Over the past couple of years CPUT brewers have consistently bagged awards during the annual SAB Intervarsity Beer Brewing Challenge and this year was no exception, as the team brought home no fewer than two awards.

CPUT scooped The Best Cider award for the team’s Apple Adventure Cider and also clinched second place in the lager category for their Klopse Lager.

“It was a very proud moment for me,” says Food Science and Technology lecturer, Dr Zanephyn Keyser. “The students worked very hard and created the most awesome brews this year.  They are true ambassadors of the department and were able to use this platform to showcase their creative skills.” 

The art in brewing CPUT’s traditional cider with a delicious crisp apple flavour and aroma was in the selection of the yeast from the department’s culture collection.

“We combined two complementary yeast strains, each with its own unique character that resulted in a well-rounded brew, which we now call our Apple Adventure,” adds Keyser.  

The team created a crisply refreshing beer (‘Klopse Lager’) with a medium golden appearance, using barley, hops and the department’s unique Saccharomyces yeast strain.

This year’s team consisted of students Ryan Morkel, Poppy Mabele, Armand Uys, Taylon-Lee Hendricks and Siphosethu Peter, as well as lecturers Keyser and Veronique Meyer.

CPUT made its debut in the competition in 2013.

This year the challenge, which pitted 16 South African tertiary institutions against one another, took place in Kyalami, Johannesburg.

• Competition background: SAB has assisted South African universities in setting up microbreweries. CPUT is one of the recipients of a microbrewery, which is used to train Food Science and Technology students in the area of brewing.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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The Food Technology Department has successfully upgraded its Microbiology Laboratory and students are already reaping the benefits.

Laboratory exercises play a significant role in microbiology as students learn about microorganisms, while the classes allow students to test theory and to overcome basic skills in microbiology-related research activities.

Food Technology Lecturer, Dr Zanephyn Keyser, said the lab boasts a compound Trinocular microscope which has been fitted with a Moticam High-definition (HD) camera unit that transforms the traditional image into a digital one. Keyser said: “The Moticam series captures the image through the MI Device interface allowing us to connect the camera to three TV monitors (55 inches) using the [High-Definition Multimedia Interface] HDMI output.”

He added that this system is being used during the Microbiology practicals at all levels and is hugely successful. The live images at 1080p resolution can be captured and saved to a Secure Digital (SD) card directly without the need of a computer. Keyser said these images can then be shared with students via Blackboard. “This improves teaching and learning significantly in the Microbiology Laboratory since we deal with micro-organisms which is a very difficult concept to grasp especially for the first-year cohorts. He said the data/images generated from the Digital Microscope station can now be transferred via Wi-Fi to the pre-installed MotiConnect App on two 10 inch tablets. Keyser stated that this option allows for an even more flexible application on a one on one basis with students. This helps us [lecturers] to visualise the organisms on a microscope using the monitors and tablets and I am extremely happy with the upgrades because now we can see what the students see under the microscope using the tablets.”

Keyser said the students are free to take measurements, make annotations, comparisons, observing cellular activity, simple life forms, and that details of other specimens can be viewed at leisure once the image has been stored in a computer. “Real time images allow visual progression of microorganisms, observation of a specimen over a period of time and the ability to return to a particular image for study,” he concluded.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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The Faculty of Applied Sciences commemorated the International Mother Language Day on Thursday at a ceremony on Bellville Campus.

The Day was proclaimed by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in November 1999. UNESCO has been celebrating it on 21 February for the last 20 years with the aim of preserving linguistic diversity and promoting mother tongue-based multilingual education worldwide.

The celebration was opened by a praise-singer, Construction Management second-year student Sinesipho Yekiwe. Dr Robyn Tyler from the Centre for Multilingualism and Diversities Research at the University of the Western Cape presented her research titled: Marrying multilingualism and inquiry to grow Southern African Sciences to the audience.

There was a panel discussion by the faculty’s students about their language experiences and perspectives.

The faculty’s Language Coordinator, Dr Ignatius Ticha, said they envisioned to draw awareness to the linguistic diversity and to celebrate the variety in languages and a need to preserve mother tongue languages. “We organised a specialist in multilingualism to share valuable tips on how to apply multilingualism in science teaching,” said Ticha. The multilingualism specialist(Tyler) said she was promoting the use of “full language resources in learning science”. Said Tyler: “I am impressed by the use of multilingualism at this event, people using different languages to grapple with linguistic ideas of mother tongue in science.”

