Final-year Product and Industrial Design talent was recently showcased at the Annual Graduate Exhibition in Woodstock.

According to Lezandi Fourie, a third-year exhibitor and prize winner, the aim of this year’s Graduate Exhibition was “to showcase our design talent”. The exhibition, organised and designed by the students, also provided an opportunity to build the brand of the programme.

In a first for the programme, final-year students were awarded prizes with irreverent titles like Mad Scientist, Blood, Sweat and Tears and Minion to Master. The programme lecturers came up with the names for the prizes and also selected the ultimate winners.

Items such as standing lamps, furniture, timber puzzles and product renderings made for a dazzling display. Third-year National Diploma students weren’t the only ones exhibiting either. Postgraduate (BTech) students’ designs were also on display to the audience, which included students, alumni and industry players. Products designed by the BTech students were also available for sale – from coffee pots to camera straps.

The Product Design and Industrial Design Postgraduate courses are for anyone interested in designing in three dimensions – from physical objects found in daily life, to innovative systems and product concepts. The job opportunities available to graduates of this course include lighting design, set-building and furniture design and manufacturing.

The exhibition served as valuable experience for the student organisers in promoting and marketing their designs, a skill they will need to have when they enter the working world.

More pictures of the exhibition are available on our Facebook page.

Written by Abigail Calata

The flags are unfurled, the university grounds are manicured and the main auditoriums on CPUT’s Bellville and Cape Town campuses are decked in finery – all awaiting the bumper crop of graduates who will descend on the university this week. CPUT will confer 6252 qualifications during 12 ceremonies, including 51 MTech and 6 DTech degrees.

Graduates will be addressed by a host of South Africa’s movers and shakers in politics, industry and academia, including Chief Mandla Mandela, the grandson of former state president Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

Referred to by his full name and traditional title, Nkosi Zwelivelile ‘Mandla’ Mandela is Chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council, where he serves as a cultural figurehead for the people of Mvezo village, near Mthatha in the Eastern Cape. A Member of Parliament for the ANC since 2009, Chief Mandela will be talking to graduates in the Business Faculty at Wednesday’s ceremony on the Cape Town campus at 10am.

Business Faculty graduates will also be addressed by Ernst and Young’s social entrepreneur of the year, Olivia van Rooyen. The founder of the Kuyasa Fund, which offers microfinance and housing loans for poor people, Van Rooyen has helped tens of thousands of South Africans better their lives.

Other inspirational speakers include Professor Oupa Rangaka, former principal of the Soweto campus of the University of Johannesburg and now the proud owner of an award-winning wine estate in Stellenbosch. Prof Rangaka, his wife and three children run M’Hudi – the first black-owned family-run wine farm in the country.

One of South Africa’s rising design stars, Mokena Makeka, has been invited to speak to Faculty of Informatics and Design (FID) graduates. The founder and Managing Director of Makeka Design Lab is a two-time recipient of the Cape Institute of Architects Award of Merit for his work on architectural projects around the Cape Town metropole. He also sits on the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council for Design.

CPUT’s top students in each faculty will be honoured for their outstanding academic achievements. This year sees Eduard Smit from Applied Sciences, Emanual Cloete from Education and Social Sciences, Vaughan Pillay from Engineering, Alison Schwartz from Health and Wellness Sciences, Natasha Sarkady from FID and Bruce Taona Masama from the Faculty of Business, scoop the Dean’s Medal.

The Vice-Chancellor’s Medal this year has been awarded to Melissa Jane Gardner, also from the Business Faculty. Melissa scooped this most illustrious honour after obtaining distinctions in all of the subjects she studied for her BTech: Retail Business Management, with an aggregate of 86% for her BTech degree.

By Jan Weintrob

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The Department of Town and Regional Planning held its annual Students’ Awards function on 14 October 2009 on the Cape Town campus of CPUT.

Among the awards that were presented on the day were the Dean’s Merit Awards, the Cooperative Education Excellence Awards and the Academic Performance Awards.

