The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) conducted a two-day infrastructure site visit at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) on 22-23 June 2026. This visit was part of DHET’s ongoing oversight and monitoring on the progress of infrastructure projects at DUT.
Dr David Mohale, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: People and Operations at DUT, welcomed all attendees, including Mr Donald Kubayi, the DHET representative. He briefly outlined the purpose of the day before handing proceedings over to Mr Kubayi.
Mr Kubayi explained that the site visit is a follow-up on the 2025 Portfolio Committee engagement with DUT. Further, he emphasised that their focus as DHET is mostly on infrastructure. This was necessitated by the observation that some institutions are falling behind on expenditure, for the 5th and 6th cycle. Even though DUT on the 5th cycle is not falling behind, Kubayi expressed that there are projects that were delayed.
DUT experienced stoppages of major projects like DUT355 and DUT481 respectively from the Department of Labour and Employment (DoEL) and the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, resulting in slow pace of spending. Both projects have since been cleared on 29 May 2026. It is expected that DUT355 will be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2026, while DUT481 will be completed towards the end of 2027.
Currently, the DHET is engaged with the National Treasury in terms of the remaining allocation for the year 2027 until 2030. Mr Kubayi further said that primary focus will be on Ministerial Projects because the budget is too small. Institutions with good expenditure would be prioritized, then institutions with low expenditure or stalled projects in that category would be next.
“When we look at the expenditure, we see that DUT has 100% expenditure but the two building projects had challenges. We would like to see DUT moving towards the completion of those projects,” said Kubayi.
On the second day of the visit, Mr Sandile Chaphi, Acting Senior Director: Real Estate Management, shared some light on Imbali Lodge and Indumiso Engineering Buildings. Mr Chaphi spoke on the Indumiso Engineering Building 1 & 2 cracks that had been identified from a structural perspective. “Those are one of the buildings that were run by a contractor that we are currently in arbitration with”, said Mr Chappi. He stated that a new contractor has been put in place to do the repairs.
In alignment with the shared challenges on the two projects, Mr Kubayi added that the Imbali Precinct Projects are affecting performance. There was a letter from the Municipality that was sent to DUT which approved the allocation that was meant for the lodge to be used towards the new residences, according to Kubayi. He further stated that DUT should move towards new projects.
“As I have mentioned earlier, our focus is mostly on infrastructure. I want to see the institution doing well because for the most part on the cycle, DUT has been doing well. The primary challenges that were holding DUT back are; Imbali Precinct Project, Student Centre and the Engineering Buildings,” said Kubayi.
In response to Mr Kubayi’s question on structural challenges, Mr Chaphi addressed the issue during a Questions & Answers session. He stressed that It’s a quality issue with the contractors, however, because the current repairs are being done by a different contractor, minor repairs have been done so far and better results are expected. Mr Chaphi added that DUT has been liaising with the Engineers responsible for the structural assessment to seek second opinion.
The Mildands visit also focused on student residences as there have been perennial challenges. The issue of the student accommodation was one of the focus areas during the visit by the Portfolio Committee last year. The Student Residence Renovation Programme was initiated to improve accommodation standards, enhance health and safety compliance, and provide a conducive living environment for students across the university residences.
Mr Kubayi encouraged DUT to get a solution with regards to the Imbali Lodge Site challenges, understanding that the issues uncovered there are not short-term and therefore cannot be resolved immediately. He suggested that DUT could in the meantime consider finding a space on campus that could accommodate a certain number of students. That would be progress, according to Kubayi.
Mr Chaphi responded to Mr Kubayi, that there’s two ways of looking into this matter, the first one is the sub-division, and the second one is to review DUT’s campus plan which is done internally and then from there they can do the proposal. Supporting Mr Chapi, Dr Mohale explained that the Executive Management Committee (EMC) recently approved the student housing development framework that comprises a number of approaches to solving the shortage of beds. One of the approaches is to identify available pieces of land on our campuses and surrounding areas for purposes of development and building. According to Dr Mohale, the renewed focus to engage meaningfully with both the City of eThekwini and the Msunduzi Local Municipality will should help with securing the support in line with their spatial development plans. While DUT interest is to secure beds for students, municipalities also stand to benefit in terms of revenue collection and potential economic growth.
Concluding the proceedings, Dr Mohale and Dr Nonhlanhla Mthiyane, Campus Director for Midlands, thanked Mr Kubayi for his visit, and acknowledged his contributions to DUT’s ongoing development.
Pictured: Mr Donald Kubayi, Dr Mohale, aerial view of the Indumiso Engineering Building.
Photographer: Khulasande Tshayile
Nikiwe Sukazi/Dr David Mohale
