The road to graduation took a detour for two Cape Town-based media specialists. Gasant Abarder and Nashira Davids dropped out of Journalism studies years ago to pursue flourishing careers, but the pull to complete their degrees always remained. The pair completed their portfolio of evidence for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and completed their BTech year in 2017. Abarder is the Regional Executive Editor of the Independent Group and Davids is a journalist and News Editor at the Tiso Blackstar Group which publishes the Sunday Times. Around two decades after starting their studies the pair graduate this week.

When did you initially start studying and why did you stop at that stage?

Abarder: I enrolled for a National Diploma in Journalism at the then Peninsula Technikon in 1996. When I returned from my in-service I arrogantly took the last few months of my final year for granted and failed two subjects. I thought I didn't need the qualification so I didn't enrol for the two failed subjects the following year and as my career developed I started regretting my cavalier attitude towards my academic development.

Davids: I studied at CPUT in 2000 and started my year-long internship at the Sunday Times in 2001. When I was offered a permanent position in Johannesburg I remember thinking that there was no way I could turn down such an opportunity. At the time I had heard that several qualified journalists struggled to find permanent jobs. And, I thought, I could finish the remaining six months whenever I wanted to. Now, more than 15 years later that is exactly what I did.

What made you decide to come back and complete your qualification?

Abarder: Jude Mathurine, Head of Journalism at CPUT, and CPUT media liaison, Lauren Kansley (a former work colleague), persuaded to complete my studies. They encouraged me to put together a portfolio of my work over two decades and submit this as a application for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). I finally submitted having just interviewed legendary South African musician Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse, who became a student at the age of 60. I then set myself a target of obtaining my BTech Degree in Journalism before I'm 40. So now, less than two months to my 40th birthday, I'm graduating cum laude!

Davids: In 2010 I was married with two children and back in Cape Town working for the Sunday Times when my mother said it was time to finish what I had started. In June 2016 I submitted my RPL application and in November Senate accepted my application. I cannot put into words how excited and how absolutely petrified I was to return to the classroom with students who were finishing play school when I had finished high school.

What will it feel like to finally have that degree in your hand and what are your future plans?

Abarder: It will be an unbelievable feeling of achievement. On a personal level, it is very rewarding that I can graduate after juggling work commitments, while being a parent and a husband. I hope my new qualification will assist me in working abroad for a short time, which has always been an ambition of mine.

Davids: This is not an easy process. At the heart of it all is compiling a CV and portfolio, which proves that you are competent in most of the outcomes of a BTech degree. I spent hours trawling through archives to find my work. And then it took forever to compile and present it in a legible document. All this while juggling a career and family life. With hindsight, it might have prepared me for my studies which I eventually passed with distinction!

Any words of wisdom?

Abarder: There is no other substitute – hard work wins the day.

Davids: RPL is an opportunity to grow and change how you think and work.

Read more about the RPL process here.

Go to our Facebook page for the latest grad news.

Written by Abigail Calata

CPUT’s first December Graduation kicked off today with the capping of Faculty of Informatics and Design students in the Major Sports Hall on Bellville campus.

In total some 5 220 graduands from six faculties will be capped at 12 ceremonies, which will include the conferring of 49 Masters and 10 Doctoral degrees over four days.

“Graduation is a major highlight of the academic year and we are very pleased to end off this rather challenging year with such a big celebration of our students’ achievements and our institution,” says Acting Vice-Chancellor Dr Chris Nhlapo.

Nhlapo will be present at all 12 ceremonies, some of which will be presided over by CPUT’s new Chancellor Thandi Modise.

He looks forward to sharing in the joy of the graduands and their families. “I am greatly honoured to witness our students reaching the pinnacle of their academic journeys so far. It is indeed a great cause for celebration and I feel really privileged to have a front-row seat,” Nhlapo adds.

The Faculties of Business and Management Sciences, Informatics and Design as well as Education will award Dean’s Medals to their outstanding students.

There will be three ceremonies per day at 09:00, 14:00 and 19:00 and all ceremonies will take place on Bellville campus.

Each ceremony will be live streamed.

Use the hashtags #WeAreCPUT and #CPUTsummerGrad2017 when posting memories on social media.

Written by Abigail Calata

How do you encourage Design students to get beyond their own self-interest and to care for others in greater need than them?

