Dr Siyanda Makaula, the National Review of Doctoral Qualifications Institutional Coordinator at CPUT, is optimistic that the University is ready to welcome Council on Higher Education (CHE) panel members who will be reviewing and ensuring that the institution meets the quality standards in the Doctoral qualifications.

Makaula says the preparations for the CHE National Review for Doctoral Degrees at CPUT are at the final stage. The virtual site visit is scheduled for 19 to 22 October. “CPUT has worked with the CHE National Review Framework and Qualifications Standards that were provided [to institutions] in order to produce the Institutional Self-Evaluation Report,” he explains. 

The electronic evidence will be made available to the CHE panel, this includes institutional PowerPoints on facilities, the 360 tours to different departments and support units, and a CPUT YouTube video.

The link to the CPUT video is https://youtu.be/wcgMo3G_g54  

Makaula reveals that the briefing sessions with different groups of interviewees have taken place and information related to the National Review has been shared with each group. Debriefing sessions have also been planned following the interview sessions with the CHE panel and will be held for all categories of interviewees, these sessions will be coordinated by the Quality Management Directorate (QMD).

He says the QMD appreciates the support that has been offered by various stakeholders and recognises the tremendous effort they have made in providing the evidence requested by the CHE.

CPUT will kick off the national review virtual site visit on Monday, 19 October, starting with a senior management session, this session will provide the high level, institutional strategy for the University and the role intended for the Doctoral project. “The strategic plans and resources provided for doctoral provision will be discussed as will the relevant structures and policies that support the quality of the doctoral programme,” Makaula adds.

The CPUT community is looking forward to a rigorous evaluation by the CHE review panel, as this will provide substantive information on which to base the quality improvement strategy. The National Review of doctoral education in South Africa will benefit CPUT, higher education institutions in general, and provide a robust future for doctoral studies in building our nation.

For further information, contact Dr Siyanda Makaula on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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Rueben Chibvongodze is, “privileged and honoured” to be appointed as the new Risk Manager at CPUT, tasked to establish and manage the enterprise risk management programme.

Chibvongodze’s mandate is to develop, maintain, manage, and execute a comprehensive process for identifying, assessing, mitigating, monitoring, and reporting on risks that may impact on the University's performance. 

“I will facilitate, through effective project and stakeholder management, engagements, consultations and collaborations, the design and implementation of a leading practice enterprise risk management plan to improve the University’s risk management capabilities within management and council’s approved risk appetite and tolerance limits.”

The Zimbabwean national, who comes from a “humble family” of five siblings, uses a consultative and collaborative approach to facilitate the management of risk and opportunities.  He completed various academic qualifications including a Postgraduate Diploma in Risk Management (UNISA), Master of Business Administration in Financial Services (University of Zimbabwe), and a Master of Commerce in Financial Risk Management, Cum Laude (UNISA).

For his success, he is grateful to his late father and mother who is still alive. “My parents inculcated in us the need to be fully committed in everything we do and be of good and ethical service to humanity,” Chibvongodze says. 

He also holds three professional certifications: Certified Risk Management Practitioner, certified by the Institute of Risk Management South Africa, Professional Internal Auditor, certified by the Institute of Internal Auditors South Africa, and Certified Internal Auditor, certified by the Institute of Internal Auditors Global. 

The former Air Force of Zimbabwe employee has also worked for Varsity College, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Richfield Graduate Institute of Technology, The Institute of Risk Management South Africa, and the Western Cape Provincial Government (Department of the Premier).  “I was also privileged to be one of the first risk managers to be certified by the Institute of Risk Management South Africa in Southern Africa,” he adds. 

It took discipline, passion, commitment, focus, and the love for both God and family for him to be where he is today.  “God is at the centre of my life. My wife and I inspire and support each other. My parents and siblings continue to show the joy and love for the community and humanity.”