Meanwhile, the faculty’s Extended Curriculum Programme Coordinator, Prof Beatrice Opeolu, said multilingualism is important for staff and students. “We need to promote the use of mother tongue languages and I hope it may grow to where we can teach students in their mother tongue languages.”

Student Ntokozo Goqa said she would love to see more similar events that promote the use of mother tongue languages in education. “It would be easier for us to learn in our mother tongue languages or have the [study] material translated into our languages to create a better understanding of the subjects.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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CPUT and the University of Applied Sciences in Germany are cementing collaboration in their teaching and learning as their students and lecturers are conducting pioneering research in food technology.

University of Applied Sciences Lecturer, Professor Angela Haunaul, who is part of the German delegation to the CPUT Food Technology Department on a three-day workshop said they are in South Africa to share knowledge with their CPUT counterparts. Haunaul shared research objectives, demonstrated the use of state-of-the-art equipment as well as preservative and intersectional methodologies. In one of the sessions, the students explored the use of Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) technology in the food industry.

The German lecturer said PEF is used to treat or modify food material, softening it, making it smoother without it losing the colour such as juice production. “The workshop is fantastic, it’s very nice to be here [CPUT]. We learn from each other. The students are connecting well which set a basis for an exchange programme,” Haunaul said. She added that they are in the country to build strong relationships with CPUT and the industry as they will also be visiting in2Food, a company that also operates as a Juice plant.

Aphiwe Mrawushe, a third-year student in Food Technology, said she enjoyed the workshop which has taught her how the Germans operate in the food technology discipline and how to use the PEF system to process food. “The system makes the food material soft and makes it easy for you to cut it in any shape that you want. In these few days, I have learned some German words and would love to be part of an exchange programme with them [Germans].”

Julian Witt, a German national who also did his Master thesis at CPUT demonstrated the use of the PEF system to the German delegation and CPUT Food Technology third-year students. Said Witt: “I taught them to treat different fruit and vegetables like carrots, beetroot, sweet potatoes, and apple, to observe different effects in using the PEF system to extract juice quickly from the product.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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Below are the exam result publication dates, as released by the Assessment and Graduation Centre.

Written by CPUT News
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We are aware that many of you are anxiously waiting for your exam timetables. They are now loaded to the CPUT website and are available to view at on this page.

The assessment period starting on Monday 14 November will mostly affect students in the Business, Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties since students in the remaining faculties have already started assessments at other locations.

The venue for Business and Engineering assessments is the Sarepta Sports and Recreation Centre, Mission Road, Sarepta, Kuils River. Applied Sciences will be writing in a venue at the old School of Industry in Plantation Road, Ottery. There will be three sittings per day at 9am, 2pm and 6pm. To ensure the smooth and safe delivery of these assessments students are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the safety regulations below and adhere strictly to them.

1. Bring your ID or student card with you on the day of your assessment. Lecturers will also be stationed at the door entrances to identify students. Failure to do so may see you declined entry to the venue.
2. Bring only necessary items in your bag, this may include your books and stationery. No sharp objects or anything that could be construed as a weapon will be allowed in the venue.
3. Bring your own bottle of water since this will not be available at the venue.
4. Arrive at the venue at least an hour before your assessment starts. This is to accommodate security checks when entering the venue. Your patience in this regard will be appreciated.

If you have any queries regarding any of the above information please liaise directly with your subject head. We understand that these exams are taking place under peculiar conditions but we wish all students who wish to successfully complete the year all the best with their remaining assessments.

Written by CPUT News
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A recent study conducted by CPUT researcher Sjirk Geerts, together with researchers from the C·I·B, SANBI’s Invasive Species Programme and the University of Cape Town, highlighted the role humans play in the spread of plant invaders.

The study, published in the scientific journal Biological Invasions, is the first detailed study of the Kudzu vine (Pueraria montana var. lobata) in South Africa. The Kudzu vine is one of the worst plant invaders globally and was introduced to South Africa from Argentina to a farm in Mpumalanga.

As part of the study, the researchers looked across the Atlantic Ocean, where in the United States the Kudzu vine has taken over vast areas, costing authorities millions of dollars each year to remove it.

Geerts, a lecturer in Nature Conservation, says the wide spread of the plant in the US has been attributed to human activities, such as concerted efforts to plant the Kudzu vine for fodder and erosion control, and in some cases government funding provided to encourage Kudzu vine plantings.

As part of their study, Geerts and his colleagues conducted a national survey and found seven populations of the Kudzu vine in South Africa, covering an area of 74 hectares. By using models that predict where the Kudzu vine is likely to thrive, the researchers found that the climate is suitable for it across the eastern escarpment and parts of KwaZulu-Natal, while the models suggested that the rest of the country is climatically unsuitable.

