our view
If there’s anything that has occurred recently that made me feel proud, it was the official launch and sod-turning ceremony for the University of Mpumalanga (UMP).
There’s been an outcry for such an institution for many years and many leaderships have passed by without delivering such an important institution to the people of Mpumalanga. Neither the apartheid regime nor the Bantustan government of Kangwane under the late Dr Enos Mabuza, could deliver one to the province.
One wonders why that is the case when the province is full of academics and some have denied the opportunity to pursue further studies because of the high expenses involved. As we speak, many of us are up to our necks with too many expenses as we have children at universities in Gauteng and other provinces costing us a fortune.
It’s a pity that some of the faculties will not be immediately available as it will be developed in different phases, but it’s a blessing in disguise for learners who will be complete high school in the next five years, as they will have access to a university right on their doorstep.
It’s hats off to our provincial government, the local municipality, the department of higher learning and training and most importantly, the Shongwe clan who donated the land for the project. For the first time I experience the notion of the ruling party that working together we will do more, as the Shongwes have proven by their contribution. As the minister of higher learning and training, Dr Blade Nzimande warned the people of Mpumalanga, that no matter how angry they got, they should not destroy property aiding in their own development. He said they should seek other ways of resolving problems than resorting to vandalism.
I fully support him. At one stage in Zwelisha, a few years ago, the community burnt down a clinic on a Sunday during a serice delivery protest, and the next morning, the very same people lined up outside the burnt clinic, waiting for a service which they had destroyed the previous day. What a pity that we never think of the end result of the decisions we make as a community.
