The faculty of Applied Sciences received extraordinary results in staff academic development and achievement whilst excelling in the field of research.

The faculty’s output for 2005 boasts 36 journal articles, 25 submitted articles, 25 national conference presentations and 15 international conferences which include a conference on anti-oxidants in red palm oil held in Washington in 2005, a conference on anti-oxidants and health in school children held in Malaysia in 2005 and a conference on the role of anti-oxidants in health and disease which took place in Beijing, China in 2005. Mr Spinney Bernade, head of the anti-oxidant research group, was asked to present papers at these conferences.

In addition, the faculty has also received academic excellence by being awarded five Masters Degrees within the faculty, three members of staff have received their Masters Degree and five members will obtain Doctorates in 2005/6. Currently, 30% of staff hold doctorates while no less than 60% of the staff have either a Masters or a Doctorate degree.

Last year the faculty had received funding for their research that was estimated at more than R4.5 m. Nine of their staff members had received National Research Foundation (NRF) funding. The NRF also approved full funding for 2005.

The faculty’s research area of expertise lies in the areas of Environmental Toxicity and Human Health. Anti-oxidant and Biotechnology research has taken off to a good start despite some minor setbacks.

They have also established an anti-oxidant research group and they have been funded with R1.2 million whilst advancing their work in the speciality areas of Biotechnology, Environmental Toxicity and Human Health. An anti-oxidant research group was established to research the occurrence and neutralisation of free radicals in the body. The research will establish why an accumulation of free radicals is linked to diseases such as cancer, heart failure and so forth. “Anti-oxidant research is a relatively new research with exciting possibilities,” said Mr Bernade.

The CPUT’s unit is the only unit in the country which was established to do anti-oxidant research. The lab is equipped with the latest, state of the art equipment to aid them in their research. CPUT provided starting capital that enabled the group to begin their investigations.

The achievements by the Applied Sciences faculty can be attributed to a research thrust to establish units for research centres of excellence. The challenges for 2006 are to achieve their objectives by starting research projects, training students, obtaining internal and external funding, make money to support research, alleviate disease conditions through dietary means and to earn money to act as a service provider to industry.

Challenges also include limited lab space and funding for students and projects and allowing supervisors time off to supervise students.

Written by CPUT News
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Mr Christian Daniels, a technician in the Department of Horticultural Sciences on the Cape Town campus, received a special award for exemplary service and dedication to duty by the Faculty of Applied Sciences. The award was handed over by Prof Lionel Slammert, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences.

Mr Daniels, along with his wife, Naomi and 10-year old son, Lance managed to contain and extinguish a fire which began on the properties surrounding the Cape Town campus. This was after he received a telephone call from the University security to inform him that a fire was headed for the campus and could potentially harm the nursery complex. The fire had already spread onto the south-east corner of the university and threatened to destroy the entire nursery complex on 24 December 2005.

Due to the fires which were taking place on the Table Mountain, the City Council Fire Department was unable to assist him. Mr Daniels then decided to take it upon himself and his family to attend to the fires.“When my family and I arrived on campus we discovered the fires already entered the nursery area and had engulfed many of the trees, irrigation pipes, and structures outlying the glasshouses. At one stage the glasshouses and the propagation tunnels were also under threat,” said Mr Daniels.

The fire was fierce due to the dry weather conditions and a south-easter blowing at more than 100 kilometers per hour.

After more than five hours Mr Daniels, his wife, son, and two security guards managed to control the fire before severe damage was done to permanent structures.

Due to the university being closed, Mr Daniels was unable to obtain immediate funding for material and labour. He made use of his own resources to do the most urgent repairs in order for the irrigation system to be operational once again.

After their brave efforts in helping with the fire, his wife and son also lent a hand with the repairs.

The award confirms the gratitude of the Department, the Faculty and the University for their exceptional courage in the face of danger, and exceptional loyalty and dedication to duty in ensuring that the irrigation system was re-activated and no plants were lost due to the non-functioning of the irrigation system.

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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

The Faculty of Applied Sciences’ Extended Curriculum Programme Coordinator, Prof Beatrice Opeolu, and her Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Research Group heeded the call to participate in cleaning beaches.