The University community can expect his commitment and support as he promises to provide risk management tools, techniques, and methodologies to enhance risk processes and activities, to continue to build and enable enterprise risk management. The former Chief Risk Advisor in the Western Cape Provincial Government enjoys reading, taking walks, running, soccer, gardening, driving, and cycling. 

He says: “It seems I am also privileged and honoured to work with and report to some of the world’s finest and effective leaders and managers.” 

Chibvongodze adds: “My message to the CPUT community is that risk management addresses uncertainty, creates and protects value, is part of strategic planning and decision making, reduces operational surprises and is everyone’s responsibility. Governance, strategy, risk, and performance are inseparable.” 

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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Phinda Swaartbooi is the newly-elected President of the Central Student Representative Council (CSRC) and the first woman in the history of CPUT to occupy the position.

Phinda has been deployed into the office by the South African Students Congress (SASCO) after incumbent president Skhulule Mpetsheni could not complete his term.

She says the fact that she is the first female President at CPUT has not yet sunk in to her as she was not even aware of this feat until she saw her picture posted on social media with the caption, "First female President".

“I want to thank the organisation SASCO for the deployment, the movement has shown that indeed there is no social revolution without the liberation of women as alluded to by Thomas Sankara,” she says. “The struggle for women in leadership and the fight against the patriarchal system must continue and advance.”

Phinda adds that her source of inspiration is God and the support from her family.

She commenced her studies at CPUT in 2016 when she enrolled for a Diploma in Landscape Technology, but later changed courses when she realised that her core passion was assisting people and advocating for human rights. That was how she developed passion for her current course, Nursing Science, for which she is in her third year of study.

The 27-year-old is a staunch SASCO member who previously served as Political Commissar with a mandate to organise students to work towards transformation and advocate for a single co-ordinated system in institutions of higher learning that is non-racial and non-sexist. She assures the CPUT community that the role of the CSRC is to serve and represent the interests of students with integrity, accountability, transparency and accessibility to their fellow students.

• For the duration of Women’s Month, we will be profiling several high profile CPUT women whose achievements and activities help us to become One SMART CPUT.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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The 16 days of Activism of No Violence against Women and Children Campaign was recently launched at the CPUT Wellington campus.

This national campaign takes place annually between 25 November, which is the International Day of No Violence Against Women, and 10 December, which is international Human Rights Day.

The campaign, which is in its tenth year, aims to mobilise all sectors of South African society to act together against abuse.

This year’s provincial launch, which took place on 25 November 2009, was coordinated by the Provincial Department of Social Development.

Members of the CPUT community, government officials and individuals representing civic orgnaisations from across the province attended the launch.

Addressing the more than 250 delegates at the event, Thsolo Moloi, the Director of the Victim Empowermnet Programme, which is located within the National Department of Social Development called on all South Africans to support the campaign.

“Wear a white ribbon or get involved in various community activities,” she said.

The campaign, themed ""Don't look away, Act against abuse"" urges communities, civil society, government and all stakeholders to act in order to stop the rampant cases of abuse.

Moloi said government will need to strengthen collaboration with civil society orgnaisations in order to make a difference in the lives of women and children.

During the event, the Department of Social Development in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched a booklet titled “No Excuse for Abuse.”

Derrick Schroeder, from the Department of the Premier said: “We are going to distribute 30 000 copies in Afrikaans, English and Xhosa in the Western Cape during the next 16 days,”

The booklet outlines the different types of abuse and the rights of women and children.

It also provides contact numbers of all orgnaisations, hospitals and police stations that can assist victims of abuse.

Sharon Kouta, from UNODC, said they will host workshops on the booklet with civic orgnaisations.

Kouta said next year, their orgnaisation will not host major events to commemorate specific days, but instead hold programmes or workshops with civic orgnaisations in order to equip communities with the tools to combat abuse.

“Abuse is not an individual problem, it is a societal problem,” she said.

