CPUT’s new Chancellor Prof Brian Figaji sees his new role as one of enhancing the vision for the institution and supporting the leadership as the university enters its third decade.

Figaji is an opinionated voice in the Higher Education sector, and he has spoken publicly on the quality of leadership and its impact on post-school education. With 25 years of experience at the former Peninsula Technikon, and countless more serving on the boards of fellow universities and in the business world, Figaji’s opinions carry considerable weight.

He says his role as Chancellor is to observe and speak directly to the Vice-Chancellor and Chair of Council if he sees room for improvement.

“While it is a ceremonial role I am not likely to be silent. However if I want to raise things I will do it directly with the VC and Chair and Council,” he says.

“I think Prof Nhlapo is quite focused and has done a lot to building CPUT and healing divisions which was caused by the merger.”

Speaking ahead of his official installation on Wednesday, Figaji said it was heartwarming to see the seeds of projects sown during his tenure now fully in bloom at CPUT.

One such project is the connection to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US. The idea was first touted by Figaji during his term as Peninsula Technikon Rector and over the decades many useful linkages like funding initiatives and staff exchanges happened with the US based university renowned for its engineering and science programmes. Figaji credited Nhlapo for seeing the benefit of this and maturing the initiative into new directions.

Figaji is CPUT’s third Chancellor. He was the Rector of Peninsula Technikon for 10 years of the 25 he spent at the legacy institution.

The installation ceremony will be livestreamed via the YouTube channel.

Written by Lauren Kansley
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Liaises with the media and writes press releases about interesting developments at CPUT.

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

Written by CPUT News
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CPUT Chancellor Dr Trevor Manuel and keynote speaker Dr Pierre Le Monde asked graduates to use their newly acquired skills to make a difference in their communities and country.

Dr Manuel says graduating comes with great responsibility and reminded the graduates that society has great expectations from them.

Dr Manuel was addressing the first Engineering Graduation ceremony which took place at the Major Sports hall in Bellville. Last night’s graduation was the eighth, in a string of 12 Autumn Graduation ceremonies that started on Monday.

Keynote speaker Dr Pierre Le Monde, Attache for Science and Technology at the Embassy of France in SA, told the gathering he was impressed at how seriously we take graduation ceremonies in South Africa. “I come from a country where graduation is not so formal.

Le Monde says the world is changing very fast and is facing issues that need solutions and added that graduates were central to solving problems.

“You must keep your eyes open, don’t limit your imagination. What you have learnt here is not enough. You have learnt to learn,” he concluded.

The Major Sports Hall erupted in applause when the Dean of the Engineering Faculty, Dr Nawaz Mahomed, announced that Myalelo Nomnqa has been awarded his MTech in Chemical Engineering Cum Laude. Five MTechs in Chemical Engineering were conferred during last night’s ceremony.

The week-long graduations will see more than 6500 qualifications conferred. The final graduation ceremony will take place on Saturday morning with the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences.

By Thami Nkwanyane

Photos by Clive Galant

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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

Family members and other well wishes are set to descend on CPUT’s Bellville Campus to celebrate with the class of 2014 who will graduate on Friday.

The Spring Graduation ceremony is the final graduation ceremony for the year, following the Autumn Graduation, which took place in April this year.

This year, CPUT will host a morning and afternoon ceremony and will confer 697 qualifications, of which 29 will receive MTech qualifications and five will receive Doctorates.

Qualifications will be awarded across the faculties, with the morning ceremony reserved for those who completed programmes in the Faculties of Applied Sciences, Business, Education and Social Sciences, Health and Wellness Sciences, and Informatics and Design.

Students who completed programmes in the Faculty of Engineering will take center stage at the afternoon ceremony.

The class of 2014 will be capped by CPUT Chancellor, Dr Trevor Manuel, who will preside over the ceremony.

Annually close to 10 000 graduate from CPUT.

**Watch this event via live broadcast on our CPUT Live Video Streaming 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 Chancellor, the Honourable Thandi Modise, has been appointed as the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Chris Nhlapo expressed the university community’s pride following the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 5 August.

“Your hard work as the Speaker of the National Assembly, as well as your determination, has paid off. As an institution, we are extremely proud to be associated with you”.

Modise was installed as Chancellor in 2017 and is the first woman to serve in this position at CPUT.

“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,” she said at the time of her installation.

She was appointed as the Speaker of the National Assembly in May 2019 and previously held the position of Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces.

For more on the Minister’s achievements and qualifications, please click here.

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