As gateways to knowledge, libraries play an important role in the development of communities.

This fact was recently highlighted when the CPUT Wellington Library, in collaboration with the Faculty of Education and the Wellington Public Library, hosted a community outreach event at the Wellington Skills School. The event formed part of the South African Library Week themed “My library, your library.”

“Our goal is to expose learners to a library and show them what it offers and how it can contribute to their development,” says Manager of the CPUT Wellington Library, Joanne Arendse.

“We want to bring libraries into their hearts and lives.”

As part of the outreach CPUT Education lecturers and students presented a woodwork skills development workshop, which aimed at showing learners the role information can play in the process of constructing an item. CPUT Libraries also presented an information literacy skills development group work session that focused on showing learners how to utilize information resources effectively, while the Wellington Public Library informed learners on the benefits of being a library member.

KNOWLEDGE: CPUT Librarian Naomi Williams coordinated the information literacy skills workshop

Acting principal of the Wellington Skills School, Dorothea Albanie welcomed the CPUT initiative and says such collaborations are important for the development of learners.

The skills school was established at the start of this year and provides learners who experience barriers to learning the opportunity to develop their full potential. The school offers a range of subjects such as woodwork, welding, arts and crafts, agriculture and hospitality.

Albanie says CPUT is the first tertiary institution to reach out to the school and that they look forward to building a strong partnership with the institution.

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.

To succeed you must know yourself, have the right skills, develop knowledge and make the right decisions.

This was the mantra of Dr Valanthan Munsami, CEO of the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), who was the keynote speaker at the final Faculty of Engineering graduation ceremony.

Munsami says although graduates have acquired a set of specific skills, they will now have to create a knowledge base by obtaining the necessary experience. He urged graduates to do this by looking for new avenues of learning and by exposing themselves to different opportunities.

“One of the most valuable things that I have learnt in my career is by listening. By listening you accumulate knowledge,” he says.

He also urged the graduating class to build a brand and one that represents excellence.

One such graduate, who is already building a brand, is Sosibo Nhlanhla, who was honoured for his academic achievements during the ceremony.

Nhlanhla, who obtained a National Diploma in Maritime Studies, was awarded the coveted Dean’s Medal. He achieved distinctions in all 31 of his subjects, boasting an impressive average of 86.6 %.

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.

It’s up to South Africa’s future engineers to find solutions to the problems facing the continent and the rest of the world.

Humbulani Mudua, Chief Director of Space Science at the Department of Science and Technology, urged graduates from the Faculty of Engineering to become innovators, dreamers, industrialist and developers.

He says the graduating class must address the problems facing the 21^st century and also explore how to evolve in thinking about and designing new technology for the future. Mudua also encouraged graduates to work collectively alongside others in various disciplines as well as to make use of the opportunities put in place by government to advance South Africa.

“Let’s unleash South Africa’s potential,” says Mudua.

During the ceremony, graduate Jean-Pierre Mostert was also recognized for his outstanding academic performance.

A BTech Electrical Engineering graduate, Mostert was awarded the coveted Vice-Chancellor’s Medal, which is an annual award given to the overall top achieving student.

Mostert obtained distinctions in 21 of 24 subjects, with an average of 87.4 % over all four years of study.

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.

Break the rules, says Dr Tracey Naledi.

A public health specialist at the Western Cape Department of Health, Naledi urged graduates from the Faculty of Applied Sciences to simply not accept all rules.

It is not easy to determine what rules to break and what not to, but the development of society is about questioning the rules, says Naledi.

Referring to the late Nelson Mandela and the thousands who participated in Sharpville, Naledi says by questioning and breaking the rules of the time, South Africans today reap the benefits of living in a democratic society.

She says around the globe there have been rules that have had to be questioned, such as denying women access to higher education.

“The point is that some rules can be a source of injustice and great pain.”

She urged the class of 2016 to think about rules, look at them from multi-angles, research them and consult others.

“Make informed and concise decisions to follow, ignore or contradict the rules,” she says.

“Realise that your decisions will cost you. There will be consequences…be sure that you are willing to live with the consequences.”

Naledi says breaking rules requires responsibility and in some cases there will be mistakes.

“Making mistakes is a good thing…Every mistake is an opportunity for growth. It’s a teachable moment…because you are asking yourself ‘what happened’…you are reflecting.”

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.

Operate with integrity.

This is according to businessman Matiki Chikala, who urged CPUT graduates to be credible and honest citizens.

Chikala, who is the founder of the organisation Mago Resources, addressed the class of 2016 at the Faculty of Engineering graduation. The ceremony is the second graduation in a series of 16 ceremonies, which will run throughout this week.

Mago says South Africa has “contaminated moral environments” and that it is up to new graduates to operate with integrity, be solution seekers and solution providers.

“Go out there and instil your moral compasses in society,” he says.

“Do everything with integrity. Please do not lose it… we need agents of change in our communities.”