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News
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The CPUT Convocation has established a Covid-19 relief fund campaign, aimed at supporting the most vulnerable students.

This initiative is a response by the convocation to the current pandemic that the country and the global community are confronted with. Convocation executive member and campaign manager, Andiswa Mrasi said: “It’s a commonly known fact that most students that are in our institution come from disadvantaged backgrounds and are studying so they graduate to increase the odds of getting employment.”

Mrasi stated that the primary purpose of the fund was to assist students with necessary academic resources in order to complete the 2020 academic year. They are hoping to raise about R40 Million to reach out to about 10 000 students. “[We are] assisting the institution in its attempts to save the 2020 academic year, particularly for those students in the final year of their undergraduate degree. If we could at least assist them to still obtain their qualification, then we would have succeeded.”

According to Mrasi priority will be given to final- year undergraduate degree students who are not beneficiaries of any form of funding, and do not have the required academic resources to complete their qualification under the current circumstances. Convocation President, Saziso Matiwane added: “The focus of the university at this stage is to save the academic year, it, therefore, becomes our responsibility as the Convocation to roll-up our sleeves and find ways to assist the institution.

Member of Parliament and convocation executive committee member, Nqabayomzi Kwankwa also called on the nation, alumni and the broader CPUT community to support the institution’s cause to support needy students. Donations can be made through any of the methods listed below. “The support from NSFAS, DHET, and the university is not enough to cater for all students in need, hence this project. We, therefore, call upon each and every one of you to heed our call for support,” Nkwankwa stated.

“Help us ensure that the institution continues to create futures even in challenging times like these, #KeepCreatingFutures,” Mrasi pleaded with the community at large.

To donate: Sms “Covid Fund” to “35525”. Each SMS costs R3 and free SMSes do not apply. Online: Follow or copy the link and paste on your browser: https://www.cput.ac.za/advancement/giving

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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The Department of Student Affairs (DSA) has compiled a list of exciting activities to keep students fit, healthy, and entertained during the lockdown.

Deputy Dean of Students, Tulani Nkuntse outlined the wellness services available to students during this period and how to access them.

Nkuntse said: This is aimed at reaching as many of our students as possible. Some of the activities can be done individually, in pairs and or groups and therefore students can even do some with their own families, [for]those who are at home.”

These activities range from aerobics to general fitness which are done every day with a walk or run activity in and around your home. The intensity of the activity can be increased with time and can include stairs, chairs, sandbags, water bottles.

Individuals are also urged to set up their own exercise circuit at home which could include basic exercises such as sit-ups, push-ups, planking, and squats. “Students can check out Virgin Active Facebook page for an exercise activity every morning at 07:30. Video call a friend or colleague while doing the activities simultaneously,” he said.

Nkuntse encouraged students to watch Virgin Active, “The Grid 20 Minute Hit Workout and Active Fitness Activities for Members” on YouTube. He said that there was also a Supa-pool, a programme which includes, ‘YouTube – 8 Ball Pool Practice Routines and Improve Your Game in 10 Minutes with basic pool practice drills’. The students are also encouraged to watch Volleyball YouTube – 10 solo volleyball drills to try at home; Golf YouTube – Golf swing made simple (miracle drill) and Chess Online Video Coaching.

“We always have our students in mind… we were talking about how much we miss them, we thought of compiling something to show them that they are in our thoughts and that they could still do activities that will remind them that they belong to [the] CPUT community.”

To add to the sport, DSA also included arts and cultural activities such as the virtual choir project, weekly drama practice videos, which will be created and shared with all drama students and interactive debates will be scheduled via social media. The short story project is aimed for students who are creative with words, have a passion for storytelling, and who can work in a collaborative format.  This project will be rolled out in phases.

