A BTech Architectural Technology student took top honours in the student category of the annual 2019 SAIAT Architectural Awards.

Not only did Shaun Heeger win the Best Student Award but his classmate Farai Munuwa won runner-up, while Tinashe Chidhobha received a highly commended.
The function was held in Johannesburg earlier this week. The prize money is in the form of a bursary.

The South African Institute of Architectural Technologists (SAIAT), in association with Oggie Hardwood Flooring, invited projects from professionals and students that address the need for socially sustainable living environments. They looked for entries of design proposals that promote quality of life through the creative implementation of appropriate technologies and materials.

Senior Lecturer Jolanda Morkel said Shaun’s community hub in Sweet Home Farm, Philippi, demonstrates how good design can promote a sense of community.
“Farai and Chidhoba’s mixed use of social housing proposals suggest how dense living can be dignified. Their projects were commended for their sensitive contextual responses, innovative spatial and technological crafting and clear and convincing presentation.”

The three students are in the final year of the two-year blended part-time BTech programme offered by CPUT in collaboration with Open Architecture, a transformation unit of SAIA, the South African Institute of Architects.

This programme is the first of its kind in Africa that employs online learning of architecture, and one of a handful worldwide.
Although the programme will come to an end this year, with the national phasing out of all BTech programmes, this methodology will form the basis of the offering of future programmes in the Department of Architectural Technology and Interior Design.

The successful blended model, that allows working practitioners to learn while they earn, will be implemented in the new Advanced Diploma programmes for Architectural Technology and Interior Design, according to the new HEQSF structure.

“We are proud to say that we’re the first University to collaborate with Open Architecture and through this collaboration, in the past six years, we have shown that Architecture can be mastered through blended and online learning methodologies.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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The Faculty of Education recently hosted the annual International Student Conference under the theme, Breaking down barriers, and celebrated its collaborations with international partners.

The conference was attended by students and lecturers from the Department of Senior Phase and FET Studies (CPUT), University Colleges Leuven Limburg (UCLL), Belgium, and HAN University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.

CPUT Lecturer Felicity Titus, showed the audience graphics depicting the slave trade such as the ships and the market.

Said Titus: “If we don’t pay attention we can go back there again.”

She added that to ensure a no return to slavery the students should tap into their international competencies such as personal growth, language skills, global management, intercultural competencies, international disciplinary learning.

CPUT lecturer Vanessa Van Staden said that from observing International projects in the Senior Phase and FET Studies it has dawned on her that diversity has a strong impact on the goals of each project.

Van Staden said the HAN and CPUT student exchange project had only two CPUT students and two HAN students in 2016, but four CPUT students and two HAN students participated in both 2017 and 2018.

“2019 saw two CPUT students exchange fieldwork experiences and products with two HAN student by means of WhatsApp, YouTube videos and Powerpoint slideshows.”

She added that the partnership saw to the placement and supervision of UCLL students at Kalkfontein Primary School in Kuilsriver.

Dean of Education, Prof Thobeka Mda, said the partnership between CPUT and HAN is to be applauded because it is driven by committed academics. “Faculties thrive on collaborations and partnerships. Knowledge is created and disseminated.”

Mda added that the partnership is one of, if not, the most successful in the Faculty.

The students presented their projects and posed questions to the audience about how to enhance or sustain their projects. To recognise their efforts they were issued with certificates by their lecturers.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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A CPUT student says playing in the national Telkom Netball League is the biggest blessing and puts her in good stead to be selected into the senior national team.

“I am absolutely humbled and honoured. It's the biggest blessing and privilege, firstly to represent my province in a tournament where the best in the country compete against each other whist getting the opportunity to be recognised or possibly selected into the national team,” says Shannen Bartlett, a first-year Education student.  

The Western Cape’s Southern Stings’ Centre started playing netball from a tender age when she was in Grade 2 at Hugo Rust Primary. She started off as a Goal Attack. “When you're young you try out a lot of things including netball, and I fell in love with the fact that it's a team sport.”

Since then Shannen has never looked back.

She went for trials for the first time for the Stings team in 2017 and made the team in the same year. “I was selected for Centre and Wing Attack,” she recalls. “However, I mostly play Centre.”

Her first big milestone was being selected as one of the top 10 players at a SA Schools Championship tournament at the age of 13.