Mago says graduates are equipped with the tools to change the world and must use it to make it a better place. He also urged the graduating class to approach all their activities with a positive attitude and to develop goals and purpose.

“Develop a ‘whatever it takes mindset’,” says Mago.

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.

In another first for a university of technology, the Agrifood Technology Station (ATS) has launched a Jet Cook Steam Infusion Product Development Facility.

A cutting-edge cooking system that is revolutionising the food manufacturing sector, the Jet Cook Steam Infusion plant is the only unit of its kind at a higher education institution in South Africa, and will be used to support small, medium and micro-sized enterprises as well as larger manufacturers in the food sector.

A collaboration between CPUT, the British based manufacturer DCN Norris and its’ local representative Courlander’s Agencies, this fluid processing unit relies on its innovative steam infusion system, cooking up to 500 kilograms of sauces and other products much more efficiently than conventional methods used in industry. It does this by reducing multi-processing stages, such as mixing, heating, pumping and homogenising, into one simple stage.

Director of the ATS, Larry Dolley, says the new facility is a welcome addition to the ATS and will allow them to expand their offering of support services to the food manufacturing sector.

“There is great value in the equipment, including the training of students, running industry trials as well as for SMMEs needing to understand and experience the value of this new technology,” says Dolley.

According to a statement released by DCN Norris, the British based organization that manufactures the Jet Cook Steam Infusion, the device “operates by collapsing steam into the product at high velocity through a specially designed nozzle. As the steam collapses it pulls the product (liquid) through, creating a re-circulating effect (partial vacuum) in the re-circulating pipe.”

Dolley says additional benefits of the system include reduced energy consumption and waste water. It also allows manufacturers to reduce starch and salt content.

The ATS, along with DCN Norris and Courlander’s recently conducted trials across multiple products on the system, to demonstrate its capabilities to the South African food industry. Products produced during the trials ranged from cheese sauce to lasagna filling, custard and minestrone soup.

For more information on the Jet Cook Steam Infusion Product Development Facility and the services provided by the ATS, please contact Larry Dolley at: +27 21 959 6276 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Click here to visit the ATS website.

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 is going off the grid.

In a bid to become energy efficient, the Center for Distributed Power and Electronics Systems (CDPES) has installed an off-grid solar PV system with battery backup.

The system is a first for CPUT and has the capacity to run five of the center’s laboratories, which are located in the Bellville-based facility housing the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering.

Dr Marco Adonis, deputy head of operations at the CDPES says the new installation will help cut the department’s electricity bill, with potential cost savings expected to be R25000 per annum. It will also contribute towards teaching and learning activities, and complement several of the center’s core research areas, which include energy efficiency, renewable and alternative energy technologies, microgrids and smart grids.

Installed by Solar MD, the system consists of 18 solar PV panels that have been installed on the roof of the new building, as well as a lithium-ion battery bank. The battery bank stores electricity for use on days when there are low solar insolation levels as well as during periods of utility load shedding. The electricity stored will also be put to use during the evening, when lectures on the new Masters in Energy Programme are held and the CDPES postgraduate laboratories are in use.

The installation features a state-of-the-art battery monitoring system and a smart system controller that assists with load management and protection. The system also includes a versatile web-based monitoring system.

“This feature allows the remote monitoring of the system parameters, analysis of the system performance and enables generation of real-time or historical comprehensive reports on site’s energy production, energy savings and technical status,” says Adonis.

Kaloyan Dimnov, Director of Solar MD, says the solar PV panels are easy to maintain and has a lifespan of more than 25 years.

Click here for more information on the CDPES.

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.

Nawahl Razak has a penchant for risk taking.

Known for having run various small businesses during her spare time, Razak, who is a laboratory technician in the Department of Maths and Physics, recently took on her biggest venture and turned a homemade recipe into a business.

Razak is the brains behind the Milk Nut Company, a startup specializing in the manufacture of vegan milk products.

“I started creating milk for myself and then began reading about vegan milk options. The more I read the more recipes I tried,” she says.

Relying on her physics knowledge, Razak perfected her recipes, producing two vegan milk products, one from oats and the other from peanuts. Both products are manufactured using fewer additives and processes, are low in calories, has high amounts of healthy fiber and contains decent amounts of iron and calcium.

With a growing trend of people opting to purchase products directly from local producers, Razak is positive that her products will fill a gap in the market.

“People are supporting small business owners because they want to know exactly what their products are made of,” she says.

Razak is now looking at expanding her product range and is currently being supported by the Agrifood Technology Station, a CPUT based specialized unit that provides a range of innovative services to support small, medium and micro-sized enterprises operating in South Africa’s food sector.

Razak says while it has been an exciting journey, innovation is not easy, neither is running a business.

“It’s up to me to keep pushing and to make a success out of this venture. You have to take a risk and follow it through.”

*To find out more about the product please mail Razak 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.