According to Veronica Barnes, a 3D Design lecturer at CPUT, you come up with a holiday project in which they must knit toy bunnies, which are then given to a children’s home. This year saw first-year 3D Design students take on the challenge.

The beneficiary was St Joseph’s Home for chronically ill children in Montana. “I would like it to become a tradition among our students. This project shows students how something small can make a big difference in another person’s life,” says Barnes.

Most of the students in her class this year were male and some learnt to knit from YouTube videos, Barnes adds bemusedly. They knitted a total of 59 bunnies. One student had even knitted finger-puppets, which were earmarked to be used by the occupational therapy team at St Joseph’s home.

A few students went along to the home, and handed out the bunnies to the kids there, and it had real impact on them. Barnes says: “They asked a lot of questions on the trip back to campus, and were thinking of other projects that could benefit others less fortunate than themselves”.

She introduced this project in 2015 for the first time. That year the bunnies were given to young orphans, as well as elderly people at Nazareth House.

While there is an educational angle - in that one knits a flat square, which, with clever folding becomes a 3 dimensional rabbit – the project is really more about the heart. Initiatives like these show that the studio is a space in which students can learn a lot more than just a vocation.

Written by Abigail Calata

In the year that the Hospital Welfare and Muslim Education Movement (HWMEM) celebrates its 75^th anniversary, it again generously supported 35 CPUT students in their endeavours for further learning.

Acting Vice-Chancellor Dr Chris Nhlapo thanked this long-term benefactor of the institution for its continuous contribution recently when MWMEM officials visited the Bellville Campus to hand over its annual cheque.

“We are deeply humbled by your support. Your organisation is proof that the contributions of ordinary men and women can ensure access [to higher education]. It is my sincere hope that our relationship will grow from strength to strength,” says Nhlapo. Donations to the HWMEM for education come mostly from black communities and not corporate sponsors.

HWMEM President Akbar Khalfe pointed out that the organisation’s first cheque to tertiary institutions in 1972 amounted to only R720. “The initiation of the bursary scheme was encouraged by a few ANC /PAC stalwarts during the heart of the Apartheid years. The theme at the time was Education before Liberation.

"Any deserving student, irrespective of race, creed, religion or colour can apply for a bursary which comes in the form of an interest-free loan,” he adds. Beneficiaries are encouraged to pay back their loans and in so doing to see it as their social responsibility to aid other needy students.

Zulfikar Umar, assistant general secretary of the organisation, found it very rewarding to be on the other side of the table so to speak. “Twenty years ago I was a loan recipient. I am currently also enrolled at the university for a BTech in Mechanical Engineering,” he explains.

Students are encouraged to apply for funding directly to the HWMEM on their website. The closing date for applications is 31 January 2018 and funding is granted based on merit.

Written by Abigail Calata

This year World Aids Day on 1 December will be commemorated with a week-long campaign across two of CPUT’s campuses – Bellville and Cape Town.

This international initiative provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the HIV pandemic, to encourage sexually active individuals to know their status and to commemorate those who have lost their lives as a result of HIV.

Information tables, where both staff and students can be tested not only for HIV, but also other sexually transmitted illnesses as well as TB will be the focal point of the university’s efforts to create awareness around HIV. HIV testing is voluntary and staff and students are encouraged to get tested or simply to come for general health screenings at the information tables.

On Cape Town campus the information table will be on the Piazza from 27 to 28 November, while it will be in the area between the Major Sports Hall and the Admin Building on Bellville campus from 29 November to 1 December.

The theme for this year’s World Aids Day is Increasing Impact through Transparency, Accountability, and Partnerships.

According to Stats SA 12.7% of the country’s total population of 55 million people live with HIV. A further 5.6% of South Africans aged between 15 and 24 has HIV, while 18.9% of adults aged 15-49 years live with HIV. Despite this high prevalence of HIV, HIV activists still have to battle against the stigma surrounding the disease.

“I cannot stress enough the importance of getting tested and knowing your status. The latest development in antiretroviral treatment is that one no longer has to wait for your CD4 count to be below a certain threshold to start treatment. You can start treatment immediately after finding out you are HIV+,” says Unathi Bheme, a final year Education student who bravely disclosed her status in Parliament last year.