The call to remove plastic nurdles that were spilled by a ship into the ocean was made by the Western Cape Government.

Postgraduate students and the postdoctoral fellows went to Milnerton Beach as part of an exercise in which they were able to see the importance and relevance of their research.  Opeolu said the Beat Plastic Pollution campaign was launched in 2018 by the United Nations to call for global attention to the harm and risks of plastic pollution to humans and the environment.

She led the campaign at CPUT in 2018 and seminars, panel discussions, and community cleaning activities were subsequently organised. The awareness created has resulted in a shift from the use of single-use plastics at some of CPUT’s activities.

“Plastics in water may be visible or invisible fragments; these fragments are referred to as macroplastics, mesoplastics and microplastics, depending on their sizes. They get into waterbodies from waste discharges, wastewater treatment plants and household products, among others,” added Opeolu.

She said the different types of plastics that have been found in the water included low and high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, foamed polystyrene, nylon, thermoplastic polyester and polyvinyl chloride.  Opeolu stated that the plastics originate from packaging materials, netting, plastic bags, cigarette filters, etc. She cautioned that plastics ingested by aquatic organisms may lead to adverse effects on ecosystem functions.

“Plastics have the potential to adversely affect the digestive tract, respiratory system and locomotive appendages of aquatic organisms. Some animals that live in water may also be entrapped or entangled and chocked by plastics,” Opeolu warned.

Other chemicals may also adhere to plastics causing ecological disruption. “Our previous studies have indicated the presence of some of these endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) such as phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, perfluorinated compounds and pharmaceuticals in water and wastewater systems, she remarked.

Opeolu added that the presence of plastics in water may therefore aggravate the human and ecological effects of the EDC. She said some human health risks concerning plastics include eye and respiratory tract irritation, acute skin rashes, birth defects, indigestion, liver dysfunction.

“They may also release estrogenic compounds and are potential carcinogens.  Plastics may [also] cause changes in insulin resistance, reproductive system and brain function.”

She is also investigating the ecological and human health implications of microplastics in two freshwater systems - the Diep and Plankenburg Rivers. The project is being funded by the Water Research Commission. Furthermore, Opeolu recently obtained another grant from the National Research Foundation to investigate the influence of microplastics in wastewater systems. The investigation will focus on ecotoxicological studies and human health risk assessment of microplastics in Cape Town water systems.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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The Language Unit and the Department of Biotechnology and Consumer Science hosted a hybrid heritage celebration at the Bellville campus.

The aim of this collaborative successful event was to convey a message to the CPUT community about the importance of preserving South Africa’s diverse heritage. The event’s theme was: Celebrating our richly cross-pollination cultural heritage: languages, food, music and much more.

Applied Sciences Faculty Language Coordinator , Dr Ignatius Ticha said: “In doing so, we aimed to demonstrate as a faculty community, an institution, a nation and a human race we are much closer than we think we are in our practices, beliefs and way of life.” The event was a great success in terms of attendance and YouTube viewership which was over 300 and in the richness of the presentations and engagements.

Consumer Science Food: Nutrition staff and students entertained the audience with food demonstrations that gave audience members a taste of the richly diverse but linked South African cuisine. There was also a panel discussion in which staff joined students to engage on important subjects including what it means to decolonise higher education, whether they experienced CPUT as an African university or a university in Africa and how one strikes a balance between scientific fact and some African beliefs that some may qualify as superstitious, among other subjects.

Dmitri Jegels a keynote speaker reflected on: “Semiotic and socio-cultural cross pollination: we are closer than we think we are”. The address showed synergies and borrowings in South African languages, food and music. There was also entertaining musical renditions by Chandre Matthee. One of the coordinators and ECP Lecturer, Theloshni Govender said: “Our goal was to enlighten our CPUT community of the oneness of our heritage. [It was about] showcasing South African diversity in rich culture and cuisine which allows an opportunity to celebrate food and language.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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Matric learners and other individuals eager to kick-start their careers and unlock their future can now apply to study at CPUT in 2022. 