The second milestone was her selection into the u/18 SA team, followed by making it into the Southern Stings team in 2017.

She says that her decision to study at CPUT was influenced by the university’s reputation as the biggest producer of teachers in the province and the way it motivates students to participate in sport.

“CPUT is extremely diverse; I've already gained valuable interpersonal relationships,” adds Shennan. “CPUT rocks for me, because they are extremely accommodative with regards to my netball, which I highly appreciate!”

She predicts that South Africa will win the upcoming Vitality Netball Word Cup in Liverpool for the first time ever. “They're strong, in it to win it, and with the whole of South Africa backing them, there's no way they will let this one slip!” 

Written by Kwanele Butana

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A seasoned academic in the Education Faculty will be delivering her inaugural Professorial Lecture at the Bellville Campus on Monday.

This follows Prof Janet Condy’s promotion to full professorship in 2018. Condy has graduated three Doctoral students and eight Masters. She has 23 articles published in accredited journals and peer-reviewed conference proceedings as well as six chapters in books.

She is currently supervising nine Masters’ students and one Doctoral candidate. The C2 National Research Foundation-rated researcher has examined 25 Masters and three Doctoral studies.

“This is the pinnacle of an academic’s career, and cause for celebration and reflection on the work that has brought me to this position, but it also represents the beginning of yet further and higher intellectual achievements,” she says.

During her speech, she will speak about three influences that changed the trajectory of her career; being introduced to the International Literacy Association, developing a love for the teaching of reading and beginning her research journey. To contextualise the issue of literacy today, Condy will share the dire results of the 2016 international PIRLS literacy tests and the 2018 Western Cape Education Departments Systemic tests.

She concludes by positing that literacy instruction needs an urgent transformation to become an enabler of other sustainable development goals and the long-term driver of social, economic and environmental justice.

Condy obtained her PhD in Education from the University of Cape Town in 2006 after her Masters of Science Degree from Wheelock College in Boston, USA, in 1992.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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Three departments in the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences have joined forces in a bid to help matric learners improve their Life Sciences marks and eventually qualify for tertiary studies.

The Emergency Medical Sciences (EMS), Biomedical Sciences and Wellness Sciences departments have taken Wynberg High School and Lavender Hill High School under their wing by providing Life Sciences revision classes for matrics. 

The project, which was initiated by the EMS Department’s Dr Kareemah Gamieldien, started with Wynberg High School, her alma mater, last year.

Following this successful pilot, the project was extended and Gamieldien said five revision sessions would be presented during 2019. 

The CPUT students selected topics to tutor from a list provided by the schools’ Life Sciences teachers. 

In addition, the third-year Bachelor of Emergency Care students and the department’s Basic Sciences staff, facilitated the various revision classes.

“I’m so grateful to all three departments and for the support from the Centre for Community Engagement and Work Integrated Learning, Service-Learning Division and the Marketing and Communication Department.  Our students are showing these matric pupils the future they never knew they had,” said Gamieldien. 

Gamieldien said the students and staff members didn’t allow a language barrier to get in their way. 

“A significant number of the students do Lewenswetenskappe so we had to translate all our revision sheets and memorandums into Afrikaans.”

The Wellness Sciences Department’s Michael Paulse said the department was grateful for the opportunity to be part of the project.

“Education is the route to empowerment and if we can help in one small way then we have to.”

Associate Professor Glenda Davison, Head of the Biomedical Sciences Department, concurred.

“I’m very positive about SA and I see our future leaders here and as CPUT we have to help to produce wonderful leaders. “

Lavender Hill High Matric Life Sciences teacher Monia Lewis said the school felt blessed to have been selected as one of the project schools.

Gamieldien says the project is making a difference. 

“Redressing the inequalities still visible within our education system is the potential Higher Education Institutions have which can be driven through Community Engagement,” she said. 

Three departments in the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences have joined forces in a bid to help matric learners improve their Life Sciences marks and eventually qualify for tertiary studies.
The Emergency Medical Sciences (EMS), Biomedical Sciences and Wellness Sciences departments have taken Wynberg High School and Lavender Hill High School under their wing by providing Life Sciences revision classes for matrics.
The project, which was initiated by the EMS Department’s Dr Kareemah Gamieldien, started with Wynberg High School, her alma mater, last year.