Staff and students are also urged to bring donations of sanitary towels to the information tables. By doing this they are automatically entered into a lucky draw and stand the chance to win prizes. The Donate a Pad Project (DAPP) is an initiative by the HIV unit that formally kicks off on Monday, 27 November. This initiative will extend beyond World Aids Day and continue well into 2018. Staff and students can also drop off donations of sanitary towels at the following offices:

• HIV Unit
• Campus Clinic
• Student Counseling
• Department of Student Affairs; and
• Disability Unit

Female students in need of sanitary towels can collect sanitary towels from these same offices.

Written by Abigail Calata

Studying under normal conditions is tough, but studying on an empty stomach is near impossible.

That is why staff and students from CPUT’s Wellington Campus kicked into action in answer to eight NSFAS students’ cry for help. The payment of their NSFAS food allocation was delayed and with the assessment period looming the students initially approached Sasco Chairperson on Wellington Campus, Thembile Khaleni, for help.

He thought that those best placed to help the students were members of the Local Student Representative Council (LSRC), who he in turn told of the students’ plight. The LSRC issued an appeal for either food or money to help the students out. They received only monetary contributions, mostly from staff, but also from students, and were able to provide one meal per student per day for the whole period of assessment.

“Everybody pulled together to help these students,” says Pieter Lammert, Project and Community Development Officer of Wellington’s LSRC. “We approached Aunty Des from Boland Catering, a service provider at the hostel, for help and she dropped the price for a meal from R40 to R25 to accommodate us,” he adds.

Lammert goes on the remark that this is the first time that the LSRC has undertaken an initiative like this and that he would encourage the incoming LSRC to do the same should students approach it with such a request again. “I want to thank everyone who contributed to this food drive. People like Andri Braid, a fourth year student, who donated what was left on her account with Boland Catering (R900) to the students.

“It was very brave of the students to come forward and say they need help and for that I want to commend them too,” he comments.

Written by Abigail Calata

Miss CPUT Bellville, Pauline Marere, will soon be jetting off to Seoul, South Korea to participate in the World Miss University pageant.

Pauline will join other beauties from universities worldwide later in November for a month-long stay in South Korea and Cambodia. Before winning Miss CPUT in September, Pauline was voted the “People’s Choice” in the Miss Universities SA competition. The winner in that pageant has not been chosen yet, but fortunately her participation in the international competition is not dependent on her winning the national crown.

Originally from Zimbabwe, this third-year Electrical Engineering student, was delighted when her application to enter the 28^th edition of World Miss University was successful. “I was encouraged to enter the competition by my mentor and friend, Sibonginkosi Hove, and couldn’t believe it when I was accepted,” says Pauline.

Pauline met Sibonginkosi, a fellow Zimbabwean who was first princess to the World Miss University in 2014, through her cousin two years ago. They have maintained contact despite Pauline living in Cape Town and Sibonginkosi in Harare. “Sinbonginkosi is an inspiration, who always tells me to not to neglect my studies. She studied Marketing in Zim and won an academic prize for the best student at her university in the same year as participating in the pageant,” adds Pauline.

In the month overseas, Pauline will participate in international charity drives and will get trained in make-up and beauty. Participates must bring their own wardrobe and this is the area in which she needs help. She is currently looking for a clothing sponsor.

Her dream is to graduate next year, to be crowned Miss Zimbabwe, which will see her qualify for the Miss World competition.

Written by Abigail Calata

CPUT students are able to extend themselves beyond their own self-interest, with the most recent evidence of this being a R10 000 cheque handed over to a deserving, indebted foreign student by the Wellington Local Student Representative Council (LSRC).

Christian Songwa, a second-year Agriculture student from the Democratic Republic of Congo, experienced financial relief as a result of the fundraising efforts of his fellow students on the Wellington Campus.

“The main criteria for the successful applicant was academic achievement and financial need,” says Jason Rousseau, acting LSRC Chairperson, adding, “Christian’s sterling academic records as well as the fact that he has established a student society put him head and shoulders above all the other applicants.”

Applications were open to students from the Applied Science and Business Faculties. Only foreign students could apply with a motivation letter, international identification, student fee account, housing account and their academic record. The money was raised through, amongst others, an inter-hostel singing as well as theatre competition.

The acknowledgement from his peers energised and motivated Christian as he was preparing for exams. “It couldn’t have come at a better time. This is the last year [of study] before my internship next year. I found my motivation levels lagging, but winning really woke me up to work harder,” he explains.

Christian is the president and founder of the Agriculture Students’ Society, which aims to “bring together all students interested in Agriculture to promote the exchange of knowledge, experience and mutual understanding”.