Facilities committee member, Cherice Mangiagalli said once students have been identified, online platforms will be used to brainstorm ideas. These ideas will be finalised into different genres, themes, and titles of the short stories.  Students will work in groups of three to five per story depending on the interest shown and which language they are most comfortable with from IsiXhosa, IsiZulu, Afrikaans, and English.  Mangiagalli adds that once the short stories have been completed: “Our hope is to engage our schools in the surrounding communities by sharing the love for reading and writing.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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The shortage of sanitisers in retail shops, as well as a spike in the price of the product by some stockists, have prompted the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment to produce sanitisers for use during and after the lockdown period. 

This project is set to benefit the entire CPUT community and visitors. Project coordinator and researcher, Prof Tunde Ojumu from the Chemical Engineering Department, said the university has about 33 000 students and about 3000 staff members who will be needing large quantities of sanitisers when they fully return to campus.

“As an institution with the technical know-how, as well as the equipment and facilities required, it made sense for the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environments’ Chemical Engineering Department to contribute to the fight against the COVID-19.

“In addition, it is clear that the virus will linger in the community long after the lockdown. There is much that we can do as a community to protect each other from the pandemic. The production of sanitisers is one way of saying, ‘we care’,” Ojumu said.

He works with project leader/researcher Tafirenyika Madzimbamuto; Researcher, Prof Mahabubur Chowdhury; Technical staff, Alwyn Bester; Technical/Procurement staff, Hannelene Small and Coordinator: Non-Technical, Luvuyo Kakaza. The team is aiming to produce 1 000 litres per month (50% hand sanitisers and 50% surface sanitisers). “We need to ensure that high levels of hygiene are maintained with quality products to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus on our campuses,” Ojumu remarked.

The product will be sent for the South African Bureau of Standards testing and approval. The team also plans on getting the product onto the shelves in retail stores but that does not mean that they will not support communities who cannot afford them.

The team appealed for interdepartmental concerted efforts from the whole of CPUT. If any department has a part they can play in support of this project, they are encouraged to contact the team involved and offer their input and their skills in ensuring that this project reaches its fullest potential and maximum impact.

“This will make the name of CPUT even greater in the eyes of the communities that surround us and all stakeholders that rely on us... The CPUT community at large must embrace the era of local production of what we need. Hands-on activities are the bedrock of innovation,” Ojumu stated.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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First year Business Administration 1 students in the Office Management and Technology (OMT) Department (Faculty of Business and Management Sciences) recently donated a cheque of R40 000 to The Children’s Hospital Trust of the Red Cross Children’s Hospital.

The department started the initiative in 2009 as a Business Administration 1 live academic project and has to date donated R291 000 to The Trust.

During the cheque handover at the Cape Town Campus this week, OMT lecturer and project facilitator, Belinda Berman, said that the R40 000 was raised by 203 students who undertook the academic project in 2015.

“By supporting the expansion of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, you have given more children a better chance of survival, you also provided an enhanced environment for families to support their children and the staff to continue enabling the best care,” Berman told the students.

She added that more than 1 750 students had been involved in the project over the last seven years.

Prizes for the group that raised the most profit in 2015 went to Wings of Hope after they raised a whopping R6 691.50.

Berman thanked all the students for their time and efforts, The Trust and all the CPUT community for their support.  All students receive a certificate of participation and a lunch pack after the ceremony.  The winning team also receive a prize.

The annual live project takes the teams of student’s two-and-a-half terms to put complete.  Students raise funds from donation sheets, raffles, selling products on campus, at sporting events, etc.

More than equipping the students with the necessary holistic skills, the department promotes social responsibility as the donation to the hospital responds to a social need by not only CPUT but South Africa as a whole.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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It’s been a tough week for five members of the CPUT community. Staffers Etienne Joubert and Etnard Louw, alumni Sarita Louw and Seraj Abrahams, and student Mteza Boya have spent the past 8 days competing in the Absa Cape Epic, Africa’s toughest mountain bike stage race.

Etienne and Sarita took part in the Absa Cape Epic as Team CPUT, Seraj and Mteza made up Team CPUT PPS, while Etnard (Sarita’s husband) rode as part of Constantia Uitsig.

