Today on 1 August, the real estate development company Kanton launched the new campus development project of Akademia in Pretoria as part of the Toekomsbouer (future builder) campaign. This campus project is the largest development project in the history of the Afrikaans language and culture communities and represents a major historical turning point to ensure the sustainability of higher education in Afrikaans.

Akademia has been using interim infrastructure solutions since 2012. The full-time campus model started in 2021 and expanded so that there now are two campuses, four residences, two day houses as well as the administrative head office – currently situated at various sites in Centurion. The new comprehensive residential campus in the east of Pretoria will offer the institution the opportunity to consolidate its growth over the past decade and to give its future campus students a fixed address where they can experience an active and exciting student life.

“The new campus is the realisation of a big dream. This requires the strength of an aligned community that can achieve the seemingly impossible through unity and cooperation,” Marthinus Visser, managing director of Akademia, said. “In light of this, the Toekomsbouer campaign is a call on the community to become part of an incredible opportunity – something the Afrikaans language and culture communities have not experienced for quite some time. It offers an opportunity where hope and a legacy will be physically established.”

Project scope

The development will be located in Pretoria, eight kilometres from Solomon Mahlangu Drive on the Boschkop Road in the east of Pretoria. The new campus offers Akademia the opportunity to make available a complete and extensive academic programme offering across all its faculties that will meet the comprehensive demand of prospective students. This campus will also cater for 5 000 full-time undergraduate students and nearly 1 500 postgraduate students. Four men’s and four women’s residences will accommodate 1 500 students on campus.

“Phase one of the project will amount to approximately R1,8 billion and will be completed on 1 January 2028, while the total development cost will be more than R3 billion. The second phase involves the completion of the academic campus and residences, followed by the sports facilities, chapel and auditorium,” Henk Schalekamp, managing director of Kanton, explained.

“We are going to build a giant monument for Afrikaans higher education. These include office blocks, lecture halls, laboratories, an auditorium, dedicated research halls, a cafeteria, restaurants, coffee shops, a student centre, library, residences, staff accommodation and world-class sports facilities for rugby, cricket, netball, tennis, athletics, hockey, swimming, including indoor sports,” Schalekamp added. “There is also an experimental farm planned for the Faculties Natural Sciences and Agriculture.”

Project partners and financing

Kanton serves as a vehicle for financing the development of the new Akademia campus. Kanton was born from an innovative new approach for supporting Afrikaans cultural institutions. “Our business model is based on a partnership between culture and capital that promotes the objectives of community institutions by providing access to the necessary living spaces, but also as a full-fledged real estate investment company to offer both a financial and cultural return to its investors,” Schalekamp explained.

“Kanton’s success is confirmed by the Sol-Tech Campus, which was delivered on time and within budget. By developing projects such as a residence for Sol-Tech and now a campus for Akademia, Kanton proves its ability to grow and manage portfolios profitably. This while external investors will also be offered the opportunity to be part of this unique opportunity,” Schalekamp said.

To ensure that the structure and investment platform supports the goals of Kanton, the planning and structuring of the company was done in collaboration with Pallidus. The latter specialises in independent corporate financial advice, investment banking and investment management to enable the growth and expansion of Kanton in the various phases. The funding model has the characteristics of normal real estate and infrastructure models and is used to provide investment opportunities.

Kanton will initially approach institutions and wealthy individuals to get involved through an investment. When a critical amount of funds is raised for the project to continue, an opportunity will be offered to the community to get involved through smaller investments.

For now, to everyone together who are excited about the project, the call is simple: Dream together by becoming a future builder (toekomsbouer) and follow the progress of this great project at www.toekomsbouer.co.za. Further information for individual investments will be made available to campaign participants shortly.

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More about Akademia

Akademia is a Christian, classical and independent higher education institution from and for Afrikaans language and culture communities. Akademia strives to be an academic home where the mind and heart are shaped with a view to a free future. Students have a choice between an after-hours distance learning over a nationwide network of centres or via e-learning and full-time studies at two interim campuses in Centurion. The after-hour distance model is ideal for students who want to work or pursue other interests while studying. Since 2021, the full-time campus model has offered a safe home for Fonties (Akademia students) who attend class during the day and participate in a vibrant student life. Click here for more information about Akademia.