Written by Abigail Calata

Teaching and Learning enjoyed centre stage recently when the university, for the first time, honoured recipients of in-house as well as external teaching awards at one event.

Normally only the winners of the Institutional Teaching and Learning Excellence Awards would be lauded in this way, but this year the honour was extended to faculty awardees, Teaching Advancement at University (TAU) fellows and the CPUT winner of a 2017 National Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award. The awardees were given the opportunity to give a short presentation on their teaching philosophy and practice, after which they took questions from the audience.

This year’s institutional winners are Drs Muhammad Nakhooda (Applied Sciences) and Mark Marais (Health and Wellness Sciences). Siddique Motala from the Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying received the national teaching award from Council of Higher Education (CHE) and the Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of South Africa (Heltasa). Nakhooda together with Drs Hanlie Dippenaar (Education) and Xena Cupido (Fundani CHED) are TAU fellows, while Dr Ayesha Toyer was recognised by the Faculty of Informatics and Design for her teaching skill.

According to Prof Anthony Staak, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning, good teachers are often not given the recognition they deserve. “There is a lot more we can do, but it’s heartening to see that the Department of Higher Education and Training are supporting teaching endeavours through, amongst others, staff development. Occasions like these, where teaching excellence is celebrated, also make a contribution,” says Staak, who together with Fundani CHED hosted the event.

Assoc Prof James Garraway from Fundani CHED expressed the hope that an event like this would hosted again next year and that it would eventually become a fixture on the university’s events calendar.

Written by Abigail Calata

Interior Design student, Kriska Liebenberg, recently won a prestigious competition, which will see her winning chair being manufactured and sold by a renowned Cape Town-based furniture-maker.

Kriska won prize money of R10 000 and will also get a percentage of future sales for her nesting chair, which as the name implies was inspired by a bird’s nest.

Hers was one of two designs submitted by BTech students and entered into the 12 IZITULO Design Challenge by senior lecturer Colleen Cocotos. Safoora Ebrahim, whose entry was among the 12 finalists, was the other CPUT student participating in the competition.

“I am completely ecstatic to have won such an amazing competition, but it took a while for the news to sink in,” says Kriska, adding, “I could hardly believe they had chosen my design, considering how beautiful and innovative the other chair designs were.”

The winner was announced at an event where the finalists' designs were showcased at the Leon on CCXIX showroom in Woodstock. Leon on CCXIC together with St Leger & Viney sponsored the competition.

The competition brief required that entrants design a contemporary armchair, dining chair, occasional chair or bar stool using, among others, fabric, timber, metal or wool. Describing her creative process, Kriska explained that she first decides on a muse, then develops “the initial concept through research and sketches until the original idea transforms into a solid design”.

She’s confident that winning will open doors for her in the future, but for now she’s concentrating on completing her degree, before going out to see other parts of the world and then returning to pursue a career in her chosen field.

View the design concept for a better understanding of her chair here.

Written by Abigail Calata

Strengthening ties with European partners was the discussion point when CPUT recently hosted a German state minister on its Bellville campus.

Theresia Bauer, Minister for Science, Research and the Arts in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, brought with her representatives from 24 German institutions of higher learning.

“We are looking to intensify our ties with Africa through stronger partnerships with African institutions like [CPUT],” said Bauer, adding that Baden-Württemberg is proud of its status in Germany as the home of innovation.

Prof Anthony Staak, DVC: Teaching and Learning, thanked the state minister for “highlighting opportunities and expressing a willingness to collaborate”.

“Currently many partnerships [with German institutions] concentrate on student and staff exchange programmes, but there is an increasing tendency worldwide towards the development of professional master’s degrees. We can really benefit from the experience of our German partners in this regard,” Staak explained.

CPUT staff made short, but informative presentations to the German visitors. Among them was Prof René Pellissier, Director: Research Technology Innovations & Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships. In sketching an outline of CPUT, she mentioned that internationalisation was increasingly coming into focus at the university, and that in this regard “collaboration with European institutions was very important”.

CPUT was the last of the Western Cape-based tertiary institutions visited by the German delegation. Their next stop is Namibia before they head back to Germany.

Written by Abigail Calata

Food security in Africa need not be a problem as the continent is home to most of the world’s drought-resistant crops.

