Question NW1319 to the Minister of Higher Education and Training
04 June 2018 - NW1319
Bozzoli, Prof B to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training
(1)What total number of properties that are used by the Walter Sisulu University for staff housing are (a) owned by and (b) not owned by the university; (2) whether the title deed for each property owned by the university is available; if not, why not; (3) whether any steps are being taken to acquire ownership of each property that is not owned, but used by the university; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
Walter Sisulu University (WSU) has provided the following responses to the questions posed:
1. WSU utilises 41 houses and 139 flats in Mthatha, 1 flat in East London and 13 houses in Butterworth for staff housing.
(a) WSU owns 34 houses in Mthatha, 13 houses in Butterworth and 1 flat in East London.
(b) 139 Flats are owned by the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) and King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality (KSD). 6 Freestanding houses are owned by the ECDC and 1 by the KSD.
2. WSU has title deeds for some of the properties and is negotiating with the ECDC and Provincial Department of Public Works to obtain the rest. Before the establishment of WSU, most of the university properties were registered under the Department of Public Works when they were Colleges of Education. The transfer of such properties into WSU’s name has stalled at different levels of the bureaucracy, e.g. certain portions of the Butterworth campus has land claims attached to it, making it difficult to transfer the land to WSU.
3. Considerable effort has been made to facilitate the transfer of properties to WSU. Zamukulungisa and Butterworth sites are still owned by Department of Public Works, however both properties have been gazetted to be transferred to WSU. The process for transfer is currently between the Land Affairs department and State Attorney. WSU has also appointed its own independent attorneys to expedite the process. The ECDC has also been approached to facilitate the transfer of various WSU properties that are registered in the name of the ECDC.