By Lebone Rodah Mosima
Africa Skills Training and Management Services has bought Telkom’s former learning campus in Olifantsfontein, Gauteng, with plans to redevelop the site into one of the country’s largest artisan training hubs.
The 24.7-hectare property, which includes more than 23,500 m² of purpose-built education and training facilities, was acquired by the vocational training company as part of a corporate disposal transaction handled by Broll Auctions and Sales.
Africa Skills Chief Business Development Manager Phillip Harmse said the company had been eyeing the property for some time because its other Gauteng campuses were smaller and full.
“We have had our eye on this property for some time. Our other campuses in Gauteng are smaller and full, so we were struggling with capacity, and this location is perfect. It offers easy access and will serve a significant need in the country,” Harmse said.
“We are happy with the deal we secured for premises of this size, and our intention is to stay true to the building’s origins and history, redeveloping the campus into a work-integrated vocational education and innovation hub for the manufacturing, mining and agricultural sectors.”
Programmes at the campus will include training for millwrights, boilermakers, welders, electricians and plumbers, alongside a new agricultural offering covering plant production, fruit, grains and a poultry-focused livestock component.
“Our qualifications combine theory, practical training and workplace experience over three years, with students spending half their time on campus and half placed with companies so that they add value to employers from day one,” Harmse said.
Existing lecture halls, classrooms and accommodation facilities will be supplemented by modern hybrid learning environments, artisan workshops, agricultural training infrastructure and sustainable campus improvements, developed in collaboration with industry and education partners.
The first intake is targeted for February 2027, with around 2,000 students expected at the campus once enrolment plans are finalised.
“The expansion of Africa Skills into a new, larger premises is in response to a need for additional vocational capacity,” Harmse said.
“South Africa’s labour market requires roughly 30 000 artisans a year, while the country currently produces only 15 000 to 20 000.”
Broll Auctions and Sales Director Jayson-lee Collins said the property was sold through a competitive auction process, with five registered bidders bidding on the day.
“The education sector, from a property perspective, is seeing a strong uptick in transactions. We have concluded some of the country’s biggest property transactions in the educational sector in the past two years including the sale of Johannesburg’s FNB Conference Centre on Grayston Drive and Mayfair Convent.”
The disposal of the Olifantsfontein campus formed part of Telkom’s strategy of unlocking value from non-core assets while enabling new investment and economic development.
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