“Africa is blessed with many unexploited crops (cereals, legumes, tubers, oil seeds, fruits & vegetables). Yet most of these crops are highly tolerant to drought, soil salinity and high air temperature making them climate-smart as well as more relevant to food security in view of climate change,” says Food Technology Professor Victoria Jideani.

Amongst these crops is the Bambara groundnut (BGN), which according Jideani has hitherto unexplored medicinal and nutritional properties.

“BGN is high in protein and low in fat. It also has the highest concentration of soluble fibre compared to other beans. Despite its rich nutritional profile, it is classified as underutilised; it is unknown to consumers and has no place in the national and international food baskets,” Jideani explains.

Her research into BGN has yielded two patents: 1) a process for the production of BGN milk (BGNM) and BGN probiotic yoghurt and (2) BamFibre, a natural, gluten-, lactose- and cholesterol-free fibre, which also assists with detoxification.

The first patent gave birth to BamPro, a great-tasting lactose- and cholesterol-free yoghurt-like drink low in fat and rich in protein, fibre and antioxidants. This probiotic beverage is produced from Bambara groundnut flour fermented with lactic acid bacteria. Consumers reacted positively to this new product in a 2015 study testing consumer sentiment, with 54.2% of respondents rating the drink as very good. Respondents likelihood to purchase BamPro ranged from probably (43.2%) to definitely (42%).

“Professor Jideani is a perfect example of the calibre of researchers at CPUT. Our researchers do work that impact people’s lives directly and in real time and no global challenge is more pressing right now than that of food security,” says Acting Vice-Chancellor Dr Chris Nhlapo.

Jideani completed a B.Sc (Honours) in her native Nigeria in 1983. In 2001 she obtained a PhD in Food Microbiology from the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in Nigeria, where her dissertation was rated the best doctoral thesis of that academic year. She made her way to South Africa via Botswana, and started as a senior lecturer at CPUT in 2008. In 2010 she was promoted to the position of Associate Professor before becoming a full Professor in 2016. Another feather in her cap is the Green Africa Award she received in 2013 in the Agriculture and Food Security category.

Written by Abigail Calata

The day before he graduated as a Doctor of Engineering: Chemical, Dr Lukhanyo Mekuto was in Bloemfontein to receive a Research Excellence Award for Next Generation Researchers from the National Research Foundation (NRF).

Originally from Brown’s Farm, Philippi, Mekuto (28) is the only child of a domestic worker and the first one in his family to not only get postgraduate, but also undergraduate degrees. He also has the distinction of being one of the youngest doctoral graduates CPUT has produced.

He arrived at university in 2008 and obtained his BTech in Biotechnology in 2011. He went on to complete his MTech cum laude in 2014. He obtained his postgraduate degrees in record time too, completing his master’s degree in 18 months and his doctorate in two and a half years.

His advice to those who, like him, want to excel in whatever field they choose, is to determine who they are and what they want. “Distinguish yourself from others. The mistake we in the township make is that we want to go with the crowd. I decided in grade 10 that I was not going to do that anymore.

“I tell learners, ‘Define who you are and what you want. Once you’ve done that you have to make a conscious decision to go after what it is that you want,’” explains Mekuto, who on weekends tutors children from his area in maths and physics.

According to Mekuto, the number one excuse people give for not reaching their potential is a lack of funds. “I have come through the NSFAS (National Student Financial Aid Scheme) system. NSFAS paid for my BTech up to my PhD, so in my view no funding is no excuse.”

His research revolved around the biological treatment of industrial wastewater generated by gold mines. His interest was piqued when he read about cattle deaths in KwaZulu-Natal due to cyanide poisoning in 2012. The cyanide came from their water, which was contaminated by mining activities in the area. Mekuto investigated the use of micro-organism to break up the cyanide into its component elements.

Written by Abigail Calata

The Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) welcomed its new Chancellor, Thandi Modise, in a ceremony attended by Minister of Higher Education Dr Blade Nzimande.

Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Modise succeeds former Finance Minister Trevor Manuel as Chancellor, and in doing so becomes the first woman, and only the second person to ascend to this office at CPUT.

Modise said she felt honoured to lead the largest tertiary institution in the Western Cape. Referring to the difficulties all tertiary institutions have been facing since 2015, she says, “Although it is a challenge I have always welcomed getting into difficult spaces, if only to prove that women are capable. It is also an awesome task because with the economy slowing down some of the issue bedevilling CPUT – issues of high salaries and properly catering to students are going to take longer to address because the fiscus is strained.

