“Women are the glue that holds families, community and a nation together.” Those were the sentiments of one of the speakers at the Provincial Parliament launch event for 16 days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children. The annual campaign takes place from 25 November to 10 December and is marked globally to raise awareness about the violence perpetrated on women and children in our society. NGOs and leaders from community development organisations across the Peninsula were invited and participated.

Organised to the last detail by CPUT’s Events Management Short Course students from the Centre for Graduate Management, last week’s launch formed part of the students’ integrated summative assessment and their contribution to community engagement.

According to Beryl Liebetrau, an Events Management lecturer, the students’ involvement ran to not just staging the event, but included administration, invitations, the programme, selection of participants and speakers, finance, décor, refreshments, registration and protocol - every area of event organisation and management. “The students also needed to look at other facets of activism. Safety, risk, legislative compliance and broad-based community involvement were some of the added elements the student’s had to consider to meet the client’s objectives,” says Liebetrau.

The students were assessed on, amongst other things, their professionalism, ability to communicate, their attitude, appearance and training of volunteers, the registration process, directional signage at the event, safety, catering, the programme and choice of speakers.

Laetitia Meter, one of the students, says, “Even though we had some hiccups at the beginning, we managed to handle them. Today’s experience has taught me more about Events Management and because we organised the event for Parliament, it also taught us how to do things according to the legislation and ground rules.”

President Jacob Zuma launches this year’s 16 days of Activism campaignnationwide, delivering a keynote address at the opening ceremony in Khayelitsha. Concerns this year include the rise of figures involving the dumping of babies – in the Cape Metro area alone, over 500 babies are abandoned a year. On a provincial level, Premier Helen Zille, and MEC of Social Development Patricia De Lille are focusing on holding maintenance defaulters responsible and ensuring that beneficiaries receive the money due to them.

The campaign calls for supporters to wear a white ribbon during the 16-day period as a symbol of peace – and a symbol of the commitment of the wearer to never commit or condone violence against women and children.

By Andiswa Dantile

Written by CPUT News
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A CPUT staffer is going to Ireland next year after being awarded a full doctoral scholarship.

Aifani Tahulela, a Research Assistant in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, has been selected by the AESOP Project to undertake PhD studies in Global Human Development at University College Dublin.

Tahulela went through a rigorous selection process and got the nod from a group of international experts from the consortium’s member institutions in Europe and South Africa.

This is a joint programme and will require of her to spend half of the three years required to obtain a PhD in Dublin and the other at CPUT.

“I am so excited, as I have been dreaming of completing my PhD as a joint programme with an international university and nothing else,” says the tenacious Tahulela.

“My research will focus on sustainable resource management and is linked to Millennium Development Goal 12 which aims to eradicate poverty and improve waste management.”

She hopes to use the knowledge and skills she will gain from her studies to fulfil her long-term dream of establishing the continent’s first waste management centre that will train people to recycle waste and make money from it.

She adds that her PhD studies will lead to collaborative work between the two universities that may open opportunities for CPUT students and staff.

“I want to show my postgraduate students that beyond these mountains there are opportunities.”

She thanks Beryl Liebetrau, the faculty’s Internationalisation Officer, for identifying the opportunity and supporting her with applying for the scholarship, as well as Prof Harry Ballard for his outstanding supervision of her Master’s degree in Public Management, which she completed earlier this year. 

Written by Kwanele Butana
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The Graduate Centre for Management recently handed over certificates to hundreds of staff from the City of Cape Town and Extended Public Works.

Addressing the ceremony at the Bellville campus yesterday the City’s Executive Mayor Patricia de Lille says the best way to build a well-run city is maximizing the potential of city staff through effective training and development.

“We understand that if we invest in the people who work for the City, we are investing in service delivery, and in the provision of more opportunities for more of our people,” De Lille told the audience.

CPUT was awarded the tender to provide accredited Adult Education and Training to City staff with the objective of developing their communication, budget management, diversity management and decision-making skills.

“Today, 243 staff members have completed this training,” De Lille explained.

“This year it was decided that 216 EPWP (Expanded Public Works Programme) workers would also be afforded the opportunity to receive this training.”

Dean of the Faculty of Business, Prof Mzikayise Binza says CPUT has provided the city staff with knowledge that will contribute to their future success and advancement in the workplace.

“You have proven your ability to learn and dedicate yourselves and your time, to the achievement of a goal in your life,” he says.

Beryl Liebetrau, Acting Head of the Graduate Centre for Management, says it was a privilege to work with the city staff.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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