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NWU Medical School project
The North West University (NWU) has defended the decision to name its medical school after the late struggle stalwart Archbishop, Desmond Tutu, instead of former Bophuthatswana homeland leader, Lucas Mangope.
The construction of North West University’s Desmond Tutu school of medicine has started, at the institution’s Potchefstroom campus.
— SABC News (@SABCNews) July 26, 2025
Some were saying the school should have been named after Mangope.
The construction of North West University’s Desmond Tutu Medical school is well under way at the institution’s Potchefstroom campus.
Principal and Vice-Chancellor Bismark Tyobeka says naming the medical school after Mangope would have been seriously divisive.
“It is not an argument that Kgosi Mangope, as far as development is concerned, was a luminary amongst all the Bantustan leaders of his time. Naming the medical school after him would have been a seriously divisive issue in our society. We acknowledge his focus on development. Our campus, in Mafikeng was his brainchild. However, that alone was not enough of a consideration for us to say we could name the medical school after him. It would have divided the society.”
VIDEO | NWU starts construction of new Desmond Tutu medical school