Whether you wish to be a paralegal, clothing designer, civil engineer, journalist, or nurse, the institution has you covered with numerous career-focused courses to choose from. The university has six faculties offering 235 undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the fields of Applied Sciences, Business and Management Sciences, Education, Engineering and the Built Environment, Informatics and Design, as well as Health and Wellness Sciences.

The 2022 application process is open from today, 28 May 2021, for all intake application categories and for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

The admission requirements for the 2021 Grade 12 learners will be based on their final Grade 11 marks only, together with any additional programme specific requirements (where applicable). Final acceptance to the programme will still be based on the final Grade 12 results.

Admissions and Registrations Centre Manager, Sonja Swanich advised applicants to avoid submitting their applications unless they are 100 percent certain that they meet the entrance requirements (validate against 2022 prospectus), and that they have obtained all the necessary supporting documentation as outlined on the CPUT website.

“Always submit your first choice as your first career choice, followed by your second and third career choices. Always submit your online application together with required documentation,” Swanich said.

She urged the prospective students to first read all the relevant application-related information as outlined in each step.  “Once you are certain of which programmes you are interested in applying for...first check for any programme specific requirements as outlined.”  

• The applicants can go to https://www.cput.ac.za/study/apply/step-4-online-application
• Get the documents ready and submit them together with the application.
• Read the online step-by-step application guides obtainable from the CPUT website
• Submit your application as soon as possible and avoid last-minute submissions.  The demand for access to CPUT is higher in comparison with the number of applications allowed into the programmes (as controlled by the enrolment targets)

Please visit the CPUT website for further details and closing dates: https://www.cput.ac.za/study/apply/step-4-online-application

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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The Maritime Studies Department successfully hosted the Erasmus + Marine Education and Training (MET) hybrid symposium at Granger Bay Campus recently.

The event's purpose was to disseminate the project, The European Commission’s 2020 Erasmus+ programme guide, which defines dissemination as “a planned process of providing information on results and initiatives to key actors”. CPUT’s work package was to ensure this was done.

Senior maritime instructor and manager at Survival Centre, Samantha Montes, who facilitated the event, said the symposium was held to share the results of the work packages. “Long-term project vision offers unique personal and professional development, mobility and partnership opportunities for staff and students between the six institutions. The project objectives align maritime education and curriculum standards to enable and facilitate student and staff exchange.

“Increase the pool of globally competitive and highly marketable seafarers, efficient and high-quality training geared for the 21st century (in time and economy),” said Montes.

The project had three main focus areas, namely:

• Curriculum evaluation
• Pedagogical processes
• Facilities and resources

The research results into the above focus areas were shared with industry stakeholders and other interested parties at the event. The seminar allowed introductions from the six universities in the Euro-ZA: Capacity Building in the Field of Maritime Education, which included CPUT, Durban University of Technology, Hochschule Wismar University of Applied Sciences Technology Business and Design, Germany, Nelson Mandela University, South Africa, Satakunta University of Applied Sciences in Finland.

The programme culminated with two open round table discussions facilitated by Colleen Jacka, managing editor of Maritime Review Africa.

The topics of the first-round table discussion were ‘project challenges and how they were overcome, lessons learnt and how they will be applied, and how each university benefits from the project’. The second round table discussion topic was ‘What does the industry (as potential employers) want to see from academic graduates?

“We often throw around the concept of collaboration in the maritime sector, but three local tertiary institutions have truly embodied the concept over the last few years working with three international maritime training institutions to put the student first and create world-class training centred around the needs of the student and industry,”  enthused Jacka.

Montes, who heads up the CPUT team, acknowledged the hard work of the previous CPUT Erasmus + team members, Prof Edward Snyders, Douglas Dyers, Vanisha Harry, Dr Derek Lambert, and Captain Natasha Fowkes.

Reflecting on the project, Montes said: “The project has contributed to improving the quality of higher education and enhancing its relevance for student employability.” She said the programme has contributed to the level of competencies and skills of students through the transfer of best practices in curriculum evaluation, pedagogical processes, facilities and resources. 

