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CHAKAZA WINS UNESWA CLASSROOMS TENDER

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MBABANE – UNESWA has awarded a tender to construct classrooms and offices to Chakaza Holding Company.

The construction follows a donation made by mining mogul, Dr Patrice Motsepe, in 2018 wherein he contributed E10 million towards the tertiary institutions coffers. The University of Eswatini Registrar, Dr Salebona Simelane, confirmed that the money was put to use. He said it would be utilised in the construction of  a number of buildings in two campuses – Mbabane and Kwaluseni. The company is said to have partnered with Eswatini Asset Developers to subcontract in the construction of the said buildings. This follows a hand-over that was done at the end of January, 2020.

A visit to the tertiary institution revealed that the site had already been established. The place where the construction shall be done is already demarcated and with warning signs informing passers by that construction was underway. On the other hand, Dr Simelane said the money would construct classrooms and offices at the two aforementioned campuses. “The university invited tenderers and one was awarded. The construction will commence soon,” he said. Meanwhile, according to impeccable sources, the construction is being stalled by the issuance of the environmental assessment report which is still to be issued.

Donation

The mining mogul donated a sum of E10 million to UNESWA through the Motsepe Foundation.  This was not the first time Motsepe had made a donation to the institution, where he attained his Degree, as in 2003 he donated E150 000.  Motsepe is no stranger to the country as he completed his O’Level in 1979 at St Mark’s High School before he proceeded to UNESWA, where he completed his Bachelor of Arts in Law in 1984. The billionaire, who was born in Soweto on January 28, 1962 later trekked back to his country to pursue his studies at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. Speaking when making the donation, the mining magnate said; “On behalf of the Motsepe Foundation, we are going to donate E10 million. 

“They will tell us where they will use the money as I have no clue of where it is needed the most.” This was during the 2018 graduation ceremony and it was met with an applause from the attendants, especially students, as some were heard shouting that the money should be used to pay students’ allowances while some said it should bail out non-government sponsored students. Be that as it may,  Motsepe pointed out that the money should benefit all students academically by making learning smooth. Expanding  on his remarks, he added that he sits on the advisory committee of Harvard University in America.   He said being part of the committee was a learning experience as he gets to interact with the most successful academics worldwide as well as prominent entrepreneurs and businesspeople.

Identifying

Therefore, he advised UNESWA’s Vice Chancellor Professor Justice Mandla Thwala on the importance of identifying its competitive advantage in order for the institution to be a number one option worldwide.  He said they were classmates with UNESWA’s Vice Chancellor. Dr Motsepe said UNESWA should not only be preferred locally but throughout the world. He said the pool of students produced by the institution should be among the most sought after by employers. He said such would create a smooth ground for those who wanted to start their businesses.

“A degree from the University of Eswatini must compete and stand on its own with other universities allover the world,” Motsepe said. He said he was optimistic that the pool of students produced by the institution was the best. He said this was because almost all the lecturers who taught him were still serving at UNESWA. He said this could be achieved through the support of His Majesty King Mswati III, Council, UNESWA and lecturers. It was possible that all the students who were conferred with their degrees would be able to apply for employment anywhere as they were trained from the best institution.

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