Published 16 July 2026Updated 16 July 2026
Sol Plaatje University (SPU) opened in 2014(AS SEEN IN PHOTO), the first of two new universities to be established inpost-apartheid South Africa. It is also the first university to be established in the Northern Cape Province. Positioning itself as a niche university,SPU offers academic programmes of a high intellectual nature in fields that meet the needs of the South African thrust to develop a nation that is proud of its heritage and roots.
In developing the focus for its academic disciplines, SPU has looked to the unique needs, competence and characteristics of the Northern Cape region. This approach brought the current focus areas of teacher education, ICT and data science, heritage studies, paleo-sciences and creative writing inAfrican languages to the fore. Furthermore, in an era of concern aboutglobal warming and the more-serious threat to arid regions like the Northern Cape, SPU is developing future programmes in agricultural sciences with a focus on water-stressed conditions.
SPU has been developed as a city university in the town ofKimberley. It occupies a combination of existing and purpose-built structures. The architecture of the new buildings has a unique personality and embraces a modern approach to light and space and is inclusive of artwork and design reflecting the heritage of the area!
SPU takes pride in the fact that it bears the name ofSol Plaatje,“a visionary South African intellectual who embraced the values and ethos to which the University subscribes! The vision of SPU is a university critically engaging in learning, research and development – while enhancing democratic practice and social justice in society.”
As the region’s sole public Higher Education Institution, Sol Plaatje University (SPU) is committed to providing quality education and professional development opportunities that cater to the unique needs, competence, and characteristics of its community. Positioning itself as a niche university, SPU offers academic programmes of high intellectual nature in fields that align with the South African thrust to develop a nation that is proud of its heritage and roots.(LINK IN FURTHER READING FOR COURSES AVAILABLE) To this end, the university has honed its focus on areas such as teacher education, ICT and data science, heritage studies, paleo-sciences, and creative writing in African languages.
