SA’s Catholic University Sells Campus

by Admin · July 21, 2022

St Augustine’s College, Victory Park, Johannesburg

After the sale of its Victory Park, Johannesburg, campus this month, South Africa’s only Catholic university “is in the process of reinventing itself to meet the needs of the Church and the South African peoples in its areas of expertise”, according to Melvyn Antonie, chair of the board of directors of St Augustine College.

The property owned by St Augustine College has been sold to Curro Holdings Limited. All necessary permissions have been obtained from the hierarchy of the Church, Mr Antonie said.

“Once the property is transferred to Curro and the proceeds received, St Augustine will be able to pay all its debts and will have a substantial amount of cash, which it has never had, for future developments. The Board will decide on the use of the funds and how to increase the funding pool of the College.”

The university’s finances remain tight, however. “The financial situation of the college remains difficult as with many similar institutions, exacerbated by the pandemic,” Mr Antonie said. “The board is working on a number of initiatives for the immediate future to ensure that the College is financially capable of achieving its objectives.”

The St Augustine College board, the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the papal nuncio have decided that the College, as a Catholic Institution, will continue, he said. “In order to achieve the objectives set, it was decided that the College would continue as a postgraduate institution and offer the Higher Certificate of Biblical Studies, and a number of very relevant short courses.

The College has met its obligations to the undergraduate students by teaching out those students to achieve their degrees. The undergraduate programmes, however, will be put in abeyance at the end of this year,” Mr Antonie explained.

“We continue to conduct classes and administration, relying heavily on ‘sessional teachers’ to supplement the modules. We are grateful to all who continue to engage with the college and its students in carrying out this mission.”

With the sale of the campus agreed upon, concrete planning for the future can now take place. “A detailed planning session will be finalised in the near future, taking into account the requirement to relocate, the details of courses offered, and lessons learnt from Covid,” Mr Antonie said.

“We believe that an institute such as St Augustine has a significant contribution to make to the Church and to the South African society. Both staff and those students who have found a home here at St Augustine testify to its enduring value in their lives and ministry,” he said.