As the 2025 academic year begins, South African Universities are facing an overwhelming surge in the number of first year students eager to further their studies in the current academic year. The North West University has reached its full capacity for the 2025 intake, with no extra spaces available.
The institution said it received more than 390 000 applications, and more than 276 000 have already submitted their final applications. Of these, only 11 754 can be accommodated in terms of an approved enrolment target by the Department of Higher Education and Training.The Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges are not spared either. The sector is said to have also received hundreds of thousands of applications. South African Technical Vocational Education and Training Student Association (SATVETSA) Secretary General Wongani Mgwali told Newsnote that they received provincial reports through their first special NEC meeting that most of the colleges have reached full capacity.
“I can’t give you exact numbers, but I know that majority of our institutions has reached full capacity, the largest being North Link in the Western Cape with the capacity of 42 000.If you can go to our biggest institutions in KwaZulu-Natal which is Majuba you would realise that they’re no longer taking walk ins because they are already full and have registered 37 000 students which is a sign that students registered on time,” said Mgwali. According to Mgwali, a lot has been done to promote TVET College in the country.
“The sector has done enough in previous years.We had a slogan that says “TVET must rise” now we have introduced a new slogan last year which says that “TVET must transform.” Because we think we are in a good standard where the community understand what we do, and they’re also interested in what we are doing.We have registration every after three-months, after six-months and annually and we always have huge number of students who are willing to register,” remarked Mgwali.He attributed the improvement and growth in the TVET college registration to the year-on-year campaigns led by Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Buti Manamela.
“When it comes to the issues of promotion, there’s a campaign that is run by the Deputy Minister Buti Manamela.He visits institutions on a TVET month which is August before the applications opens in the TVET sector.He visits high schools and do campaign to students that they must apply, that they must go and see on what is done on the TVET sector and I think that has improved the image of TVET sector in the long run,” explained Mgwali.
SATVET SA has undertaken to use their upcoming meeting with the Minister of Higher Education and Training Dr. Nobuhle Nkabane to raise some concerns including the delayed release of student’s results due to some irregularities.