Earlier in the week Etienne was forced to withdraw due to illness, leaving Sarita to finish her Absa Cape Epic journey solo.

On Sunday riders crossed the finish line at Meerendal after completing an arduous 654 km journey.

Seraj and Mteza finished 192^nd overall and 106^th in the Mens category. Etnard and his teammate finished 56^th overall and 42^nd in the Mens category. Sarita achieved the shortest time of the individual finishers in the Mixed category.

Some of the best riders in the world come to compete in the Absa Cape Epic and finishing the race is an achievement in itself.

This was Seraj, Mteza, Sarita and Etnard’s first Cape Epic, while Etienne has completed 5 Absa Cape Epics.

The Absa Cape Epic made its way through some of the most scenic parts of the Western Cape and riders also enjoyed the friendliness of CPUT’s Wellington Campus for a few days.

Read more about Team CPUT and Team CPUT PPS’s Absa Cape Epic on our blog

Written by Marick Hornsveld

The CPUT community has much to look forward to this week, including the Autumn Graduation and the installation of Prof Chris Nhlapo as the institution’s third Vice-Chancellor.

One of the highlights of the first graduation ceremony on Thursday morning will be the awarding of honorary doctorates to the two surviving Rivonia trialists, Denis Goldberg and Andrew Mlangeni,

Goldberg, who will be celebrating his 86th birthday on the day, spent 22 years in prison, while Mlangeni, whose Robben Island cell was next to that of Nelson Mandela, spent 26 years in jail.

More than 1 500 graduands will receive their degrees on Thursday and Friday including ten who will receive their doctorates and 63 their Masters.

Prof Nhlapo, who previously served as the institution’s first Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, will be installed on Wednesday.

During his tenure as Deputy-Vice-Chancellor he authored the Research, Technology and Innovation Blueprint for the institution that underpins the university’s Vision 2020.
Nhlapo has occupied a number of senior positions at Higher Education Institutions and Science Councils. He was the Head of Chemistry at the universities of the North and the Free State before joining the National Research Foundation (NRF).

“I am thrilled and humbled to be appointed as the third Vice-Chancellor of CPUT. The task I face is complex. During my acting period I started with the conceptual underpinning of Vision 2030 for the institution. I am looking forward to completing this plan and rolling it out to enable the institution to respond to the challenges such as the 4th Industrial revolution, known as Industry 4.0, sustainable development and South Africa’s National Development Plan,” he said following his appointment last year.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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The Department of Ophthalmic Sciences is excited to announce the opening of its new Eye Clinic, which will offer a range of essential eye care services to CPUT students.

Situated at the Trafalgar Stone Building on the District Six Campus, the clinic is opening its doors to students from today (5 June 2024). The services offered by the new facility will include free vision screenings, comprehensive optometric examinations by qualified optometrists, and affordable spectacles provided by senior Opticianry students.

Head of Department, Angelique Walbrugh, said the Eye Clinic will operate on an appointment basis, ensuring an efficient and organised service. Students can book their appointments here.

The clinic will be open from 10:30 to 15:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays during the academic term.

A formal community launch of the Eye Clinic is scheduled to take place during Eye Care Awareness Month, which runs from 21 September to 17 October this year. This event will highlight the clinic’s role in promoting eye health and providing accessible care to the CPUT community.

Walbrugh said the new clinic will serve as a supervised training facility, offering invaluable practical experience to students.

Opticianry students are required to compile a 120-case patient record as part of their Health Professions Council of South Africa Board requirements.

“The programme includes a buddy system, where junior students are paired with senior students at each station. This system allows senior students to reinforce their skills by teaching them, thereby enhancing their learning experience.