Vic Theunissen, retired head of the department, was the master of ceremonies. For the first time this year a floating trophy, the VH Theunissen Floating Trophy, named after him was presented for Best Student in Second Year Infill Project Presentation (2009) to Louis Schlecter.

Keynote speaker for the day Cheryl Walters, Director of Planning and Building Development Management at the City of Cape Town, said Cape Town as a city presents its own unique challenges, and this is what makes their role as development urban planners in this city so interesting and challenging.

“We have a population of 3.6 million inhabitants occupying a metropolitan area of 2461 sqkm. Inhabitants of our city live either in formal or informal homes, the majority of which are having no security of tenure,” she said. She said the challenges facing ‘us’ are both at local and global level, and these include: Climate Change, Growing Urbanisation, Poverty, Housing and broader Environmental issues.

“When considering development applications we need to address all these issues and their impacts in striving towards creating a balanced environment,” said Walters.

Colin Daniels, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Design, presented the Dean’s Merit Award for National Diploma: Town and Regional Planning, Level 1 to Lieb Alexander Maritz and the same award on Level 3 to Gertchen Boonzaaier.

Daniels also presented the Cooperative Education Excellence Awards to the City of Cape Town and the Provincial Government of the Western Cape’s Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning for supporting the Work Integrated Learning Programme for students in the department.

The following is a full listing of all Town and Regional Planning students and staff members who received awards:

• Best Overall performing student in ND level 1 (2008): Lieb Maritz
• Best Overall performing student in ND level 3 (2008): Gertchen Boonzaaier
• Best Overall performing student in B-Tech level (2008): Wynton Brown
• Most improved student in ND level over 3 years (2006-2008): Vongani Chauke
• Best Student in Planning Design in ND level 1 (2008): Lieb Maritz
• Best Student in Planning Design in ND level 3 (2008): Dylan Johnstone
• Best Student in Planning Design in B-Tech level (2008): Kevin Mcgilton
• Best Student in Planning Theory in ND level 1 (2008): Jill Du Plessis
• Best Student in Planning Theory in ND level 3 (2008): Gertchen Boonzaaier
• Best Student in Planning Theory in B-Tech level (2008): Eitan Ada
• Best Student in Environmental Studies in B-Tech level (2008): Kevin McGilton
• Best Student in 2nd Year Infill Project in Experiential Training (2008): Christopher Munro
• Vic Theunissen Floating Trophy for Best Presentation in 2nd Year Infill Project (2009): Louis Schlecter
• Staff Member of the year in Department Town and Regional Planning (2008): Martin Abrahae

By Thami Nkwanyane

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Key role-players in government, industry and education are among the guest speakers lined up to address CPUT’s 2010 graduates at the university’s April Graduation Ceremonies, running from 12 to 17 April on the Bellville and Cape Town campuses.

Dr Trevor Manuel, CPUT Chancellor and Minister in the Presidency in charge of the National Planning Commission, will be providing the guest address for graduates of the Faculty of Engineering in a ceremony on 16 April 2010 on Cape Town campus.

Dr Manuel was elected as CPUT’s first Chancellor in May 2008. He is an alumnus of the Peninsula Technikon and served as the South African Minister of Finance for 11 years, before accepting his current ministerial role.

Dr Manuel was in attendance at this year’s opening graduation ceremony on 12 April, where he called on graduates to make a commitment to life-long learning and return to CPUT to further their studies.

Director and co-founder of South African Women in Engineering, Naadiya Moosajee will address Engineering graduates attending the Bellville ceremony on 14 April. Moosajee currently serves on the FIFA 2010 Local Organising Committee and was voted the 2009 Most Influential Woman of the Year by CEO magazine.

Member of Parliament and nuclear reactor design and analysis expert Dr Nqaba Ngcobo will be guest speaker at the Applied Sciences morning graduation ceremony on 15 April. Dr Ngcobo chairs the Portfolio Committee on Science and Technology, a committee tasked with holding several government entities accountable for service delivery.

Sagie Pillay, CEO of the National Health Laboratory Services and former CEO at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, will address Health and Wellness Sciences graduates on the evening of 15 April.

