CPUT Vice-Chancellor Prof Vuyisa Mazwi-Tanga has been appointed to serve on the Human Resources Development Council (HRDC).

South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe recently confirmed the appointment.

The council, which was launched on 30 March 2010 by the Deputy President in Pretoria, is a national multi-tiered and multi-sectoral body.

The council is chaired by the Deputy President to facilitate conditions that promote optimal participation of all stakeholders in the planning, stewardship, monitoring and evaluation of human resources development activities in the country.

The primary aim of the HRDC is to contribute to human resource development in South Africa.

The high-profile membership of the council includes Government Ministers, civil society sectors, business, professional bodies, higher education, research communities and co-opted members.

According to the report featured on the Presidency’s website, when delivering his speech during the launch, Motlanthe said: “I am confident that as a collective through this council, we will together make a significant impact on improving the human resources of our country.”

The role of the council includes advising the Deputy President on the need for the implementation of policies and strategies. The council will also provide a medium for a constant dialogue among stakeholders on all relevant matters.

The Minister of Higher Education and Training is also closely involved with the Council as he will be setting up the Secretariat which will support the Council and its sub-committees – the most important of which is the Technical Working Group.

The invitation of the Vice-Chancellor to the HRDC is a singular honour and recognition.

It also carries the challenge and responsibility to raise the voice of the higher education sector including the provision and extension of post-schooling training and the development of South African youth.

By Andiswa Dantile

Written by CPUT News
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CPUT researchers have had an excellent year - from clinching top research grants to inventing new products, our researchers have established themselves as leaders in their respective fields.

Their sterling work was recognised and celebrated at the institution’s annual Research Day, which took place at the Cape Town Campus.

CPUT Vice-Chancellor, Prof Vuyisa Mazwi-Tanga commended the researchers for their contribution to growing research at the university.

Several years ago, the institution had fewer than 10 National Research Foundation-rated researchers and today boasts more than 30 rated researchers and a thriving research environment.

The university has also established a large number of specialised research centres and boasts three Research Chairs. A large number of researchers have also invented new products.

Mazwi-Tanga says CPUT researchers can be assured of continued support from the university.

An annual event, Research Day allowed researchers to network and also to listen to various presentations on research being carried out by their colleagues. However, the highlight of the day was the coveted research awards.

Awards were given in the following areas – Research Publication, Postgraduate Supervision and Industry Funding.

Research publication

Postgraduate supervision

Industry funding

By Candes Keating

Photograph by Clive Galant

Written by CPUT News
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The biggest carrier of road passengers in the Cape Metropole, Golden Arrow Bus Service (GABS), has once again been given the nod by its passengers.

This came to light when the GABS recently handed over a survey conducted by the CPUT’s Mathematics and Physics Department to Donald Grant, Western Cape Provincial Minister of Transport.

When asked about their overall level of satisfaction, 75% of customers indicated that they were either ‘Somewhat satisfied’ or ‘Very satisfied’ with the service. Furthermore, 93% of customers indicated that they would be willing to recommend the service to others.

Lecturer Thomas Farrar said: “This indicates that GABS is serving its customers well across all indicators of service quality. There are, however, areas where improvements can be made”.

The response times when complaints are made, safety from crime at bus stops and termini, affordability of fares, availability of buses when needed and time spent waiting for a bus were identified as the highest priority areas for improvement.

Respondents for the survey were randomly selected by a team of 43 CPUT enumerators in Mitchells Plain, Nyanga, Cape Town (Golden Acre), Bellville and Mowbray.

Dr Prins Nevhutalu, CPUT Vice-Chancellor, commended the CPUT team that worked on the project, emphasizing that quality service is a challenge to us as a country. He said the survey results will go a long way in improving the service rendered by GABS.

Grant said one thing that he learnt while he was Minister of Education in the Western Cape was that good surveys are important. He said his ministry will go on to work with partners in improving the service levels of citizens.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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Academics from leading African universities gathered this week at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) to attend the 2nd U6 International Conference, a consortium of six African universities. The conference’s theme is “Research and Innovation for sustainable development”.

During his opening address, CPUT Vice-Chancellor Dr Prins Nevhutalu said as a university that aims to be at the heart of technology and innovation in Africa, “we cannot successfully achieve that if we do not immerse ourselves in the ambitions and aspirations of Africa as a whole”.