“The Eye Clinic will not only benefit the students receiving care but will also provide critical clinical and professional experience to Opticianry students across all years of study. Increased patient interaction will help these students develop the essential skills needed in the ophthalmic industry, ensuring they are well-prepared for their future careers,” said Walbrugh.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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CPUT recently hosted business and industry partners for a productive engagement, which also served as a platform to launch the Institutional Industry Advisory Forum.

The Forum will seek to advise on job market trends, as they relate to work-integrated learning, future-proof curricula, research and innovation.

The event, held at the Cape Town Hotel School on the Granger Bay campus, provided valuable opportunities for networking while some of the cutting-edge research conducted at CPUT was also showcased.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Chris Nhlapo said cooperation in research development and innovation between universities and industries plays a fundamental role in the economic development of any country.

“Industry benefits from state-of-the-art laboratories and technology from academia, while higher education institutions learn about business reality and market needs.”

Prof Dina Burger, Director: Research Development, said the event was a significant day and milestone on the calendar for the CPUT community.

Burger said one of the university’s focus areas is smart engagement and strong links with quintuple helix partners.

“A partnership between us will take us far, and today we will solidify our commitment to partnerships in launching the institutional industry forum.”

The keynote speaker was PRASA acting regional manager, Raymond Maseko, who said PRASA was the beneficiary of a partnership with CPUT. He outlined the important role CPUT students had played in the recovery of PRASA’s rail network.

Maseko said that when the train service resumed after the hard lockdown in 2020, PRASA had to recover much of its network, which had been destroyed during the lockdown.

“Because we were planning now to recover the service, we increased our intake from CPUT in 2021 to about 36 students from the electrical engineering school, from mechanical engineering and also we took some operations management students.” Some of the students worked as project managers.

He said 21 of these students were now permanent PRASA employees.

“We have recovered all of the stations with the people that we have been working with, from industry, of course other contractors, but specifically from people that we have sourced from partnering with CPUT.”

Prof Lalini Reddy, Director of the Centre for Community Engagement and Work-Integrated Learning (WIL), said it had been an honour for the Centre to co-host the event.

“In launching the Institutional Industry Advisory Forum, we commit to offering our future-proof curricula in preparing them for the future world of work.”

Prof Rishidaw Balkaran, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Learning and Teaching, said the idea was to ensure that CPUT made learning relevant for our students but there were also benefits for industry, including from the cutting-edge research conducted at the institution.

David Haarhoff, Project Lead, Community Engagement and WIL, said events of this nature aligned with the institution’s vision of being an inclusive university that constantly strives to collaborate and innovate with industry partners.

“The focal point of the event was essentially to recognise the dedication and efforts of industry partners in affording our students opportunities to develop professionally. I am extremely happy with the engagement and networking of industry partners who also recognise the university’s research efforts and provide current trends within industry which align to the curriculum.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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Mandela Day not only honours the former stateman’s life and achievements but also inspires individuals and communities globally to devote their time and efforts to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

As the heavy rain and gusty winds continued to batter the Western Cape on this day, the staff and students were excited to engage in a meaningful act of kindness that brought joy to children in low-resourced local schools such as Balvenie Primary School, Astra Special Education School, as well as The Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children.

Led by the Service-Learning and Civic Engagement (SLCE) Unit, the Community Engagement Student Academy (CESA) project group, known as The Community Connectors, groups of staff members and students visited the classrooms at these venues and read stories to the learners. The teams also delivered an entertaining programme that included the performance of a children’s story, a quiz and other interactive activities.

SLCE Manager, Jacqui Scheepers emphasised the importance of institutional projects that express the Ubuntu philosophy through action within the communities around CPUT. “The support, teamwork, good spirits, and camaraderie displayed by staff and students from across the institution and various campuses was evidence of what could be achieved in communities when there is unity and purpose,” said Scheepers.

She also quoted Tata Madiba who said: “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” Scheepers said this was displayed by the CPUT community who visited three community sites to engage in activities with school learners to celebrate the legacy of Tata Madiba and express the spirit of Ubuntu as part of CPUT’s Vision 2030.