The researchers also found that South African populations of the Kudzu vine have a similar ecology to populations in the US, with high growth rates, low seed germination rates, no natural long-distance dispersal, little herbivory and the ability to resprout vigorously after a fire.

Geerts says given the favourable conditions for the plant to thrive as well as its ability to produce flowers that produce seed without the need for insect pollinators, the Kudzu vine should be at least as invasive in South Africa as it is in the US.

The authors argue that the reason the Kudzu vine is not yet a major problem in South Africa is due to its introduction history. Although introduced to South Africa in the 1930s as fodder for horses, it was never widely planted, and the species was for many years only present at a single site.

Geerst says the lesson is simple.

“If an invasive species is planted more often, the future invasions will likely be larger and any negative impacts much greater,” he says.

“The comparison between the invasions of Kudzu vine in the USA and South Africa highlights the often over-riding importance of human-assisted dispersal and cultivation in causing widespread invasions. This should serve as a warning to people who have proposed to use this species elsewhere in Africa.”

Geerts says consequently, impact is largely a function of usage and this should be a warning for future introductions of alien plant species, such as biofuel crops and fodder species that are initially dependant on human assistance for establishment, but could become major invasive species.

To read the article please see: Biological Invasions

For more information, contact Geerts at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or SANBI’s Invasive Species Programme at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

Making healthy food choices will contribute towards healthy lifestyles.

This is the mantra of second-year Consumer Science students who recently spent two afternoons sharing their knowledge with a group of farm workers in the Stellenbosch community.

Part of a CPUT Service Learning initiative, lecturer Theloshni Govender and her students teamed up with Samantha Davids from the Pebbles Project, a non-profit organization that is actively working with children and parents in the Winelands farming communities.

Davids says the collaboration with CPUT is part of their volunteer programme, which sees individuals give of their time and skills to enrich their programmes.

Govender says this is the second year that their department has collaborated with Pebbles Project, and this year they decided to target parents and caregivers and highlight the importance of nutrition.

“As part of the project, the CPUT students worked in groups, with each tasked to come up with an interactive presentation on nutritional wellness,” says Govender.

INFORMATION: Students informed participants about the benefits of eating healthy

The topics covered included the value of nutrition, the benefits of healthy eating, hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus. The students also distributed food hampers which were sponsored by the department’s staff members and the students themselves, as well as a hearty meal.

Student Lindy Dyakala says she is grateful to have been able to partake in the project, as many people are unaware of how to prevent lifestyle diseases through proper nutrition.

“This was such a great initiative,” she says.

“It felt good to be able to share information.”

Her classmate Qhamani Vandala says she enjoyed interacting with the group of parents and caregivers.

“My highlight was being able to teach people. The reality is, if you don’t’ eat well, then you are susceptible to lifestyle diseases.”

TEAM WORK: The team who participated in the Service Learning initiative

*For more information on the Pebbles Project and to find out how to partake in their volunteer programme, see www.pebblesproject.co.za

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

For many teenagers in South Africa, violence and crime constitute a way of life, having both direct and indirect effects on their psychological, emotional, developmental and physical wellbeing, says Dr Charlene Petersen.

A psychologist in the Department of Student Counselling at CPUT, Petersen developed a psycho-educational technique that can be used by psychologists, social workers and therapists to re-construct adolescent identity within the context of family violence, as part of her doctoral research, which she recently completed at the North West University.

Her thesis titled “Re-constructing adolescent identity in the context of family violence within the Belhar community of Cape Town,” was borne out of her interest in identity and adolescent development as well as a need for wanting to assist teenagers who find themselves in a family violence context.

“Adolescents growing up in poverty-stricken communities with high unemployment, concomitant dysfunction within the family, lack of infrastructure, and high incidences of crime and violence have limited access to mental health services and with the increase of violence and crime infiltrating many homes, it is evident that there is a need for restorative therapeutic intervention with adolescents in South Africa,” says Petersen.

INTERVENTION

As part of her study, Petersen worked with a select group of teenagers from the Belhar community, a suburb in Cape Town. A mixed-methods approach was used in the study, with data obtained through semi-structured individual interviews, psycho-educational intervention and pre-test and post-test assessments (Adolescent Self Concept Scale).

Through the use of psycho-educational tools and projective techniques, Petersen as well as the teenagers gained insight into their experience of family violence, as well as how they perceive themselves and interact with others, and how they foresee their future selves in a non-violent setting.

“I asked questions, such as how they felt in the context and what part of them comes out in that context. I wanted to find out what resources they had within them. It was about empowering them,” she says.

