The University of South Africa has become the continent’s first postsecondary school to own an airport, indicating a dramatic turn toward practical, skills-based education in Africa’s rapidly changing aviation and engineering sectors.
Vice-Chancellor Puleng LenkaBula acknowledged the purchase of the 20-hectare campus, calling it as a strategic investment to provide real-world training for students.
The revelation was made during a press briefing to emphasize the university’s recent academic progress and rising global rankings.
LenkaBula stated that the airport will serve as a “launchpad for future innovators,” allowing the institution to move beyond its usual distance-learning approach and into hands-on technical training.
The facility is planned to assist specific initiatives in aviation, drone technology, and advanced digital systems, which are regarded as crucial to Africa’s economic progress.
The initiative mirrors a broader trend among worldwide colleges striving to better connect education with labor market demands, particularly in high-skilled areas where practical experience is required.
Boitumelo Senokoane, an associate professor in the College of Human Sciences, stated that the airport would provide students with a unique opportunity to put theory into reality.
“This 20-hectare airport will give our students a unique opportunity to apply their studies in practice and gain skills that are in high demand in the aviation and engineering industries,” she told the audience.
UNISA, founded in 1873, serves over 400,000 students and is commonly recognized as one of the world’s largest universities.
The airport acquisition complements the institution’s growing research concentration in digitalisation, biotechnology, renewable energy, and space science, putting it at the forefront of innovation on the continent.