CPUT Libraries has coordinated the drop-off sites of reading materials at all campus libraries which were donated by staff and students. Scheepers said the donation of new/pre-owned books and reading materials of all genres children’s books, CDs, magazines and many more) “contributes to the educational development of our communities”, adding that reusing pre-owned reading materials is also environmentally responsible as it reduces waste.

Scheepers stated that the Balvenie Primary School Library is a long-term project site for SLCE interdisciplinary projects in conjunction with Architectural Technology, Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, Interior Design, Mechanical Engineering, and Graphic Design departments. Industry and service-learning partner, Nadeson Consulting staff members joined CPUT at Balvenie Primary and handed over books, a laptop, and a printer to the library. They also raised R5,000.00 through crowdfunding for the library.

The school principal, Farieda Wakefield expressed her gratitude to CPUT and Nadeson Consulting for their kind donations and for engaging with their learners.

Wakefield said: “It's such a joy to see people come on board to invest in our community. One of our mottos at our school is always: This can be Elsie's River, but we don’t need to be like Elsie's River … One of our challenges is getting people on board to come and invest in our school… So the fact that CPUT and Nadeson Consulting came on board to have a library, I must say thank you very much to CPUT and other role players who after so many years want to see this project through…Thank you very much for whatever you're giving to the school, small or big it doesn’t matter what it is, we are just happy that at the end of the day, we will have a library to at least see what we can do to enhance the academic performance of our learners.” She added that the school needed more interventions to improve the dire situation at the school.

Regina Sikhosana, Branch Manager, Bellville Campus, brightened the room when she mentioned the available assistance from the library and said: “So we are going to adopt you until you graduate”.

In The Saartjie Centre for Women and Children's new therapeutic library, the Community Connectors and library staff sorted out the books, packed the bookshelves, and then engaged with the learners. Miriam Fredericks said: “Your support is instrumental in our ability to continue to provide essential, life-changing services to survivors of domestic violence and their children.”

The SLCE unit have undertaken to conduct a life skills programme with the hostel learners at Astra Special Education School in the future.

Scheepers also conveyed “a special thank you” to all the stakeholders, staff and students for their participation.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce and CPUT News
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In an effort to promote sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics and innovation, the STEM Club offered students a platform to exhibit their best research projects to the CPUT community.

This year's category winners are Mzameli Mashiyi, who is developing an African language speech recognition AI (Technology) and Nomava Mgidi, who is addressing unemployment through fashion design (Social Science).

This was part of the annual STEM Expo Competition at SARETEC as part of the National Science Week, where students were given opportunities to upscale their research projects via the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) for possible commercialisation. During this year's Expo Competition, the STEM Club worked closely with the Community Engagement (CE) and Work Integrated Learning (WIL) units. The neighbouring high school learners were also invited to be part of the programme and to view the exhibitions. CE and WIL also conducted a workshop with the learners.

The guest speakers included Jacqueline Scheepers: Manager: Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Unit, Dr Xena Cupido: Fundani CHED director, Dr Mark Jacobs: Maths lecturer, Dr Gillian Arendse: Nuclear Physicist for iThemba Labs), and Ntokozo Mashaba: last year's winner. Dr Frikkie George, who is also CPUT STEM Support Lead, said the lively and animated talk of Dr Arendse “gapped the interest of the attendees”.

George, who also coordinated the event, said they witnessed fewer exhibitors this year but “the quality of the projects was impressive”.

However, the STEM Expo Competition was well attended. “We explore the possibility of accessing funding for the winners to up-scale their projects for commercialisation. This event showcases the CPUT STEM Club's members' research projects, and it may contribute to their academic performance.”

George, who is also the acting Head of Department: Fundani STARS Unit, continued: “This STEM Expo competition will advance the STEM awareness at CPUT and showcase students' research projects in the different departments.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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