A week of autumn graduation ceremonies drew to a close on Saturday with the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences.

By that afternoon the university had conferred a total of 6555 qualifications in 12 ceremonies happening morning and evening at the Bellville and Cape Town campuses.

This weekend the loudest applause was reserved for Dean’s medallist Tanja Renate Botbyl.

The young teacher obtained distinctions in 65 of the 73 subjects she studied and is currently working at Bosmansdam High School in Bothasig.

Vice Chancellor Prof Mazwi-Tanga congratulated all graduates and implored them to keep CPUT’s name high as they headed off into the industry.

“Always remember that CPUT is your alma mater. Continue to do us proud,” she says.

Prof Mazwi-Tanga also praised the supporting role that parents and guardians played in getting graduates to that point.

“I express my sincere appreciation to parents, guardians and spouses for assisting you on your educational and life journey during these defining years,” she says.

“Their contribution is celebrated on this day as well. Your success is their success.”

By LAUREN KANSLEY

Written by CPUT News
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Many parents  are heartbroken and completely baffled by their unruly child, they have no clue why the child they raised well is making such awful and destructive decisions. This could have been how Mzukisi Ngxongxela’s parents felt when he dropped out of university twice.

But today the supportive and proud parents  are in jovial mood as their son has managed to turn his life into a more positive lifestyle as he was a recipient of the Dean’s Medal after he graduated with a Diploma in Mathematical Science. Reflecting back on that experience, Mzukisi revealed that he dropped out of university after spending all the bursary allowances on worthless and wrong stuff.

“Before I came to CPUT I enrolled for Bachelor Science in Biotechnology in one of the universities in the Western Cape, I had a bursary but I blew up all the money in wrong things. I bunked classes and did not write June exams and eventually dropped out, but I have learned from those mistakes,” he said.

“It felt like the end of the world.”

But Mzukisi was determined to set an example of success for his six-year-old daughter and cousin. “You push harder when you know that you are not only doing something for yourself but also for someone else,” he remarked.

In 2017, he enrolled towards the Diploma in Mathematical Sciences and quickly found that studying Mathematics was his passion. He achieved distinctions in 24 of his 28 subjects, and obtained an overall average of 84%. Mzukisi did his Work-Integrated Learning at Eighty20, a data analytics consultancy based in Woodstock.

His immediate aspiration is to study Honours or advanced diploma in Mathematics. He is grateful for the support he received from his family and lecturers especially, Mr Thomas Farrar.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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