Prof John Volmink, Chairperson of the International Partnerships Network and Member of the Board of the Universal Education Foundation, will be guest speaker at the morning ceremony on Saturday 17 April, where he will address graduates in the Education and Social Sciences Faculty.

Informatics and Design graduates will be addressed by internationally recognised furniture designer Liam Mooney at the 17 April afternoon ceremony. Dr Carla Enslin, Head of the Vega Communications School in Cape Town, will also address graduates in Informatics and Design, as well as graduates from other faculties, in the evening ceremony on 16 April.

Earlier this week, I & J Marketing and Sales Director David Pietersen and Group Executive and CEO of Metropolitan International Mervyn Cookson gave guidance to Business graduates at the Cape Town and Bellville first graduation ceremonies.

“Persevere and never give up, no matter what obstacles you face,” said Cookson, who also emphasised the values of humility, integrity and continuous learning as key to leadership.

Prof Michael Wormald and Prof Glen Holman of the Faculty of Commerce at the University of Cape Town and Gayle Kaylor, Chief Director at the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy also addressed the Business graduates.

CPUT expects to confer 6 300 qualifications during twelve graduation ceremonies this week, including 62 master's degrees and seven doctoral degrees.

By Ilana Abratt

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A team of CPUT Mechanical Engineering students was announced overall winner of the 2008 Sasol Mini Baja Challenge, held on 17 and 18 October 2008 at the Gerotek test facility outside Pretoria.

The competition, which takes its name from a famous race across the deserts of California, invites South African and international students to compete in off-road vehicles that they have designed and built themselves.

Entries are judged in two sections – the theoretical, which consists of the design and safety aspects, and the practical, which is made up of the acceleration, top speed, skid pull, manoeuvrability and hill climb tests as well as a four-hour endurance event.

The two CPUT entries both performed well, with vehicle number 2 taking first place overall, as well as second place in the Static judging and second place in the Performance section. Vehicle number 32 took fifth place overall. Tshwane University of Technology was second overall, followed by the Central University of Technology in third place.

Captain of the winning team Jaco van Niekerk praised the camaraderie of the event. ""This was the third time I'd entered but my first win,"" he said, ""The endurance race was really rough. We had two breakdowns but kept going. We did well on the static evaluation but I think our competitive edge came from having entered before – and lots of man-hours!""

To participate in the Mini Baja challenge, students need to accomplish all the planning and manufacturing tasks required when introducing a new product to the consumer industrial market.

Starting with only a rulebook, and a Briggs & Stratten 10 hp engine at the beginning of the year, they have to come up with a concept design, which they refine until they have a final design. The students then build the vehicle, and take part in the race at the end of the year.

The project encompasses many disciplines such as Mechanical Design, Strengths of Materials, Manufacturing Technology, Mechanics of Machines, CAD, and Costing, and gives the students an opportunity to bring these all together. A complete design and costing report must also be submitted, which forms a part of the student’s academic marks.

The winning Baja team is the one that can perform consistently over all the various sections. How well the team members do in the competition depends on the quality of their design and workmanship, as most of the parts are manufactured by the students themselves, with very few components bought off the shelf.

Designing, building and racing an off-road vehicle is certainly no “paper project”. The students' performance in the competition depends on all of the work and decisions taken during the year. The experience that the students gain from this is invaluable.

By David Evans, Faculty of Engineering

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Second-year students from the Cape Town Hotel School scooped top awards at the Reach for Young Stars competition.

Organised by Showcook, the competition is an annual event which sees South Africa’s young and aspiring chefs, sommeliers and head waiters compete in a number of exciting challenges.

This year’s challenge took place at the One&Only Hotel in Cape Town and saw students wow judges with their culinary and hospitality skills.

The winning starter was a vanilla prawn tortellini prepared by the school’s Sascha Kranz and Grant Glasser.

Gabrielle le Roux and Merissa Naicker were named top sommelier and top head waiter, respectively by the judging panel made up of industry experts.