Following this successful pilot, the project was extended and Gamieldien said five revision sessions would be presented during 2019.

The CPUT students selected topics to tutor from a list provided by the schools’ Life Sciences teachers.

In addition, the third-year Bachelor of Emergency Care students and the department’s Basic Sciences staff, facilitated the various revision classes.

“I’m so grateful to all three departments and for the support from the Centre for Community Engagement and Work Integrated Learning, Service-Learning Division and the Marketing and Communication Department.  Our students are showing these matric pupils the future they never knew they had,” said Gamieldien.

Gamieldien said the students and staff members didn’t allow a language barrier to get in their way.

“A significant number of the students do Lewenswetenskappe so we had to translate all our revision sheets and memorandums into Afrikaans.”

The Wellness Sciences Department’s Michael Paulse said the department was grateful for the opportunity to be part of the project.

“Education is the route to empowerment and if we can help in one small way then we have to.”

Associate Professor Glenda Davison, Head of the Biomedical Sciences Department, concurred.

“I’m very positive about SA and I see our future leaders here and as CPUT we have to help to produce wonderful leaders. “

Lavender Hill High Matric Life Sciences teacher Monia Lewis said the school felt blessed to have been selected as one of the project schools.

Gamieldien says the project is making a difference.

“Redressing the inequalities still visible within our education system is the potential Higher Education Institutions have which can be driven through Community Engagement,” she said.

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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The Education Faculty’s Prof Janet Condy is calling for a new curriculum which provides deep, life-worthy learning that is purposeful and of a higher level of complexity.

Condy made the call when she delivered her Inaugural Professorial Lecture on Literacy Issues at the Bellville Campus on Monday evening. “Our CAPS curriculum needs content pruning to foreground the relevant 21st-century competencies: critical thinking and problem-solving, creativity and innovation, collaboration and teamwork, communication and informational literacy in technologically driven learner-centred teaching and learning that is purposeful,” said Condy.

After teaching in mainstream and special schools for 19 years, she won an Ambassadorial Rotary Scholarship and spent a year in Boston, America, studying ‘reading’.

She adds that three major influences emerged from this experience. “Firstly, I was introduced to the International Literacy Association; secondly, I developed a love for the teaching of reading; and thirdly, this love of teaching reading became juxtaposed with a love of research.”

The C2 NRF-rated researcher also discussed the role of the teacher, current debates around the provision of education in South Africa, the impact of poverty and illiteracy as well as the teaching of comprehension.Prof Sarah Howie, Director: Africa Centre for Scholarship at Stellenbosch University, responded to Condy’s lecture and highlighted some critical issues which had emerged from it.

Howie said Condy’s story of scholarship serves as an inspiration to aspiring scholars and described her as a reflective practitioner, change agent and empowerer, pioneer, realist, analyst and activist.

She said Condy’s work triggers questions pertaining to the relationship between the intended curriculum (what the society wants learners to learn), the implemented curriculum (what the teachers teach in the classroom) and the attained curriculum.

Vice-Chancellor, Prof Chris Nhlapo, said Condy’s students are engaging each other as equals. Nhlapo thanked her for her contribution towards the development of the nation’s youth and praised her for always being a CPUT champion.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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A genealogical collection donated to CPUT will help members of the public and researchers to trace their ancestry.

The collection, which is housed at the Wellington Campus Library, can be accessed for free.

The genealogical collection has been bequeathed to the university by the now-defunct Genealogical Institute of South Africa (GISA), which was based in Stellenbosch. CPUT recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding over the donation with GISA.

Integrated as part of the bigger CPUT Libraries’ Special Collection, the GISA Collection of film rolls and apparatus, books, clippings, photographs and reference works.

Also included in the collection are records from the Dutch Reformed church and other churches in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. The records consist of baptism and marriage registries as well as death notices on film.

While GISA used charge a nominal fee for the service and access to the collection, CPUT libraries made the collection available at no cost to users.

Besides records GISA also bequeathed to CPUT Microfiche Readers, Microfilm Readers and a Film Digitization Computer.

“We haven’t checked against CPUT’s own collection if we don’t have some of the titles in the GISA Collection, but we’ll do so soon,” said Vuyiseka Mtshakazi, at the Wellington Campus Library.

