With the official launch of Akademia‘s new campus in Paarl, this independent Afrikaans higher education institution not only unveiled a modern facility but also symbolically laid down another building block for advancing the Afrikaans university system. The Paarl Campus* located at 1 Breda Street, Esterville, was magnificently introduced to the media, the community, and prospective students on Wednesday, 15 October 2025. Students studying on the full-time campus model will be able to start their studies here from 2026. Meanwhile, students who study via the after-hours distance model and make use of the institution’s centre network will also join here.

According to Marthinus Visser, managing director of Akademia, the campus launch essentially represents the perception of a cherished relationship of trust between the institution and the larger Afrikaans language and cultural communities in the Western Cape. This relationship is strengthened by a shared future-orientation, a vocation-driven servitude, and the great potential unlocked by mother-tongue education.

Visser says that the establishment of this campus was characterised as a collaborative project from the outset. “The community of Paarl and the wider Boland dreamed with us from the beginning. Business, alumni, parents, supporters, and partners joined hands, offering advice, resources, and faith in the institution’s vision. This campus doesn’t just belong to Academia; it belongs to everyone in the community who believes in the value of mother-tongue education.”

The community as the cradle of mother-tongue development

In turn, Prof Gawie du Toit, head of the Paarl campus, acknowledges the forerunners of mother-tongue education and, more so, the role of the Afrikaans language and cultural communities in Paarl and the Western Cape. “The Afrikaans language movement was born here, and the people of this region – teachers, poets, thinkers, and believers – have shown through their dedication that mother-tongue education is not a privilege, but a responsibility that communities must direct. The launch of the Paarl campus, in the centenary year of Afrikaans as an official language and 125 years after the establishment of the Society of True Afrikaners (Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners) (GRA), marks a moment in history where the cycle is completed. This campus pulses the heartbeat of the Afrikaans language and is a proud beacon of knowledge, culture, community, and language,” says Du Toit.

He adds that for Akademia, there is a deeper meaning in every expansion opportunity, whether it is the launch of its Paarl campus or the development of its world-class campus in the east of Pretoria. “Afrikaans lives in the classroom, but also in the community – in our thinking, our dreams and our service to each other,” says Du Toit. “It is our dream that this campus will be a homecoming for the Afrikaans students – a place where we will write new stories of hope and excellence together,” says Du Toit.

Community Voices

“Without the willingness of Afrikaans role-players to establish independent community institutions in the midst of increasing state decay and alienation, we run the risk of becoming witnesses to a potential complete collapse. Academia as a higher education institution helps to build a barrier against ignorance and intellectual flattening.” – Heindrich Wyngaard, Chairperson: Kaapse Forum and master of ceremonies at the launch event.

“The launch of Akademia’s Paarl campus is a big moment, not just for Paarl and the Western Cape, but for the entire South African language and culture communities. This campus fulfils a dream and initiates exceptional opportunities for knowledge acquisition and growth within a language and faith milieu of its own. Academia is a symbol of hope and indicates the strength locked up in collaborative communities. May the institution go from strength to strength and may excellence be its part for generations to come.” – André Verhoog, board member: Paarl Valley Principals Association, who welcomed the institution to Paarl on behalf of the community at the launch event.

“Drakenstein is an ideal home for knowledge-driven institutions, such as Akademia, thanks to our municipal area’s advanced infrastructure and business support services. The launch of Akademia’s Paarl campus in this area further contributes to the realisation of the municipality’s goals of economic growth and skills development. The latter strengthens the area’s generous offering of higher education institution campuses and after-school instruction.” – councillor, Stephen Korabie, executive mayor of the Drakenstein Municipality.

This is what the campus looks like

The campus facilities look like this:

• lecture halls and various collaborative spaces;
• a fully equipped library;
• A Sowel As coffee shop;
• Die Winkel (for the supply of Akademia-branded products); and

• access control and secure parking.

The campus will begin with a staff of 52 full-time members. The institution is already in the process of filling positions for the Paarl campus, and it is envisaged to eventually employ 25 academic staff and 27 division staff on the site for 2026. It is envisaged that nearly 88 full-time staff will be employed on campus by 2028. It is further envisaged that 340 first-year students will be welcomed on campus in 2026. That number will exceed the 2 000 mark by 2032.

In terms of academic programme variety, as in the case of the Pretoria campus, programmes will be offered from all five of the institution’s dynamic faculties.

*The campus launch follows after the institution received conditional approval from the Council on Higher Education’s (CHE) Higher Education Quality Committee (HEC) for the Paarl campus facility earlier this year.