Giyani hawkers eager to cater for new TUT students
The anticipated opening of TUT's Giyani campus has sparked excitement among hawkers who see potential financial opportunities.
LIMPOPO – The anticipated opening of a Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) campus in Giyani is generating excitement among residents, particularly hawkers who see it as a great opportunity to erect stalls to cater to students who will flock to the university.
The campus, which once served as a teachers’ training college, produced many graduates, including former Giyani Mayor Pat Hlungwani, before its closure in 2003. Since then, the college has been partially occupied by education circuits, while the remaining space was rented to tenants for a small monthly fee.
This arrangement worked well until around 2015, when the college decided to evict all tenants, citing renovations as the reason for their removal. Some residents left, while others stayed behind, which opened the door to a wave of illegal occupiers who lived there for free and vandalised the facility.
Owner of the facility, Greater Giyani Municipality (GGM) recently granted the university a permission-to-occupy document, signed by municipal manager Duncan Khoza during a ceremonial handover held in Polokwane. This permits TUT to begin renovating the college in preparation for its new campus.
However, after news of the college being converted into a TUT campus reached the community with the first online classes expected to begin by January next year, many locals saw this as an opportunity to build market stalls to cater to the influx of students who will be flocking to the area for an education.
GGM spokesperson Steve Mavunda has warned that the municipality would demolish any illegal structures built in the vicinity of the campus without warning to keep the area attractive for investors.
“People need to be aware that any illegal structure built near the entrance to Giyani College will be demolished without warning. The area is earmarked for significant development, and illegal structures could compromise its appeal. If any structure is to be built in the vicinity of the college, it will be built by the municipality in collaboration with TUT. That could come in the form of a mini taxi rank to accommodate students or anything that would add value to the facility. Other than that, no structure is allowed there,” he said.
A day after the municipality was notified about encroaching illegal structures at the college entrance, it warned hawkers to remove their structures themselves or face removal by the municipality. Presently the area is free of illegal structures, as all of them were demolished after the municipality’s warning.
Meanwhile, the opening of the TUT campus is expected to boost the local economy with opportunities for job creation, from construction work to administrative roles within the university.
Local businesses are also expected to benefit, including accommodation, restaurants, and transport services.