Mtshakazi added that sorting and arranging the collection according to the Dewy System is a very big project.

Librarian Joanne Arendse said researchers have already started to visit the library to make use of the new collection.

“And we’ve been receiving positive feedback from them,” added Arendse.

Microfilms that only GISA had are also part of the collection donated to CPUT. “The aim is to have the information contained in the films to be digitised,” she said.

“The material will be catalogued as Local Genealogy History Collection and is part of CPUT’s Special Collection.”

Written by Kwanele Butana

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Prospective students who want to start their studies in 2020 can now apply to CPUT.

The university is the only university of technology in the Western Cape and offers more than 70 career-focused qualifications.

Applications for undergraduate and postgraduate study must be submitted online via the CPUT website except for the following categories of applicants who are eligible to apply manually

• Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) candidates
• Non-South African Citizens (International applicants)
• Non-South African School Leaving Types applications

Click on this link for the requirements and  steps to apply, as well as the deadlines.

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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The Department of Emergency Medical Sciences’ Dr Navindhra Naidoo is the chair of an expert panel on Evidence-based First Aid for First Responders (FAFR) in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Naidoo said the panel was convened by the Belgian Red Cross and that other panellists included representatives from Red Cross societies elsewhere on the continent.

The guidelines compiled by the panel are aimed at the first individuals in a community to attend to the scene of an emergency and provide them with evidence-based information on what to safely do.

“The value of evidence-based practice is that it bridges the gap between science and practice, and it deals with a wide range of issues from humanitarian aid and risk awareness to responsible care and referral. Because it is evidence-based it provides a safety net for caregivers so they don’t have to fear that what they’re doing may be harmful or unacceptable to communities,” said Naidoo.

“The context for this is knowledge translation toward social capital. The knowledge exists but it is often not adequately translated from other contexts. The process also considers indigenous knowledge systems.”

The guidelines will be field tested in Malawi and the final version will be available towards the end of the year. Training aids will be developed.

Ten years ago Naidoo was a part of an expert panel for the African First Aid Materials (AFAM) project for the Belgian Red Cross.

“That was the first attempt to create evidence-based guidelines for first aid in Africa. At the end of the project we included evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of injuries as well as response. We realised then that there is also a need to develop evidence-based guidelines for first responders to strengthen resilience at grassroots level and to further reduce the emergency care burden in Africa.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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Staff and students from the BSc Diagnostic Ultrasound programme recently visited Belhar High School to pique learners’ interest in the Health Sciences.

The visit formed part of a Service Learning project initiated by the Department of Medical Imaging and Therapeutic Sciences (MITS) and exposed Grade 9 and 10 learners to the prospect of a career as a medical imaging scientist in Diagnostic Radiography, Diagnostic Ultrasound, Nuclear Medicine Technology and Radiation Therapy.

The learners were welcomed by Merlisa Kemp, Diagnostic Ultrasound lecturer, who gave them an overview of the programmes in the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences, and outlined the programmes offered by the MITS Department.

Kemp also informed them of the minimum requirements for the programmes and about options for financial aid.

Dr Mark Marais, physics lecturer in the MITS Department, unpacked Nuclear Medicine Technology for the group and explained what ultrasound is.

The second-year BSc Ultrasound students conducted interactive presentations for the learners on the liver and biliary system and the renal system.

The presentations were followed by ultrasound demonstrations conducted by clinical instructor Geordean Schwartz and Gizelle Erasmus from Africa Xray Industrial and Medical (AXIM).

Kemp said Grades 9 and 10 represented important phases in schooling, as this is when pupils select their subjects, impacting future career choices.

The school’s Physical Sciences teacher, Ismail Jacobs, said they were fortunate to have the ultrasound team at the school and thanked them for their visit.

The team will also be assisting Grade 12 learners, interested in any of the four programmes offered by MITS, with their online CPUT applications.

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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With cyber criminals becoming increasingly brazen, the CTS Department is launching a new cyber security awareness programme for staff members this month.

Byron van Wyk, Manager: Strategic and Administrative Services for the CTS Department, said most higher education institutions are dealing with security issues including spam and phishing emails and these were becoming more targeted.