Other awards went to Lisa Batty, runner-up in the head waiter category, as well as Cobus Bester and Siyabonga Mlonzi, who both came third in the sommelier category.

The keynote speaker at the awards ceremony was Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk, while the awards were presented by Dr Vash Mungal-Singh, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa.

Judges of the event were Reuben Riffel, Nick Patmore, Marieta Human, Penelope Horwood, Luke Dale-Roberts, Wolfgang Leyrer and Michael Olivier.

Cape Town Hotel School Director Alan Romburgh recently hosted a celebratory lunch for the victorious students and the staff members who coached them.

Romburgh commended the students for doing extremely well in the competition.

He says judges were so impressed by their high standards that they voted CPUT as the best hotel school in the Western Cape.

Reflecting on the experience, the students says while they were nervous at first they later enjoyed taking part in the competition as they had an opportunity to put the skills they learnt at the school to test.

By Kwanele Butana

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CPUT is the breeding ground for South Africa’s future innovators and entrepreneurs.

Thanks to the Idea-Create Student Innovation Competition, students were given the opportunity to develop innovative products, service and business plans.

The brainchild of the Technology Transfer Office and the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Technology Transfer, this inaugural competition was a huge success, drawing close to 50 innovative entries.

Competition coordinator Halimah Rabiu says all the entries were very impressive.

“This was a difficult task, but the students all stepped up to the challenge. They produced good business plans and novel ideas. All the students should be proud of themselves,” says Rabiu.

Simon Longela, a Mechanical Engineering student, clinched first prize in the postgraduate category for the design of a high-tech artificial hand. The artificial hand, unlike conventional prosthetic limbs, shares a number of properties of a human hand.

Runner up in the postgraduate category was Electrical Engineering student Paul Bayendang and Information Technology student Melo Forchu who took third place.        

The winners of the undergraduate category were Mechanical Engineering student Tshitso Mosolodi and Building student Mohlomi Raliile. This creative duo designed a USB that has a number of innovative security features.            

Close on their heels, were joint third prize winners, Accounting student Vuyelwa Skosana and Industrial Design student Gavin Redman.          

Dr Chris Nhlapo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Technology Transfer, says CPUT is creating the right platform for students to become inventors.

Nhlapo urged the winners to take their ideas and products a step further and commercialise them.

By Candes Keating

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More than 100 of CPUT’s top students have been selected as members of the Golden Key International Honour Society.

Golden Key is a highly exclusive and prestigious international academic honor society and lifetime membership is by invitation only.

Its headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia, and has 15 partners in South Africa. CPUT is currently the only university of technology with a Golden Key endorsement since 2009.

This year 113 students accepted the invitation and were inducted as members during a ceremony on the Bellville Campus.

The criterion used to select members is academic merit and invitation is extended to the top 15% academic performers across all faculties.

The society inculcates three values in their members - academic achievement, leadership and community service.

Members of the society can enjoy numerous benefits. A large number of Golden Key corporate partners across all industries only recruit from the pool of members as well as exclusive international scholarships programmes.

Golden Key South Africa Director Charlene Gunther commended the students for their hard work and dedication to their studies.

“You are truly world class,” says Gunther.

The new members were awarded certificates, while student Roelien Dippenaar scooped a R2 000 cheque for her outstanding academic performance and leadership skills.

By Kwanele Butana

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Shining the light on cost-effective, modern and eco-friendly lighting is CPUT’s Kelley-Ann Jansen, who scooped the top regional prize in the 2012 Eskom Energy Efficient Lighting Design Competition.

This annual competition challenges individuals to design contemporary and attractive residential lights, using efficient lighting technologies, such as fluorescents and LED technologies.

Kelley-Ann competed against 250 entries, but thanks to her creative design – The Mill, which was inspired by the windmill, she secured first place in the regional round of the competition.

A Btech student, Kelley-Ann says she draw inspiration from the operating principles of two types of windmills.

“I looked at windmills used for generating electricity, commonly known as wind turbines and a windmill machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of blades. The Mill is thus given the ability to direct light for a specific task by means of rotating blades,” she says.