“Even though the job of a Chancellor is very ceremonial, I am taking up the challenge to engage and try to mediate between the students and management. For me this is important because the only way forward is if there is stability. The challenges we are facing with a university like this one, which must push innovation, is that you must produce and produce fast to mitigate the risks. I will be taking up the challenge and am very, very honoured.”

Acting Vice-Chancellor Dr Chris Nhlapo in his welcome address spoke of Modise’s proven track record as a competent and capable leader, “I look forward to the ways you will assist us in creating futures and making this university into a world-class institution.”

Minister Nzimande says the institution was gaining a highly principled Chancellor.

 “One of the most important things precisely during these challenging times in the higher education sector, generally, and at CPUT, specifically, is that we need more government leadership to work together with student and worker leadership. It becomes therefore very important that she joins the higher education community at this point because we need her wisdom and dedication. She’s a very principled person and we need those like her to act as examples,” he says.

Written by Abigail Calata

CPUT researchers will showcase their work and the impact they have on society at a Research Festival in the Major Sports Hall on 11 September.

“The Cape Peninsula University of Technology is proud of its suite of Research Technology and Innovation programmes, which contribute significantly to societal well-being through activities that are aligned to regional, national and international imperatives,” says Prof Marshall Sheldon, Acting DVC for Research.

“I would like to personally invite all staff members, postgraduate students and their guest to the festival, which is a first for the university,” she adds.

The Design, Development and Research (DDR) Symposium for masters and doctoral students will take place on the same day.

The themes for the Research Festival include Space, Earth, Water, People and Industry.

The objectives of festival are to, among others:

• Attract prospective students to CPUT’s exciting technological development space;
• Provide industry with an understanding of CPUT’s research, technology and innovation capacity; and
• Enhance institutional–industry collaboration in applied research and innovation.

For more information about the Research Festival contact Ansu Colditz on email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To register for the DDR Symposium email Arnaud Nzawou at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Adele Braaf at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Written by Abigail Calata

CPUT student and alumni design talent will be on show at this year’s Cape Homemakers Expo when the Design Garage exhibits there for the first time.

Opened in the heart of Cape Town’s CBD a year ago, the Design Garage seeks to bridge the divide between theory and real world experience by giving emerging and student designers the opportunity to sell their designs directly to the public.

“We are delighted at the exposure offered to our designers by the organisers of the Homemakers Expo. We’ve always been supportive of the great design talent that is housed at CPUT, and therefore celebrate the fact that through the Expo the wider public will come to know just how talented our students and alumni are,” says Pieter Cilliers, manager of the Design Garage.

The stand will include colourful prints and products by Surface Design students as well as new products by fourth-year Industrial Design students participating in the 5K project. This project sees students creating companies that design and make products, which must rake in R5 000 profit by the end of the year. Another exhibitor at the CPUT stand is Daniel Jennings with his brand of toddler toys and furniture called BooToo.

The Homemakers Expo runs from 31 August to 3 September at the CTICC. The Design Garage is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm and is situated at the corner of De Villiers and Roeland Streets.

Written by Abigail Calata

CPUT will get a cash injection of R21.2 million in accordance with a memorandum of agreement recently concluded with the Construction SETA (CETA).

This brings the total investment by CETA since 2013 to R34.4 million. This latest grant will see a further 90 CPUT students taken up in the very successful Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programme and 100 receiving bursaries. The beneficiaries are students qualifying in the Built Environment disciplines. This follows an initial 134 students benefitting from the WIL programme, when the university received R4.8 million in 2013. In the following financial year 88 students participated in the WIL programme to the tune of R3.1 million.

Acting DVC for Research, Prof Marshall Sheldon, encouraged beneficiaries of the grants to “grab these opportunities with everything you’ve got. We will support you in any way we can and want to see you mentoring the students that come after you.”

Raymond Cele, Board Chairman of CETA, remarks that CPUT piloted the WIL programme, which has become the implementation benchmark for the role-out nationwide. “We see CPUT as our strategic partner for education in the construction sector. Its staff members’ passion for their students is matched only by my team’s passion to see the beneficiaries of these grants succeed.”

Future plans divulged by Cele include:

• Integrated tracer studies into the impact of these programmes
• Establishment of a regional stakeholder forum
• Building the next generation of academics in the sector; and
• More service-learning projects and community engagement.