The cyber security awareness programme will consist of quarterly campaigns and aims to promote a culture of cyber security at CPUT.

The campaigns will centre on common cyber security topics, such as password management, phishing and information protection.

Staff members will receive an email with instructions on how to participate in the programme.

The emails will be sent via the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. email address.

Staff will be required to watch a short video, answer a question, and will find out how they fared afterwards.

This will take no longer than five minutes to complete.

This will need to be completed within one week of receiving the initial email.

The campaigns are best viewed using the Google Chrome/ Microsoft Edge browser.

“We urge all CPUT staff members to take part in this initiative and welcome your feedback,” said Van Wyk.

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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Ever wondered how a Springbok captain juggles the busy schedule of international rugby with the demanding world of university studies?

CPUT student Nolusindiso Booi, who is also captain of the national women’s rugby team, admits it is not easy striking the balance, but says communicating with lecturers helps her a lot. She is in her second year of study in Retail Business Management.

“It's not easy I won't lie about that, but I try by all means to balance everything. My studies are very important more than anything,” says Cindy, as she is affectionately known among her supporters.

She adds that she is studying because she wants to have a future after playing the sport. She argues that should she be injured and not able to play she must have something on which to fall back that no one can take it from her.

“It's not easy, there are commitments to my club, [Western] Province, that I must attend to during the week. I also have a programme with the national team and then my school work.”

The 33-year-old adds that this is too much a workload but worth it in the end. “With the love, I have for rugby I do my best to make all of it possible.”

The lock has been Springbok captain since 2017 and she has returned from a camp in Worcester with the team. She was among the 40 women who were selected to participate.

“It was all about our conditioning; strength, medicals, training and preparation for the tests games later this year,” she says.

The Springbok will be in action in Tests in September and October when hosting Scotland in two encounters in Cape Town. The Tests will be played at the City Park Sports Grounds in Athlone on 30 September and 5 October.

Born in Trust no 3, a rural village in Alice, Cindy had not played rugby until in 2007 when she attended Fort Hare University and later joined the Border team. After being a part of Border’s dominance in the interprovincial competition, winning four titles in a row from 2013 to 2016, she joined the Western Province in 2018.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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CPUT will open its door to thousands of prospective students this Saturday when the annual Open Day takes place on the Bellville Campus.

CPUT Open Day is one of the Mother City’s most prominent career events and attracts about 20 000 visitors. It is also the institution’s biggest marketing event and is organised by the Marketing and Communication Department, in collaboration with all academic departments.

“Open Day targets Grade 11 and 12 learners across the Western Cape and aims to promote CPUT as an institution of choice for career-focused education,” says Student Recruitment Officer, Marilyn Cloete. “All schools in our catchment areas have been invited and we expect a huge turnout at the event.”

CPUT offers more than 70 diploma and degree programmes in the fields of Applied Sciences, Business and Management Sciences, Engineering and the Built Environment, Education, Health and Wellness Sciences and Informatics and Design.
“We will also open up some of the departments’ facilities on campus for guided tours which will give visitors the opportunity to view them,” adds Cloete.

The event will provide learners and their parents, as well as other prospective students, with an opportunity to interact with our staff and students. Presentations on various topics will be held throughout the day.

The Open Day will take place from 09H00 to 16H00. It will include exhibitions at the Major Sports Hall, Old Education Hall, Student Centre and the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment.

There will also be visits to various science departments and the library and support services as well as presentations in the Auditorium.

For more information regarding the Open Day contact the following staff members in the Marketing and Communication Department:

• Marilyn Cloete (Co-ordinator): T: 021-959 6228 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Thandokazi Mtshekisa: T: 021-9596149 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Grant Barends: T: 021-9596087 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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The Bellville Campus was buzzing with activity as thousands of learners and parents attended Saturday’s Open Day and gained career information from CPUT staff and students at exhibition stalls and presentations on various topics throughout the day.

The learners said attending the event was time well spent as they learnt a lot about qualifications offered at CPUT, while others were glad that they armed with enough information that enabled them to make their career choices on the spot.

Reyonce Martin, a Grade 12 learner at Klein Nederburg Secondary School in Paarl, said she was glad she attended the Open Day and learnt a lot about Paralegal Studies, the course she would like to study next year. “I want to study the course as I want to get innocent people out of the overflowing jails,” said Reyonce.