The creative design consists of 12 veneer blades that are separated by grip nuts, which allow smooth rotating of the blades in both directions.

Kelley-Ann says she chose nuts, washers and threaded bar as these are widely available at hardware stores and are affordable.

She will compete in the competition finals that will be held on 8 November in Johannesburg.

By Nurahn Ryklief

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CPUT together with industry is developing critical skills in the IT sector.

Through hard work and determination 17 students graduated from the CapaCITI 1000 Certification Training and IBM Academic Initiative programme.

The programme is a joint initiative between CPUT, Oracle, The Cape IT Initiative, The City of Cape Town, Working Technologies, Tembo Lab as well as the Centre for CIO Research in Africa CenCRA.

The aim of the programme is to add, up-skill or re-skill 1000 people with IT skills that are in critical short supply in the next five years.

Graduating as Oracle Certified Professionals, many of the recent graduates have already secured lucrative jobs in the industry. 

Speaking at the graduation, Head of Department of Information Technology at CPUT, Dr Bennet Alexander, emphasized the importance of skills development in an emerging world.

“It is very important for educational institutions to speak to industry role-players and to find out what is needed. Human capital is valuable to any industry’s growth,” says Alexander.

Understanding what is required in the industry and being equipped with valuable skills and training, the class of 2012 is set to take the IT industry by storm and encourage others to do the same.

By: Nurahn Ryklief

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Mechanical Engineering students Bryce Wicht, Steven Black and Stephen Benford are proof that CPUT is producing the country’s next generation of innovators.

This trio designed and manufactured a fully functional, remote aeroplane for their final BTech project. The aeroplane measures 3x1.5m, is 400m high and runs on methanol-based fuel.

The aeroplane has already taken to the skies, much to the delight of these students who spent the past few months developing this impressive device.

TAKE FLIGHT: The aeroplane is fully functional

Bryce says while it took them several weeks to build the aeroplane, the research and design phase took up the bulk of their time.

“We originally designed two aeroplanes, but opted for this one,” he says.

One of the goals of the project was to design a lightweight device that could carry a heavy payload. Instead of opting for conventional material used for such devices, the students used foam core ply board, a lightweight material used for the building of yachts.

LIGHT: The aeroplane is made of high-tech material sourced by the students

 Stephen says the project was a challenge but that they are all pleased with the outcome.

“The most gratifying part of this process was seeing the design come to life,” he says.

Lecturer Walter Kohlhofer commended the students for their hard work and commitment to such an innovative project.

He says the project exposed students to aerodynamics and other engineering principles, which forms a solid base for those wanting to pursue a master’s degree in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles 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.

The class of 2012 can expect to get some insight into the realities of the world of work from one of South Africa’s top businessmen.

Group Chief Executive of Alexander Forbes Equity Holding, Edward Kieswetter, will deliver the keynote address at the annual Spring Graduation ceremony today.

And who better to inspire South Africa’s future workforce than Kieswetter, who was voted South Africa’s top boss, twice during the past decade.

Kieswetter has held key positions in the South African energy and financial sectors. He is also well aware of student life, having also spent several years working as an academic.

He boasts three masters’ degrees from local and international universities and is the current Vice-Chair of the University of the Free State.

Other guest at this year’s ceremony will include graduates’ family members, friends and partners, who will watch on as close to 700 students take to the stage to receive their qualifications.

The qualifications that will be awarded include Diplomas, Bachelor and Master of Technology Degrees as well as Doctoral of Technology Degrees.

Qualifications will be awarded in the faculties of Business, Engineering, Health and Wellness, Applied Science, Education and Social Sciences and Informatics and Design.

By Candes Keating
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The class of 2012 were given insight into the realities of the world of work from one of South Africa’s top businessmen.

Group Chief Executive of Alexander Forbes Equity Holding, Edward Kieswetter, who delivered the keynote address at the annual Spring Graduation, says South Africa needs people who can work.