Montes said the funding received assisted in increasing the capacities of South African partners to modernise their higher education systems to benefit the students with the minimum required technology for the training of seafarers in the form of upgraded simulators and computer equipment.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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The Department of Maritime Studies recently hosted Prof Benedict Knud, a Hochschule Wismar, University of Applied Sciences (HSW) representative, for the Erasmus Plus Euro-ZA Capacity building project in the field of Maritime education.

Samantha Montes, Department of Maritime Studies: Senior Maritime Instructor, Survival Centre, says the primary goal of the Erasmus+ capacity building project in Maritime Education and Training (MET) that is currently taking place between the six participating maritime universities is to develop systems processes to aid the development of Maritime Education and Training. “The objective is to develop a clear mapping of the focus areas that each institution needs to modify to have a recognised curriculum amongst the six institutions,” Montes explains.

Knud delivered three guest lecturing sessions at the Granger Bay campus. ​

The three lectures were on:

• Life & Study - global tendencies and individual aspects for beginner students" (referring to a sample of the EURO ZA project).
• Life & Study - Global Picture and the Role of Simulation in Maritime Studies and Ship Operation" – From Wooden Ship Models to Fast Time Simulation Systems - (referring to a sample of EURO ZA project)
• The role of Simulation in Maritime studies and ship operation - Demonstration of Fast Time Simulation SAMMON and ARROW tool" (referring to a sample of EURO ZA project).

Knud says the reason specifically for the meetings is “our partnership in the EURO ZA project where three universities from Europe and three from South Africa (CPUT, Durban University of Technology and Nelson Mandela University) are working together to improve the maritime education and training – exchanging information about their curricula and equipment and contributing with lectures. “Therefore, I delivered three presentations here at CPUT to students and lecturers,” he remarks.

Reflecting on his visit, Knud says: Cape Town is a beautiful city – even under Covid-19 impact. And the lectures and meetings were perfectly organised. So, it has been great…”

“They manage the campus and the Maritime Education & Training so well, even under difficult conditions in South Africa with less money than in Europe. And most of all, the friendliness of the people and to even feel the joy of life even under complicated conditions due to Covid-19.”

Montes adds that the project comprises six partner universities from Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom and South Africa. “The benefit to CPUT Department of Maritime Studies is the introduction to simulation as a research tool with special reference to:  

• Ship’s dynamic for efficient manoeuvres (this is using the SAMMON planning software tool)
• Avoiding dangerous rolling and other wave effects in heavy weather (this is using the ARROW software tool).”

She says Prof Knud has a very engaging YouTube channel that is highly informative and offers case studies of maritime casualties and routine ship handling.  “To see one of his lectures in person was most beneficial to the students because it allowed them to engage directly with him and his experience. As an experienced seafarer, I found the philosophical approach to simulation most intriguing; this is a concept I had not considered previously.”

Montes enjoyed that the two disciplines of studies in the department (Marine Engineering and Nautical Science) were exposed to the same lectures and that they understood that their actions onboard a ship could not be seen as not impacting other areas of seafaring.  “For every action, there is a reaction. This also illustrates the need for effective communication and teamwork (Engine Room Management, Bridge Team Management).”

She was also impressed by the “depth of knowledge and that the ideas were unique” and how Knud “developed the software and the concepts”.  In his message to the CPUT community, Knud says: “I do wish you all the best for the future – overcoming the drawbacks due to Covid-19 constraints and the respective problems in shipping currently existing.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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With the all-embracing aim of promoting and celebrating the academic reputation of professorial staff, the second of two inaugural professorial lectures in 2023 to take place at the Faculty of Applied Sciences was delivered recently at the Bellville Campus.

The series began with the Inaugural Professorial Lecture of Prof Vernon Somerset and the second one was delivered by leading academic, Prof Learnmore Kambizi, who discussed his academic experiences and working across both the public sector and academia. This prestigious Inaugural Professorial Lecture by Professor in Horticultural Sciences, Kambizi, was themed: “Sustainable Utilisation and Conservation of Medicinal Plants; A Panacea for Human Health".