“The psycho-educational technique helped them to redefine their perception of family violence is and how differently to react to it.”

Petersen, who worked with each teenager over a period of ten sessions, says it was heartbreaking to hear the individuals stories, however, says it was beneficial for the teenagers, as one of the worst cases turned his life around.

“It is important to know that in the midst of violence, you don’t have to become like the perpetrator or the victim. You can redefine yourself in the context of family violence through self -empowerment and coping skills.”

IDENTITY

Petersen says the study proved the feasibility of the use of psycho-educational intervention and assist teenagers in their identity formation process in terms of how they perceive themselves and their interaction with others within the context of family violence.

The psycho educational technique can either be used on its own or with other therapy modalities and “therapists working with teenagers can become more informed in how to approach identity issues as a process emergent from a relational field and how to facilitate re-constructing an integrated identity,” says Petersen.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

At the age of 17, Anne-lie Lombard raised just over R10 000 and used the funds to purchase a meal for 1 200 students at her high school.

Her goal was simple. It was to show her fellow classmates that someone cared about them.

Several years later, this CPUT student’s passion to help others and to make an impact in her community has earned her an Abe Bailey Travel Bursary, a coveted scholarship that will see 18 of South Africa’s young leaders embark on an educational and cultural tour of Britain.

The bursary was established in terms of the will of the late Abe Bailey, who was a mining magnate and politician in South Africa, and is awarded annually to outstanding students and academics (under the age of 25) that have shown exceptional leadership qualities at their universities and within their communities.

Anne-lie, who is the Chairperson of the Wellington Campus Student Representative Council (SRC), says she never imagined that her application would be a success.

“As part of the application I had to attend an interview and it was very intense. They asked questions on how I felt about various issues. I had no idea what the outcome would be,” she says.

In her final year of her teaching qualification, Anne-lie says she is looking forward to spending three weeks with other young leaders, as well as the opportunity to learn from them.

Leadership is Anne-lie’s passion, and over the past few years she has held numerous leadership positions at CPUT and in her community has participated in and driven several community projects, from reading awareness campaigns to mentor initiatives.

“There is nothing more fulfilling than identifying a need and then taking initiative to provide, care and unite. This has been the main reason that I challenged myself to be a leader: to support students, change wrong mindsets and perspectives, and to help other students and leaders to achieve their full potential.”

CONGRATULATIONS: Members of the CPUT Executive Management team congratulate Anne-lie on her achievement

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

A group of CPUT brewers are set to go up against 14 micro-brewing teams at the South African Breweries’ 9th Annual SAB Intervarsity Beer Brewing Challenge.

Set to take place on 10 September 2016 at the SAB’s Cyril Ramaphosa World of Learning in Kyalami, Johannesburg, the competition provides a platform for up and coming brewers to show off their brewing skills.

CPUT made its debut in the competition in 2013, and since then their brews have earned them several top prizes.

This year’s team consists of Cara Vlok, Gareth Williams, Ryan Morkel, Lizaan Jacobs, who are enrolled in the Food Science and Technology programme, as well as lecturers Veronique Meyer and Dr Zanephyn Keyser. The team is positive that their brews will win over the judges’ taste buds.

Utilising the microbrewery that is housed in the Food Science and Technology Department on the Bellville Campus, the students brewed, fermented and packaged a dark lager, an apple cider as well as a specialty beer called Ayurveda.

CPUT has in the past proven their skills for creating unique brews and last year clinched the top prize in the specialty beer category for Tipsy Inyanga beer, an African take on a Belgian Witbier. The CPUT team incorporated the tricky buchu herb into the winning brew along with naartjie, sweet root (a liquorice flavoured plant), wheat and malt.

Meyer says this year’s specialty beer called Ayurveda was inspired by chai tea, and boasts an infusion of chai, orange and several other secret ingredients.

“It tastes really good,” she says.

Meyer says they drew inspiration from ancient healing techniques from the east, where chai tea was used for healing purposes.

In 2014 the CPUT team used rooibos as a key ingredient and walked away with the “Ben Lamaletie” IBD Intervarsity Beer Brewing Challenge Floating Trophy, the top honour Castle Lager Best Bru Award, as well as the Carling Black Label Champion Lager.

The competition will be judged by the most prominent independent and accredited craft beer tasters.

* Competition background: SAB has assisted South African universities in setting up microbreweries. CPUT is one of the recipients of a microbrewery, which is used to train Food Science and Technology students in the area of brewing.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

There are no shortcuts to success in the sporting world.