ACHIEVEMENT: CPUT awarded 9 Doctoral graduates at the Spring Graduation and 55 Master of Technology degrees

Kieswetter, who was voted South Africa’s top boss, twice during the past decade, says many graduates enter the workplace and do not have a notion of how to work.

“Our main challenge is not unemployment but one of employability,” he says.

He says the country needs individuals who are well-balanced and who have intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual capabilities.

Kieswetter says those going into the world of work must also be able to think critically and ethically and be innovative.

He urged the CPUT graduates to become key role players in the economy and to also plough back into their communities.

Kieswetter, who is involved in a number of community projects, says graduates must not only satisfy their economical needs but see what role they can play in building a better society.

“We need professionals who will find it in their heart and soul to make a difference in society,” he says.

By Candes Keating

Photographs by Clive Galant

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An Operations Management student, who aspires to become a musician, has released a contemporary rap single called Winning.

Final-year student Luzuko Fikile, affectionately known as Aefro by his fans, started recording his own music from the tender age of 13 and now has his fans eating out of his hands. “I just redropped my single called ‘Winning’ which I dropped in 2017, before taking a break from music when I enrolled at CPUT.”

The versatile 21-year-old muso is planning to drop another single called “105”and at the same time is working on finishing his EP (mini-album) Been Calm For Too Long. Aefro says that, as a musician, he is not affiliated to any specific music genre. He adds that the emotions and message he intends to convey in a specific song determine whether he produces a rap, pop, soul or even a gospel track.

The creative, who hails from Mthatha (Eastern Cape), says his grandmother is the inspiration behind his latest single. “She always told me how she struggled in life and how she wants us, her children, to be successful in life and build her a mansion in the land she inherited from her late husband Ngxabane.”

Aefro's music can be downloaded on the following platforms:

Audiomack on https://audiomack.com/aefro/song/winning-prod-by-de-masby, YouTube and SoundCloud on

https://soundcloud.com/user-62246152/aefro-winning?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=1 and

SlikourOnlife on https://www.slikouronlife.co.za/song/169964/winning-remake. He adds that it will soon be posted on all digital platforms such as Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify and others.

He hopes to have at least three or four top singles which will serve as his breakthrough into the industry. He adds that this will inspire young black musicians in Mthatha to know that it is possible for one to make it in life through art or whatever it is that one is passionate about.

“I do music based on what I experience in life, the books I engage, the life lessons I encounter in any manner or type of sound I want to express myself in,” says the tenacious Aefro.

“In the next five years I see my music on top of the charts, having been mentioned amongst the best to ever do it,” he predicts. “With the message my music has or will contain, I do believe it will travel all around the country, the world and [even] to greater capacity and heights.”

While he recognises that the Cape Town’s entertainment scene has a huge and responsive audience, he contends that the promoters are the gatekeepers in the industry who prevent local creatives from realising their dreams.

“This side, everyone wants to shine alone, there’ s no real support for each other,” argues Aefro. “One hardly even gets exposure to top platforms like interviews and gigs, unless you move to Joburg; Basically it’s only the artist and their audience, if you are stable on the Internet you’ re fine,  your supporters and your craft are the only thing you have.”

Written by Kwanele Butana

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Talent Moyo, who was awarded a Doctor of Commerce in Marketing degree during today’s SMART Graduation, says her latest achievement was a dream come true.                               

“I don't really know how to feel, because this is a dream come true,” says Moyo. “The only thing I can think of now is 'What next?' I need a new dream!"

She adds that making his family proud is the best feeling in the world.

Her research topic, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes on the marketing performance of professional sport organisations in South Africa. She developed a set of criteria which professional sport organisations in South Africa can use to assess the impact of their CSR programmes on their marketing performance.

“The literature suggests that CSR programmes elicit positive marketing-related outcomes for professional sport organisations. However, the impact of these outcomes on the marketing performance remained an under-investigated area."

The study identified CSR as a marketing strategy and conceptualised the relationship between CSR and marketing performance. The findings presented unique perceptions from professional sport organisations in South Africa.

