.
Mr Foutie, the Kuruman Campus Manager emphasised the importance of this meeting and implementing resolutions from the meeting, “the discussions for a college started in 1999, we have grown steadily as a college but have faced serious infrastructure challenges. Currently we have 831 students enrolled, and can accommodate only 300. We have resorted to leasing nearby churches as classrooms, and the moving around of students in a busy road also affects their studies. We are really excited about the meeting and we remain hopeful that it will yield positive results. Partners such as the JTG Trust have been supporting us, and we believe they will be the champions of this project in partnership with other funders and stakeholders”.
In the words of Mario De Andrade “I have no time for endless meetings where the statutes, rules, procedures and internal regulations are discussed, knowing that nothing will be done. My time is too short: I want the essence; my spirit is in a hurry. I do not have much candy in the package anymore.” These words will echo in the minds of all stakeholders as discussions unfold.
‘DRIVING HIGH IMPACT SUSTAINABLE CHANGE’
End.
Released by:-
Modiri Gabaatlhole (Stakeholder Relations & Communications Officer)
Contact: 083 357 7250
Email: modiri@jtgd-trust.co.za