“For those females who would like to make sport their career, know that talent alone is not enough, you have to put in the extra work (training) to get even better,” says Shela Lekalakala, a Sports Development Officer in the Department of Student Affairs.

Lekalakala’s words of advice stem from her own experience in the sports world, having been an active member of the national netball community since her university days when she first started playing at provincial level for the under 19 team.

Her natural talent on the court saw her being awarded coveted sports opportunities, from representing South African at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland to participating at the World Student Games in Russia and South Korea.

After enjoying a successful career as a netball player, Lekalakala is now using her experience to drive the development of netball at CPUT as well as in the rest of the country.

“I love using sports to contribute positively to the lives of young people,” says Lekalakala.

In the past few years she has managed to grow the CPUT netball team, and under her leadership they have experienced a winning streak, having clinched the top title in the premier section three times in a row.

Several of the netball players coached by her have also been selected in provincial teams, while another has secured a coveted spot in the under 21 team that will compete at the national netball championships.

Apart from coaching the CPUT team, Lekalakala has coached Team SA as well as the Spar Netball team. She has also held post in various sports structures, such as the Vice President of Western Cape Provincial Sports Confederation, Vice President Western Province Netball and Treasurer University Sports South Africa Football.

Lekalakala has no regrets when it comes to her career choice.

“My main reason for choosing sport as a career was because it is a dynamic area. Your day is never the same. Things evolve all the time and as a sport administrator, you must always keep up with the changes.”

Lekalakala says females who would like to become involved in the management side of sport, must get involved with the sport they have an interest in as well as volunteer their services.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news

At CPUT research results are not confined to journals.

Researchers are thinking out of the box and using their research to develop products, devices and services that can contribute to the development of all spheres of South Africa.

One such researcher is Prof Veruscha Fester, who is based at the Flow Process and Rheology Centre.

Fester is one of CPUT’s leading female innovators and recently shared details of her groundbreaking work with the CPUT news:

You are one of a few female innovators at CPUT. Can you tell us more about your patent?

We are developing a one-step treatment reactor using locally developed nanopowders for treating textile wastewater. This treatment system offers an almost instantaneous removal of the colour from the water.  

This treatment system will not only be able to treat waste water to standard for disposal to municipal treatment systems, but to a standard suitable for re-use. If the water can be re-used, millions of litres of potable water will be saved.

We have already scaled up our laboratory prototype from 6L/hour to 72 L/hr. The next step is to get it to treat 1000L/hr or more and then an installation in industry. The interest shown in our technology (using a syringe filter and producing a few ml/min) at the CPUT Innovation Showcase in August 2015, encouraged us to quickly proceed with the development of a product.

What do you enjoy most about being a researcher?

I love the entire research process, the element of surprise and the endless opportunities to understand and discover new things, the excitement of finding answers to problems and guiding postgraduate students through the exciting journey of research. It simply leaves me astounded that I am able to add to science and engineering theory and practice in some way.

What do you attribute your success to?

Loving what I do - that is the driving force behind hard work and commitment.

I recognize the opportunities afforded me and I take time to be thankful for it and that motivates me to do well. I appreciate the government’s efforts to promote and train researchers to improve the wellbeing of our country. Having benefited from the training program, I want to make a contribution.

Do you have any words of advice for the generation of women researchers behind you?

In the field of engineering there is no male nor female, only projects completed successfully within time. It helps to know your strengths and your weaknesses. Most of all…recognize that you were born for a time such as this. There is a task that only you can do. Find it, and do it well, whether it pays or not or whether it brings fame or not.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

Thanks to the bold efforts of one woman, CPUT is home to the world’s unique Centre for Substation Automation and Energy Management Systems (CSAEMS).

In 2011, CPUT opened the doors to the CSAEMS at its Bellville Campus, thanks to Prof Raynitchka Tzoneva, a leading researcher in the field of industrial process controls and automation.Equipped with the state ­of­ the ­art substation automation laboratory, the CSAEMS provides much needed training for students, engineers and technicians employed in the energy sector.

Tzoneva says the idea of the centre was born more than a decade ago, when in 2004 the International Electrical Commission (IEC) put in place the new IEC 61850 standards, which governs the building, implementation and operations of Substation Automation Systems.

“This innovative approach allows the functions of metering, monitoring, protection, control and automation to be integrated and the respective devices to become interoperable in one system, called a Smart grid. The result is high stability and security of power systems leading to an uninterrupted power flow to consumers,” says Tzoneva.