A set of criteria to assess the impact of CSR programmes on their marketing performance was proposed and the study recommended that CSR be used strategically to maximise positive impact on sport organisations’ marketing performance.

Moyo was one of four graduates who were awarded doctoral degrees in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences. The other graduates were Siviwe Mditshwa who was awarded a DTech in Public Management as well as Kofi Boamah and Oscar Chakabva who both received Doctor of Commerce in Internal Auditing degrees.

Chakabva says: “I am proud of this accomplishment and my family was extremely supportive throughout the long, challenging process. Now, I am exploring my options for the future while also hoping the whole process was worth it.”

The title of his research was A holistic cost-effective model for risk management and sustainability within the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) SME Industry: Cape Metropole, South Africa.

“The literature has shown that FMCG SMEs face an array of risks in their operations. Customarily, SMEs are tempted to align these risks to strategic, operations and compliance issues,” he adds. “While this has been the practice, this study found that risks in FMCG SMEs are no longer confined to traditional sources but are now expanding through the sustainability lens.”

Meanwhile, Lorna Balie and Marcina Singh were both awarded Doctor of Education degrees by the Faculty of Education.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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A talented second-year Jewellery Design and Manufacture student has taken the top spot in the student/apprenticeship category of the prestigious PlatAfrica competition.

Ross Kellerman impressed the judges with his kinetic armpiece of platinum and African blackwood.

The competition is hosted annually by Anglo American Platinum, in partnership with Metal Concentrators and Platinum Guild International (PGI) India. It aims to promote innovation and technical expertise in platinum jewellery design and manufacturing in South Africa and provides international exposure to jewellers, apprentices and students.

This year’s theme was Designed for Men of Platinum.

CPUT Jewellery Design and Manufacture Programme co-ordinator, Vassiliki Konstandakellis, said entrants from the university have always performed well in the competition and finished in the top three. 

“We are really proud of Ross’s achievement as this is a prestigious competition that is held nationally every year. In the past we have offered this competition to senior students only, but we decided to enter our second years [this year], one being Ross, who then won. This makes it even more spectacular.”

Ross said he had a job shadowing stint with a jeweller at the age of 16 and was immediately hooked on the profession.

“As a first-year I knew that I would enter PlatAfrica one day so when I had some free time at the end of first-year I came back to the workshop to try and work on a design that I could maybe enter in third-year. I was surprised when we were told during the lockdown that we would be able to enter in second-year, so I started to work on it more.”

His piece is titled Akira Kinetic.

“When it came closer to the time of announcing the winner, I started doubting myself, so I was very surprised when I was announced as the winner,” said Ross.

The top four finalists in each category will receive a cash prize. Once it is safe to travel, the winners and runners-up will attend a weeklong workshop with PGI India and may be eligible to participate in the design sourcing process for one of PGI India’s prestigious brands.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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A second-year Sport Management student, Kwanele Sifunda, will be launching his debut anthology of poems on Saturday.

Published by KREST Publishers, Kwanele’s book is titled Love and Lies. It costs R180 excluding shipping costs, and the eBook will be R60. He says the book will be available as paperback and eBook on the KREST online bookstore, and as ebooks on Amazon US and Kobo UK.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but I’m really excited about the release of my first book,” adds the budding poet. “It has been a journey for me from writing it, to getting it picked up and finally seeing the fruition of hard work.”

The 24-year-old feels validated and grateful and hopes that people will enjoy reading the book. “I have my friends and family to thank, who believed in me more than I did, and my publisher, for taking a chance on me.”

The book features 136 poems that Kwanele has written over the years and they deal “with a whole range of emotions and a few other things”.

If people would like to pre-order, they can contact him on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or WhatsApp 0714430132. 

Kwanele comes from Durban and he attended Hilton College. To know more about the author and the book here are some links:

Krest Online bookstore: https://krest.lochanmedia.co.za/home.php

A blog post about Kwanele: https://krestpublishers.blogspot.com/2020/08/krest-family-welcomes-debut-poets.html

A blog post about the book: https://krestpublishers.blogspot.com/2020/09/how-to-create-illustrated-poetry.html

To whet the readers’ appetite for the book Kwanele shares the following poem:

I have bared my soul

On these pages

Not to seek sympathy 

Just understanding 

Empathy, a warm embrace

In my soul,

I hope you find humanity

Flawed and broken 

Yet full of love. 