Another Grade 12 learner from the same school, Keshia Abrahams, said she intends to enrol for Tourism Management as she wants to travel around the world. Said Keshia: “I know that CPUT will give me a good training and in my second year I will go for my in-service training.”

Vuyisa Ntosini, a Grade 11 learner at Esangweni Secondary School in Khayelitsha, said a tour of the Mechanical Engineering Department was an eye-opener as he came across a 3D Printer. Vuyisa added that the machine “was truly amazing as it makes manufacturing products way too easy”.

Entrepreneurship lecturer Frank Makoza said the day was a success because there was good reception of information by the learners and parents who visited the department’s stall. Makoza added that frequently asked questions included the entry requirements for the course as well as what is entrepreneurship as a field of study.

Visitors were given string bags which contained the day’s programme with a Bellville campus map for them to find their way around campus with ease, the 2020 Prospectus and the Financial Aid First Year Students 2020 brochure.

As part of improving brand experience for prospective students, the university arranged for Good Hope FM to broadcast live from the event while Gold Otter Media activated an Instagram printer, green screen photo booth and amazing selfie cookies throughout the day.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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A postgraduate student’s research proposal made an impression at the recent 22nd annual Power and Electricity World Africa 2019 conference, earning him an all-expenses-paid trip to the Philippines.

Elisha’s Indarjit’s presentation was titled Software-defined networking based on Centralized Control for Smart Grid Communication.

Elisha, who is studying towards his Masters in Engineering, said the adjudicators selected his presentation as one of the top three student presentations.

He said Prof Marco Adonis, Deputy Head: Operations, in the Centre for Distributed Power and Electronic Systems, had encouraged him to enter his abstract.

“I am very thankful to God, Dr Adonis and CPUT for giving students the platform to grow and nurture skills that industries seek." 

Elisha will be departing for the Philippines later this month, where he will attend an international conference on power.

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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To kick off their roadshow, Board members of the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) visited the Bellville Campus recently to learn more about the pioneering work done by the CPUT Space Programme.

Vice-Chancellor, Prof Chris Nhlapho, said space engineering is a field in which CPUT wants to be a big player for the development of not only the continent but the world. Nhlapo added that a spinoff company, have emerged from the university’s initiatives.

Launched in 2018, AMAYA Space is CPUT’s own space company which aims to become the first fully-represented South African space enterprise.

SANSA board chairperson Xoliswa Kekana said CPUT is the first institution to be visited by the seven-month-old board because of the university’s work in the space engineering discipline.

Kekana added that SANSA was in the process of defining a strategy for the agency.

“We are spending two days in Cape Town so as to understand this area of space,” she said. “And we look to CPUT.”

SANSA CEO, Dr Val Munsami, said CPUT has been identified as Africa’s hub for space engineering.

To indicate how crucial CPUT’s role is in space engineering F’SATI director, Prof Robert Van Zyl, said the university is mentioned between 15 to 20 times in the national Department of Science and Technology’s Strategic Plan.

Van Zyl added that CPUT has been selected as part of Pan African University (PAU) network on the basis of excellence of its Space Programme. Officially launched in 2011, the PAU is a postgraduate training and research network of university nodes that are supported by the African Union.

The network aims to provide opportunities for advanced graduate training and postgraduate research to high-performing African students.

Van Zyl and Francois Visser took the board members on a tour of the labs. They were also shown the qualification mode of ZACube-2, which Van Zyl said having it makes testing the cube satellite easy.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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The Director of CPUT’s Oxidative Stress Research Centre is leading a new trial which will investigate how green and traditional Rooibos herbal tea may modulate risk factors of cardiovascular diseases and support heart health.

The 12-week human dietary intervention trial, under the leadership of Prof Jeanine Marnewick, will start in August.

The Research Centre is situated within the Institute of Biomedical and Microbial Biotechnology (IBMB).

The trial will be key to understanding how Rooibos can change the outcome of specific cardiovascular disease risk factors.

“Rooibos will be put through its paces as we investigate its impact on various risk factors associated with the development of heart disease, including cholesterol profile, oxidative damage to lipids, redox status, inflammatory responses, metabolic disease, elevated blood pressure, and genetic variability in 300 adults. It’s a first-of-its-kind intervention study involving the use of both green as well as traditional Rooibos, a uniquely South African product,” said Marnewick, who also serves as Research Chair of the IBMB.

