Stadio approves stage 2 of Durbanville campus ahead of schedule

The construction of Stadio Holdings’ Durbanville campus is on track to open for new students in 2026 and the board has approved building phase 2 earlier than initially planned, it said on Thursday.

The private higher-education provider said in a voluntary business update that overall growth in student numbers of 8% to 50,878 for the half year to end-June was “satisfactory considering the challenging South African landscape”.

Releasing an update ahead of the company’s AGM on Thursday, CEO Chris Vorster said distance learning student numbers were showing steady growth of 8% a year with a second semester intake under way.

“An overall 11% growth in contact learning student numbers is extremely positive,” he said. “Stadio Higher Education’s contact learning strategy is working, with total contact learning student numbers up 23%.”

Last year, Stadio announced plans to open its new Durbanville campus, after demand at its Bellville campus increased by 57% in three months. The new site will open in 2026, catering to 1,000 students and remote learners.

The total spend for phase 1 and phase 2 is estimated to be R325m and will increase capacity to more than 6,000 students. Phase 2 was expected to be completed in August 2026, Stadio said.

Stadio began as a subsidiary of private school company Curro before unbundling in February 2017 to focus exclusively on higher education.

From 2017 to 2018, the group acquired seven brands, including Afda, CA Connect, Embury, Lisof, Milpark Education, Prestige Academy and Southern Business School. After merging four of its subsidiary brands in 2020, the group now owns three registered private higher education institutions.

mackenziej@arena.africa