Written by Kwanele Butana
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Accounting Department hosted its annual certificate ceremony at the Bellville Campus which celebrated the achievements of its students.

The Accounting Programme is the only one at CPUT that offers students an exit point after two years of study.

Head of the Department, Willem Lotter says students receive a National Higher Certificate in Accounting after successfully completing two years of study.

Although skilled to go out into the workplace, Lotter says 99% of the students go on to complete their third year of study in order to obtain a diploma. During their third year, students have the option to specialise in Accounting, Internal Auditing or Cost and Management Accounting.

Student Shaun Morgan, who is currently mid-way through his third year, says while he is looking forward to graduating with his diploma, he is proud to have received the certificate.

“After all the hard work and effort, you now see the rewards. I feel motivated to finish the course,” says Shaun.

For student Asandiswa Sokapase, who is specialising in Internal Auditing, taking to the stage and receiving her certificate, was the highlight of her year.

“To get this certificate you had to work hard. This is a great achievement,” says Asandiswa.

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News
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The recipe of a Bachelor of Education (BEd) student on the Wellington Campus has won him a national boerewors competition. 

Delano Jasper,18, from Wellington was announced the winner of the 28th annual Championship Boerewors competition. Jasper’s recipe - South Africa’s number one boerewors – is available in all Shoprite and Checkers stores throughout South Africa.

“I’m lost for words,” remarked Jasper moments after the winner’s announcement. “It’s the first time I entered this competition, so I really had no expectations, but we had a family challenge to make the finals this year.”

Apart from the ultimate boerewors bragging rights and the esteemed title of 2020 Championship Boerewors winner, Jasper has also won a brand new Toyota Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 RB 6AT. Second and third place went to Paul Jordaan from Bloemfontein (Free State) and John Marais from Vredendal (Western Cape) respectively.

This year’s Championship Boerewors finale was largely a virtual affair - the top 10 finalists joined remotely to oversee the braaiing of their boerewors by chefs Kevin Gibbs and Dion Vengatass, members of the South African National Culinary Team, said Angelique Wagner from Shoprite Checkers Head Office: Public Relations. Wagner said an independent judging panel from the South African Chefs Association once again took charge of the judging process.

“Shoprite and Checkers are proud of the country’s boerewors tradition and celebrate it by hosting the annual Championship Boerewors competition, a nationwide search for South Africa’s very best boerewors,” she added.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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A talented team of CPUT students competed in the Sub Sahara Regional final of one of the largest ICT (information communication technologies) events in the world this past weekend.

After an outstanding performance in the cloud category of the Huawei ICT competition’s national finals, Information Technology students Panashe Muinzani and Munashe Magidi and Mechanical Engineering student Naledi Ntsane were selected for the Sub Sahara Regional phase of the competition.

"We are very proud of how far we've come and very excited to be one of the 13 teams to compete in the Regional Finals for the Cloud Track. We are grateful to Huawei for the opportunity and we are hopeful that we can take first place and represent Southern Africa in the Global finals,” said Panashe. 

Globally the Huawei ICT Competition 2019-2020 has covered over 70 countries worldwide, with 150 000 contestants from more than 2 000 universities and colleges.In South Africa the Competition attracted more than 10 000 students from 25 universities and colleges who competed online this year, due to the Covid 19 pandemic.

“As a Huawei ICT Academy administrator and lecturer, I'm so proud of their achievements. Despite lockdown and not being on campus they made it to the finals in their own environments, without fear and even setting milestones they have conquered to the finals and CPUT should be proud to have them as cloud computing cloud track finalists,” said Waldon Hendricks, lecturer in the Information Technology Department.

The winners of the Regional Final will progress to the Global final to be held online at the end of October.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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