However, with a lack of skills hampering the roll out of this new technology in South Africa, Tzoneva and her colleagues Shaheen Behardien, Carl Kriger, Dr Senthil Krishnamurthy, Mkhululi Mnguni, Adeyemi Adewole, and Quinton Bart conceptualized the CSAEMS.

In a bid to set up the centre, Tzoneva applied for funding from the National Research Foundation and Department of Science and Technology, and was awarded R10 million to bring the concept to life. She also secured additional funding of R16 million from the Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme, CPUT, TESP/Eskom, and industrial partners Alectrix and MBSA.

Today, the CSAEMS is an enabler for education, training, testing, research and development in new technologies, which can help to upgrade and optimize power systems in South Africa as well as the implementation of the various standards which have been set by the IEC.

“The availability of the state of the art equipment allows practical implementation of the research projects ideas and outcomes. We are in a position now to propose to the power sector in South Africa real-time solutions of protection, control, automation, and optimization problems”, says Prof. Tzoneva.

The CSAEMS also has close working ties with Prof Alexander Apostolov, a world class specialist in Substation Automation and one of the creators of the new substation automation technology. Apostolov regularly visits the centre, presents seminars, and also co-supervises postgraduate students.

“The centre is growing and developing. Many postgraduate students have completed their masters or doctoral studies here,” she says.

Recently Tzoneva was awarded funding from CPUT to conduct specialized research development of a cost-effective, standard-based Process Interface Device for the acquisition and distribution of data in support of intelligent decision-making within a smart grid environment. The project is one of the three prestigious projects at CPUT.

In addition, Tzoneva is part of a team that has secured funding from the ERASMUS+ K2, an initiative of the European Community, which will see the CSAEMS in collaboration with universities from Germany, Italy, Sweden, Tanzania, and South Africa develop a harmonized modular curriculum for the smart grid that will be integrated into engineering programmes.

This course will be the first in the world to introduce the new standard-based technologies as a master subject.

• The centre collaborates with the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, Pretoria University, University of KwaZulu-Natal and Durban University of Technology. Other collaborators include consulting and design organisations, City of Cape Town, and vendors ABB, Alstom, GE, RJConnect, RTDS, RuggedCom, Schneider, SEL, and Siemens.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news

Motivated to “live life to the fullest”, Student Development Officer, Anette Grobler has made headline news for taking on world first solo adventures to summiting some of the world’s highest mountains.

Her most renowned adventure saw Grobler become the first person to walk the entire Skeleton Coast Park (570 km) in Namibia solo. This area is known for its inhospitable and desolate terrain, as well as extreme climate.

Grobler completed the mission in approximately 30 days, all while pulling a rickshaw developed by CPUT’s Engineering Department that contained her satellite phone and various supplies needed for her journey.

Grobler gave CPUT news some insight into some of her amazing adventures.

You are the first person in history to walk the entire Skeleton Coast Park (570 km) in Namibia solo and unsupported. What motivated you to take on this challenge?

For some or other reason I started a bucket list when I was only 14 years old. I can remember that I listed 10 things I felt that I needed to do in my lifetime. I cannot recall everything on the list, but I do remember that one of them was “to do something that has never been done before”. 

How did it feel to be alone during this period?

Yes, I was alone. The longest days were the days I could not walk whilst the tides were not in my favor. I could only walk during low tides and that needed to be during the day. At night there are too many wild animals that are out hunting.

It is amazing how you start talking to yourself - out loud. It is almost an attempt to stay sane because if you say something, you need to put the words together and form them properly in order for it to make sense and making sense of something is still part of being sane!

Where you scared?

Yes, I was scared of the desert lions - about 38 of them in that area. Five of the rivers that I needed to cross were in flood for the first time in 20 years and I was warned about the quick sand.

So, my two biggest fears, namely being buried alive or eaten alive, became very real the minute I entered the Skeleton Coast National Park.

What was the highlight of this solo walk?

The day before I completed the 570 km, the wind dropped for the first time in 26 days. I was able to swim in the sea and wash for the first time in days!  

This was not your first solo adventure. Where and when did you complete your first solo walk?

I walked the coastal desert of Angola in 2005, starting from the mouth of the Kunene river continuing north to a place called Namibe (the old Mocamedes).

Apart from the solo walks, you also climbed some of the world’s highest mountains. Which ones did you summit?

I summited Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Mount Elbrus in Russia (with an CPUT Alumni Sam Ramohlola  who “paid it forward” and actually sponsored me to climb Mt Elbrus with him). 

We also continued to climb Mount Aconcagua in South America but none of us managed to summit as the weather turned against us on the summit night.  

What motivates you to take on all these adventures?

