By Ester Paulus TSUMEB The Chief Executive Officer of the Tsumeb Municipality Archie Benjamin says the Tsumeb University of Science and Technology will soon be a reality. Benjamin said the town council, business community and civil society want Tsumeb to move away from mining as the main source of employment for all people. In 2002, the Tsumeb Town Council came up with a number of projects to create employment. One of them was the establishment a mining-related University of Science and Technology. He disclosed that the town council had committed itself to a budget of N$1.2 million and that Ongopolo (mining company) had donated part of its former Tsumeb Corporation Limited (TCL) club to be used as a premises of the university. Although the idea initiated tension between the University of Namibia (Unam), the Polytechnic of Namibia and the Tsumeb Town Council, negotiations with these institutions enabled the project to go ahead. Benjamin disclosed that the university would specialise in mining technology and other technologies that are not offered by Unam and the Polytech of Namibia. He noted that there was a possibility of combining the Hydroponics and Aquaculture Training Centre as part of the university. Benjamin pointed out that a feasibility study to establish the university would soon be carried out by the University of Tampere in Finland and other stakeholders. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Chamber of Mines, Veston Malonga, will spearhead the study. Malonga noted that the feasibility studies would start as soon as money becomes available. He has already registered the university as a legal entity.