By Charmaine Ndlela
Walter Sisulu University (WSU) has urged the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to create an enabling environment for online and blended learning, a move the institution believes could increase its overall enrolment from about 30,000 to 60,000 students.
WSU Council Chairperson, Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, said the university had received more than 500,000 applications from first-year students for 2026, but only had space to admit about 7,000.
“The system is deliberately producing young people who will never acquire the skills needed to participate in the economy. At the very least, we should accommodate them within virtual walls,” Ngcukaitobi said.
The call follows an oversight visit by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher Education on Monday, aimed at highlighting and addressing long-standing challenges faced across WSU campuses.
Committee Chairperson, Honourable Walter Teboho Letsie, said the visit was a direct response to concerns raised by staff, students and the broader WSU community.
“The reason we came to this campus is because of the various issues and challenges faced by staff, students and the WSU community,” Letsie said.
The committee acknowledged frustrations caused by ongoing pressures, including inadequate infrastructure, with campuses such as Komani requiring urgent refurbishment.
In response, the committee proposed exploring a joint oversight mechanism between the Portfolio Committees on Higher Education and Public Works, as the land occupied by WSU falls under the authority of the Department of Public Works.
Reaffirming Parliament’s broader mandate, Letsie said, “We must, as a committee, exercise our responsibilities to empower and improve the conditions of our universities so that students can prosper and become productive members of society, capable of changing the socio-economic trajectory of this country.”
Ngcukaitobi also highlighted severe water shortages on campus, noting that students are sometimes forced to carry buckets in search of water. He appealed to the DHET to support the university in securing sustainable infrastructure solutions.
“There is a clear path towards building and completing a self-sufficient water system for the campus and the greater Whittlesea community, which will benefit students, staff and the public,” he said.
The committee acknowledged the issue of stabilising the campus water supply.
“We saw the pump station the university is building to address critical water infrastructure needs, and from my perspective, the efforts are satisfactory thus far,” Letsie noted.
Despite these challenges, WSU reported that it has registered 27,608 students to date and confirmed its readiness to roll out the 2026 teaching and learning programme across all campuses.
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