Many years ago I got lost in the Namib desert during a solo adventure race. When I eventually managed to find my way back to civilization, I promised myself that I will live life to the fullest because I had a new appreciation for the most wonderful thing called “life”.

When one takes something for granted, you don’t appreciate it that much. So now, the closer I am to nature, danger and death, the more alive I feel!

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

Rooibos is good for you.

This is the word being spread by Prof Jeanine Marnewick, who heads up the Oxidative Stress Research Unit at the CPUT.

Marnewick made history in 2011 when her clinical 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 lower the risk of heart disease.

She shared her findings with CPUT news:

Can you tell us more about your research on rooibos?

There are very few human studies currently available on rooibos to evaluate the health promoting effect of this proudly South African product, and we were the first to report the protective effect six cups of rooibos have on adults at risk for heart disease.

This study was the result of years of doing basic scientific research on rooibos, and thus for me personally a landmark in my career as a scientist. Subsequently, more scientists from across the world have reported on the health benefits of rooibos.

Apart from the scientific importance of this study, the evidence also serves to inform and educate the consumers of rooibos in our communities. Recently, news reported an increase in the popularity of rooibos across the world. For a scientist this means research coming full circle, from the test tube to influencing the community and the economy in some way or another.

What research projects are you currently focusing on?

As is the case in most scientific fields, results generate more questions and thus require more research to be done. This is exactly the case with rooibos and we are involved with a number of studies now ranging from basic research (investigating the bio-activities of the other indigenous herbal tea, Honeybush), to another clinical intervention study that is earmarked for the near future that will involve a multidisciplinary approach with both national and international collaborators.

What do you enjoy most about being a researcher?

Over the years as the emphasis of one’s work moves more towards management, I realized that the most enjoyable time I have had was as a young researcher with fellow students in the laboratory getting our hands dirty.

Now I am privileged to share my knowledge and expertise with my postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows I supervise, and there is nothing more heartwarming and rewarding for me to see them develop into a young researcher with a will to make the world a better place through their research.

What do you attribute your success to?

Very often the public has the perception of a scientist being a very lonely figure working behind closed doors. In my case it cannot be further from the truth, as looking back now on my career I realized that I have always been part of a team and associated myself with experts in the field in order to grow my own research network and team, and that is a great part of success. “No man is an island”. Of course personal attributes such as curiosity, patience, tenacity and having a strong work ethic are crucial for succeeding as a scientist.

Do you have any words of advice for the generation of women researchers behind you?

It is extremely important to have a very good foundation in science, thus from school focus on science and mathematics, know your field of science, become the expert, surround yourself with professionals in the scientific community.

As a woman you will be facing different challenges, tackle them head-on, do not compromise your own values, never lose your curiosity for science, be patient, hardworking and you will reap the rewards.

Remember the famous quote: “A woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong it is until it is in hot water”. 

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

Prof Victoria Jideani from the Food Science and Technology Department is the first female inventor at CPUT to register a patent.

In 2012 her innovative efforts paid off when she developed a probiotic yoghurt-like beverage.

The probiotic beverage is produced from a vegetable milk product, which Jideani tailor-made from Bambara groundnut, a locally grown legume. Current probiotic yoghurt products are manufactured from cow, goat or soya milk.

Widely grown in South Africa and other parts of the continent, the Bambara groundnut is underutilised and sold in its raw form as a health snack.

But with Jideani harbouring a passion for underutilised crops, she grabbed the opportunity to turn the Bambara groundnut into something much more than just a health snack.

“One day I began to think of ways to add more value to this specific legume that is underutilised,” she says.

Jideani spent two years working on the project and her tireless efforts have paid off.

This natural probiotic beverage boasts a number of health benefits for consumers.

It is cholesterol free, low in fat as well as rich in protein, fibre and antioxidants. It also boasts added probiotics for maintaining good balance and composition of intestinal flora.

“The product is suitable for lactose intolerant suffers and yet acceptable to the general market”, she says.  

INNOVATION:  The product produced by Prof Jideani

Jideani is continuing with her ground breaking research and has registered other patents related to the Bambara groundnut and has also established a research group that is exploring the potential of the Bambara groundnut as a food security crop and nutraceutical that could be utilized in functional food, pharmaceutical industry/medicine.

Earlier this year Drs Jane Okafor and Bukola Adedayo, two postdoctoral fellows joined the team and will look at the medicinal potential of the Bambara groundnut and its products (milk and probiotic beverage) as a functional food in health and disease and its relationship to indigenous knowledge systems.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

A funding boost of R2.5 m will further strengthen a collaborative research and training project that is addressing water challenges facing South Africa.