“You all need no convincing of the potential of Africa and African Institutions – and particularly African intelligentsia, which is well represented here. It is this human capital, not just the rich deposits of Gold in Ghana or Platinum in South Africa or oil in Nigeria, or wildlife resources across the African plains, or any of the other natural resources that have made Africa the go-to continent, that will light a fire to propel this giant called Africa forward. It is this human force that has to be used for the good of Africa rather than a force of destruction that we humans have often become to ourselves and our finite environment,” Dr Nevhutalu said.

Professor Is-haq Oloyede, former Vice-chancellor of the University of Ilorin in Nigeria, said the idea of the U6 came as a result of the need for collaboration between African universities. He said when CPUT signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University of Ilorin, they got to know about other relationships that the two have with other African universities ultimately realising that “your friend’s friend is your friend”. The Vice-Chancellors of these universities finally met to form the U6 from the bilateral relationships they had in February 2012.

Keynote speaker Professor Philip Lloyd spoke about renewable energy and sustainable development. He mentioned that society is faced with the challenge of balancing the social, economic and environmental challenges of sustainability and development. He said while energy is a source of wealth creation, the perceived costs to the environment is overstated. He said there was a gap between what science has discovered and what society stresses about. The conference covered a variety of subjects including Agriculture and Food Sciences, Environmental Issues, Technology Innovation and Energy Efficiency, and Business and Education.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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The university has officially cemented its contribution to Operation Phakisa at the launch of its Research Chair in Ocean’s Economy and the signing of the MoU between CPUT and The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA).

Operation Phakisa (meaning “hurry up” in Sesotho), is a South African government initiative aimed at unlocking the economic potential of South Africa’s oceans by focusing on marine transport and manufacturing, aquaculture, marine protection services and ocean governance, offshore oil and gas exploration, coastal tourism and small harbour development.

By unlocking the economic potential of South Africa’s oceans, the government aims to address the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality in South Africa.

The Research Chair in Ocean’s Economy is a first for South Africa and is held by marine biology expert, Prof Kenneth Findlay.

Findlay says over the next few months he will establish the Research Chair at the Centre of Sustainable Oceans Economy, which will act as a nucleus to consolidate multidisciplinary research and technology-innovation efforts from the Faculties of Applied Sciences, Business and Management Sciences and Engineering.

Findlay says the Centre will focus its attention on ocean governance, a crucial area that will ensure the sustainable growth of the oceans economy.

The launch of the Research Chair was welcomed by the DEA, who will be working closely with Findlay and the multidisciplinary research over the next few years.

“CPUT has aligned its operations with that of the government and we commend you for that,” says Nosipho Ngcaba, the Director General of the DEA.

AGREEMENT: CPUT Vice-Chancellor, Dr Prins Nevhutalu and the Director General of the Department of Environmental Affairs, Nosipho Ngcaba, signing a MoU, that will see the institutions partner in various areas to ensure the development of the oceans economy.

The agreement between CPUT and the DEA will see the two institutions partner in the development of new technologies, research and capacity building, to ensure the development of the oceans economy.

CPUT Vice-Chancellor, Dr Prins Nevhutalu says universities are tasked with playing an active in the development of the country, and the establishment of the Research Chair and the MoU indicates CPUT’s commitment to this task.

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.

Dr Prins Nevhutalu was installed as the new CPUT Vice-Chancellor on Saturday at a ceremony on the Bellville Campus.

Hundreds of guests, including members of the CPUT community, government, industry, the diplomatic corp and the higher education sector attended the event.

Prominent dignitaries including Vice-Chancellors from several South African and African universities, as well as Mduduzi Manana, Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, attended the event.

DIGNITARIES: Mduduzi Manana, Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, with CPUT Council Chairperson Mbulelo Bikwani as they make their way to the stage for the installation. Nevhutalu follows in the background.

Delivering his inaugural address, Nevhutalu thanked the CPUT Council for providing him with the honour to lead the university and expressed his gratitude for working with Council Chairperson Mbulelo Bikwani.

“Without any doubt, I have inherited a stable institution that is not only good but on the rise. But what I accept today, is not just your trust to keep this a good institution, but an obligation to galvanise our effort to transform this institution into a great university,” he says.

“Our purpose, in short, is to create a great CPUT that will create futures for our students.”

HIGHLIGHT: CPUT’s Registrar, Nikile Ntsababa, Dr Nevhutalu, and Dr Manuel moments before Nevhutalu’s robing.

Manana joined other VCs and leaders in the CPUT community in congratulating Nevhutalu on his appointment and says his department is confident that the CPUT Council could not have found a more suitable candidate than Nevhutalu to fill the vacancy.

The installation was presided over by the Chancellor of the University, Dr Trevor Manuel.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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