The findings are expected to be made public by the end of 2022.

The trial forms part of a recently announced R4.5 million investment into rooibos research.

The investment is in line with one of the main strategic objectives of the SA Rooibos Council, which is to ramp up research efforts to better understand exactly how our indigenous Rooibos tea could help tackle some of the most prevalent diseases of our time.

Marnewick also made the headlines in 2011 when her intervention trial revealed that drinking six cups of Rooibos per day holds definite health benefits and specifically helps to reduce oxidative stress in the body and improves the cholesterol profile – all aspects that modulate the development of heart disease.

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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The Genealogical Institute of South Africa (GISA) has donated its research books and entire collection to CPUT Library Services.

GISA was situated in Stellenbosch and before closing down its Board decided to donate the geological collection, consisting of film rolls and apparatus, books, clippings, photographs and reference works.

“This collection belonged to the HSRC between 1971 and 1997 and forms the key collection of GISA,” said Petronella Coreejes-Brink, Co-ordinator: Special Collections at CPUT Libraries.

“The collection fits well and will complement the special collection that already exists within CPUT Libraries, it can thus add a lot of value to the collection of CPUT Libraries.”

Coreejes-Brink added that the collection would form part of the bigger community support collections that the university is starting.

During the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions recently, Dr Andrew Kok, GISA Chairperson, thanked CPUT for raising its hand in keeping the collection.

Kok hailed the state-of-the-art infrastructure in the university’s Wellington Library, where the collection is kept, as well as the staff members dedicated to it.

“People from all over the world can now see it, which was not the case before.”

Dr Elisha Chiware, Director: CPUT Libraries, thanked Kok for conferring custody of the collection upon the university and said CPUT would keep it safe and make it accessible to academics and researchers.

“It [the collection] won’t be used for gaining profit but for advancing the field of genealogy and help members of the public track down their lost loved ones,” said Chiware.

Coreejes-Brink said that in the future they will investigate further partnerships with other universities that have similar collections.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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All over the world, universities produce vast quantities of research. A great deal of this has the potential to make a difference in people’s lives: through the creation of new businesses and jobs, for instance, or in the form of technology that brings innovations to health and wellness.

But this potential isn’t automatically unlocked. This is where a process known as technology transfer comes in. Many universities, have offices dedicated to technology transfer. Their job is to oversee technologies mature from a concept, to a prototype, then a pilot demonstration and finally a commercial product or service.

South Africa’s universities are doing well when it comes to technology transfer. But the rest of the continent seems to be lagging behind. There are several reasons for this, including a lack of resources and capacity. But the biggest issue is a lack of access to funding. Technology transfer is expensive, and universities don’t make significant profit out of it. The value is largely derived by the licensee, who has the right to exploit the technology commercially.

The biggest value of technology transfer, though, is to society at large. The more enterprises that emerge out of research projects, the more jobs that will be created and a bigger boost to a country’s GDP.

Technology transfer requires a cultural shift in academia. Academics usually concentrate on doing research for the sake of publication. Technology transfer asks them to do more: to develop their ideas into commercial products or businesses. There are tremendous benefits and rewards if they do, including additional income and more money in their personal research funds.

African countries could benefit enormously from a focus on technology transfer, especially in terms of economic growth and job creation. It’s imperative for governments to get involved in driving technology transfer by equipping people with the necessary skills, driving a mindset change in academia and providing resources.

My own institution, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, has established several successful technology transfer projects. We’ve done this by identifying gaps in the market, understanding what people want and harnessing our institutional skills. The lessons we’ve learned in the process may offer useful insights to others who want to forge this path.

Attrition rates
The amount of funding directed at research and development in the developed world is significantly greater than in developing countries. So, if you think of technology coming out of research as a pipeline, developing countries’ pipeline is much smaller.

The trick is to get a higher percentage of researchers focusing on research that can go through the technology transfer process.

Countries in Africa also need to focus on decreasing the attrition rate of technologies through the development cycle. It’s a long process, and it’s not always successful. The attrition rate is correlated with the type of technology being developed and the development duration. Technologies such as pharmaceuticals are a good example of a long development cycle with high development costs.