Over the past few years, the Centre of Water Research (CWSR) at CPUT together with the Institute of Water Studies at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) have collaborated with the Breede-Gouritz Catchment Management Agency (BGCMA) on an Integrated Water Resource Management in South Africa project.

The project commenced in 2011 with a four year grant of 1.5 million Euros from Nuffic, a Netherlands based capacity development organization. With the grant period at an end, the Board of BGCMA has approved funding to sustain the research initiatives for the next three years.

Direct of BGCMA, Phakamani Buthelezi, says the funding is in line with the organisation’s strategic plan that advocates collaboration with academic and research institutions that can contribute towards innovative solutions to water problems as well as capacity building.

Director of CWSR, Prof Lagardien, says the first phase of funding was used to build the foundation of the project and to forge meaningful collaborations and partnerships.

He says collaborative ventures are an “efficient way of taking care of important research and development challenges.”

“The collaboration has demonstrated value,” says Lagardien.

To date, Lagardien says they have established a remote sensing and GIS lab at UWC, a Water Quality lab at CPUT, improved data collection and management and acquired catchment instrumentation and vehicles.

They have also made huge strides in capacity building, with four PhD and eight Masters fellowships, three WRC research projects and several seminars. Researchers involved in the project also participated in exchange programmes with the Netherlands to further advance their skills base.

The second phase of the project will focus and drive collaboration in the niche areas of catchment studies, water resource assessments, environment, water and sustainability, water and agriculture as well as water and sanitation services.  

UWC Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Sciences, Prof David Holdgate commended the project participants and says their area of research is addressing issues that are impacting on South Africa.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

CPUT lecturer Mike Agenbag will play a key role in developing processes that will improve the quality of environmental services rendered to the South African public.

An expert in Environmental Health, Agenbag has been appointed to serve on the South African Environmental Health Services Delivery Review Task Team (EHSDRTT).

The task team was set up by the National Department of Health, following the enactment of the National Health Act 2003 and the subsequent decentralization of environmental health services to municipalities.

Agenbag, who is based in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Studies, will bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the task team, having served on various other national committees.

Along with other experts in the field, Agenbag says they will investigate the current state of the delivery of environmental health services by district and metropolitan municipalities. Thereafter they will compile a report for the Ministers highlighting their findings as well as recommendations and options to ensure the delivery of quality environmental health services.

He says the task at hand is crucial for the wellbeing of communities.

“The purpose of environmental health is to prevent people from ending up in hospital,” says Agenbag.

“We need to move towards preventative health care.”

Agenbag says this can only be successfully achieved through the proper and adequate roll-out of environmental services by district and metropolitan municipalities.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

The university has officially cemented its contribution to Operation Phakisa at the launch of its Research Chair in Ocean’s Economy and the signing of the MoU between CPUT and The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA).

Operation Phakisa (meaning “hurry up” in Sesotho), is a South African government initiative aimed at unlocking the economic potential of South Africa’s oceans by focusing on marine transport and manufacturing, aquaculture, marine protection services and ocean governance, offshore oil and gas exploration, coastal tourism and small harbour development.

By unlocking the economic potential of South Africa’s oceans, the government aims to address the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality in South Africa.

The Research Chair in Ocean’s Economy is a first for South Africa and is held by marine biology expert, Prof Kenneth Findlay.

Findlay says over the next few months he will establish the Research Chair at the Centre of Sustainable Oceans Economy, which will act as a nucleus to consolidate multidisciplinary research and technology-innovation efforts from the Faculties of Applied Sciences, Business and Management Sciences and Engineering.

Findlay says the Centre will focus its attention on ocean governance, a crucial area that will ensure the sustainable growth of the oceans economy.

The launch of the Research Chair was welcomed by the DEA, who will be working closely with Findlay and the multidisciplinary research over the next few years.

“CPUT has aligned its operations with that of the government and we commend you for that,” says Nosipho Ngcaba, the Director General of the DEA.

AGREEMENT: CPUT Vice-Chancellor, Dr Prins Nevhutalu and the Director General of the Department of Environmental Affairs, Nosipho Ngcaba, signing a MoU, that will see the institutions partner in various areas to ensure the development of the oceans economy.

The agreement between CPUT and the DEA will see the two institutions partner in the development of new technologies, research and capacity building, to ensure the development of the oceans economy.

CPUT Vice-Chancellor, Dr Prins Nevhutalu says universities are tasked with playing an active in the development of the country, and the establishment of the Research Chair and the MoU indicates CPUT’s commitment to this task.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.