The event was attended by the CPUT Executive Management led by Vice-Chancellor, Prof Chris Nhlapo, Kambizi’s family, community leaders, staff members and students including some from the neighbouring institutions, alumni and invited guests who came along to discover internationally significant research, to exchange ideas and be inspired. The Zimbabwean-born father of three has published over 75 research articles, 10 book chapters and has edited “the first book of its kind” titled: Sustainable Uses and Prospects of Medicinal Plants in 2023 while his second one is under preparation. The recently published book is designed for use by both undergraduate and postgraduate students besides various stakeholders at different levels.

On his academic journey, Kambizi, who is a National Research Foundation C3-rated researcher, completed his PhD in Botany at the University of Fort Hare, has hosted Postdoctoral fellows and he has supervised five PhD students, two from CPUT, 18 master’s students, and numerous Honours students. He has served in various capacities at many universities locally and internationally. Of note, he was appointed as the first Director of the African Centre for Herbal Research based at the University of Ilorin in Nigeria under the banner of the U6 Plus Consortium.

In his opening address, Vice-Chancellor, Prof Nhlapo said the institution was blessed to have someone like Prof Kambizi who has demonstrated excellence through his research, teaching and community services. He said: “As we gather here today, it behoves us to acknowledge the urgent need to preserve these precious resources, to protect them from overuse and exploitation and to work towards sustainable utilisation. We must recognise that these plants are not just a source of medicine but play a crucial role in maintaining a delicate balance of our ecosystem, providing food at times, shelter and habitat for countless species.

“It is our responsibility to ensure that these plants are not lost to future generations, and we must work together to develop innovative solutions that balance conservation with the need of human health. We must also recognise the role of traditional knowledge in the preservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants and work towards integrating this knowledge into our modern practices.”

The Dean of Applied Sciences, Prof Joseph Kioko, who read the citation, highlighted that Kambizi has received numerous awards that include research grants within the university and externally and that he is registered with many professional bodies both nationally and internationally. “Worth mentioning, I think is the fact that in the history of CPUT, the first student to graduate with a Doctoral degree in Horticulture was supervised by Prof Kambizi and graduated in 2021. And I think I can say Prof Kambizi has blazed a trail in Horticultural Sciences that I believe will help move the department and the faculty to a higher-level, well done Prof.”

In his inaugural address, Kambizi acknowledged the support he received from the funding agencies, CPUT staff, the Vice Chancellor, the Dean, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning, Prof Rishidaw Balkaran and Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, Dr David Phaho for providing a conducive environment for him to develop and thrive in all tiers of his career. He also acknowledged the fact that he couldn’t have achieved what he achieved all by himself, saying that he was grateful to his mother who despite not being educated, realised the importance of sending Kambizi to school. He gave special appreciation to his wife Mercy who has been with him when his career started and kept on encouraging him when faced with some challenges during his journey.

Kambizi also applauded the support that he received from the faculty staff, Assistant Dean, Prof Karabo Shale, his doctoral master’s and doctoral students, Postdoctoral fellows. Both Kambizi and Nhlapo acknowledged the excellent work that was done by Prof Antony Afolayan who supervised and groomed Kambizi from the initial stages of his research career. “Prof Afolayan took me step by step through an interesting and rigorous academic journey, and inculcated great values that are required to achieve academic excellence. Through this experience, I realised that double efforts pay off”.

He also acknowledged Prof Ahmed Mohammed who has been mentoring him in the areas of research particularly in Phytochemistry. “Thank you for going as far as even assisting with hosting in your laboratory my guests from abroad on exchange programmes.” Mohammed also delivered a response to the inaugural address by Kambizi, while Phaho acknowledged Kambizi, his family and the guests.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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Prospective students are invited to come and explore CPUT’s exciting 2025 course offering during our annual Open Day on 11 May 2024.

The event will take place at the Bellville Campus. It will showcase our exciting degree and diploma programmes in our six faculties - Applied Sciences, Business and Management Sciences, Engineering & the Built Environment, Education, Health and Wellness Sciences and Informatics and Design.

Whether you want to be a teacher, a journalist, a jewellery designer or a nurse – CPUT has something for everyone ready to kickstart their careers.

Open Day will also allow learners to interact with staff members and students who will be on hand to assist with information.

The event will run from 9:00 to 16:00 and the venues on the Bellville campus will include the Major Sports Halls, the Student Centre, Old Education Building as well as faculty venues.

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