Academic peer review, as applied to journal articles, has a lower threshold than the market. Often the inadequacies of a researcher’s work are highlighted during the technology transfer process. For instance, the drug candidate could be shown to be toxic.

Another possible reason for technology attrition is that funding may dry up. Finally and very importantly, technologies are developed by people. Often these individuals are soft funded, meaning their salary is not paid for by an institution but rather from grant funds. The loss of key individuals in a development team can hamper or prevent the project from continuing.

One way to lessen this attrition rate is by localising technologies. In this model, technologies patented in other countries and proven commercially can be re-developed or engineered for an African country’s context. This is perfectly legal because patent protection is country specific. A good example of localisation is Baidu, which is essentially the Chinese version of Google. A good strategy for a researcher in Africa is to have a mix of projects focusing on unique research as well as localisation.

Success stories
There have been some successful technology transfers at African universities in recent years.

At my own institution, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, technology transfer has allowed us to make great strides in two important areas: outer space (specifically, nanosatellites) and food.

Amaya Space is one of our spin-off companies, which works to commercialise all of the space related technologies emerging from the university. It’s been successful partly because we identified a gap in the market. We noticed that more countries and private companies globally were investing in nanosatellite subsystems. And we understood that South Africa’s space sector needed more expertise, products and services.
The solution was simple: we had the technology, the expertise and the will to enter the space sector. Amaya Space was born, and today the institution has eight separate intellectual property rights. These are protected as confidential information (know-how) because we are continuously developing the technology. We also recently launched the most advanced nanosatellite developed in Africa.

The Bambara technology portfolio is another success story. The Bambara Groundnut is widespread in Africa and is known by various names. It has potential as a cash crop because of its nutritional composition, functional properties and antioxidant potential.

Again, our institution identified a gap. We’ve used the Bambara Groundnut as a raw material to create several products, like dairy substitutes, baked goods, meat substitutes, and beverages. These products are gluten-, lactose- and cholesterol-free. This taps into the country’s growing consciousness of and demand for healthier diets. It also recognises that African climates are changing: the groundnut can grow under drought conditions.
In these examples, part of the secret to success has been in spotting gaps in the market and identifying areas of need in the country.
This is an important lesson for others who want to get involved in technology transfer.

• This article was originally published by The Conversation (theconversation.com)
• Written by Dr Revel Iyer, Technology Transfer and Industry Linkages

The Cape Town Hotel School students who excelled academically last year were awarded with prizes and bursaries for their achievements at the annual Bursary Awards Ceremony.

The ceremony was held at the Cape Town Hotel School last week and saw the school’s academic giants bagging bursaries to the value of R1 503 565.

The bursaries are funded by successful establishments in the industry including Tsogo Sun Hotels, Rotary Waterfront and Catering Trade Educational Trust as well as Protea Hotels by Marriot.

The biggest winner of the evening was Raquelle Steeenkamp, who was awarded, among other awards, the very prestigious University College Birmingham Scholarship to complete her fourth year of study. The scholariship is valued at approximately R350 000.

“The hospitality industry is a challenging industry and these students show the strength and dedication necessary to succeed,” said lecturer Beverly Seagar. “Furthermore, it is important [that] the leaders in the hospitality industry have an opportunity to be exposed to the excellence of our students, and this helps to build on the relationship between the Cape Town Hotel School and the various establishments within the hospitality industry.”

Seagar added that having the ceremony on the Ganger Bay Campus helps to promote the school’s product and the students’ capabilities. “We are proud to have good relationships with various establishments within the hospitality industry,” she said.

Associate Dean of Business and Management Sciences Ivan van der Heever compared the ceremony to graduation and said it was good for the university to celebrate students’ achievements.

Van der Heever encouraged students to work hard in order to excel in their studies and life in general.

Guy Stehlik, founder and chief executive at Bon Hotels, warned the students that the hospitality industry is seriously challenging and that only a few of them will be successful. “It’s not about making money, you must have a desire to be of service to others,” said Stehlik.

Having worked in a hotel from the tender age of eight and graduated from a hotel school, he later started Bon Hotels, a company which provides hotel management services.

He added that excellent hotel managers are those who build relationships with customers.                    

Written by Kwanele Butana

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