Written by Abigail Calata

South Africa’s future technicians will soon be training in state-of-the-art laboratories thanks to a partnership between CPUT and engineering industry specialist RS Components.

RS sponsored equipment to the value of R250 000 to be used in the project labs run by the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at CPUT’s Bellville campus.

“The four project labs will be used by over 450 students annually to learn about electronics, mechanical and electrical engineering. The students will get the opportunity to learn about and work with actual engineering equipment by doing various assignments and projects according to their course curriculum,” says Ben Groenewald, Head of Electrical Engineering at the launch of the labs.

The equipment supplied to the labs is from RS’s private label range, called RS Pro, and include top of the range components that students can expect to encounter in a future workplace.

Brian Andrew, GM of RS Components South Africa says that a partnership with CPUT was a natural fit.

“Being the global distributor for engineers, it made sense to partner with the CPUT as they are developing the next generation of engineering technologists  who are going to be required to be multi-skilled across disciplines. We wanted the students to have access to the necessary tools and equipment so that they could practically put the theory they are studying into practice and have a taste of what the professionals use. Our RS Pro range matched the requirements of the labs by having great quality and performance while being affordable. We are extremely excited to see what these young engineers will be cooking up in the labs.”

Groenewald adds that, “investment like this illustrates industry’s increasing involvement in the education of engineers and for that we are very grateful.”

Written by Abigail Calata

Fresh water fish with antidepressants embedded in their plasma is a reality according to a visiting professor from America.

Bryan Brooks, a distinguished professor in Environmental Science and Biomedical Studies from the Baylor University in Waco, Texas, presented a public lecture calling for more collaboration between academic disciplines to tackle the complex challenges presented by an increasingly urbanised world.

“An urban water cycle is the new normal. With the concentration of people in cities unlike any other time in human history, we are concentrating the resources they use: water, food, energy. We’re also increasing their access to chemicals. This is occurring at the same time that 80% of sewerage goes untreated,” explains Brooks.

His lecture, titled Perspectives on Intersections of Urbanization, Food Safety and Water Security, revolved around efforts to achieve the United Nation’s Global Goals for Sustainable Development centred on environmental issues.

He highlighted the plight of small fish called fat head minnows that live in a river downstream from a city in the United States. The concentration of the antidepressant Zoloft in these fish exceeds the “human internal therapeutic plasma dose” and is changing the fish’s behaviour making them more vulnerable to predators.

According to Brooks current models that predict the extent of pharmaceutical environmental contaminants are inadequate “to anticipate their risk to people and ecosystems. We can’t afford to be isolationist and reductionist in our approaches to such complex problems. We need a multi-disciplinary, more systems-based approach if we are to solve them,” he adds.

Written by Abigail Calata

The motor vehicle manufacturing industry is one of the largest consumers of innovative textile materials.  

Cars contain enough textiles to cover the floor of a small apartment and textiles are in everything from car seats, seat belts, carpets, airbags and roof liners.

In total an average car may contain in the region of 40 m2 of textiles while other components like door panels, brakes and dashboards are made from composites which is a combination of textile fibre and resins (glue). The use of textiles continues to the car’s engine, the air and oil filters and even tyres.

Textiles are perfect for these components because they are versatile, cost effective, light weight and promote fuel efficiency. Natural fibres like cotton, hemp, flax, silk and wool are more readily available and a lot easier to process than the metals used in car manufacturing, thus making them essential in keeping manufacturing costs low.

“Textiles can be manipulated into various shapes with ease and the fibres used in them are light weight which makes for a lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicle. Also, by reducing emissions these textiles contribute to a healthier environment,” says Dr Asis Patnaik from CPUT’s Clothing and Textile Department.

Many of the innovations in car manufacturing can be traced to Formula One racing, where the more conventional use for textiles, in clothing, is also incorporated. The door panels in luxury vehicle are made from carbon fibre composites, which were first used in Formula One cars. The suits worn the by the drivers are also made from material that protects them from the high temperatures and pressures they are subjected to when racing.

“Textiles have a diverse range of applications in automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, building, medical, hygiene, packaging, civil engineering, protective clothing, agriculture and sports. It is a unique and exciting area, where many inter-disciplinary fields are working together in developing a better world,” adds Patnaik.

Written by Abigail Calata