It was a night of celebration for CPUT’s alumni – tinged with a note of sadness and respect as Prof Mazwi-Tanga’s tenure as Vice-Chancellor of the university draws to a close.

Hundreds of graduates, old and new, gathered at a city hotel last week to toast 2013’s heady achievements. These included the establishment of the university’s first Alumni Association in March and the successful launch of 6 alumni chapters in regions of South and Southern Africa.

The evening saw KFM Breakfast Show sports anchor Jeremy Harris, himself an alumnus of the CPUT, regaling the crowds with anecdotes from his student days and raffling off a series of prizes to boost the coffers of the CPUT Bursary Fund. Alumni officers Valerie Deelman, Nandi Madadasana and Francois Jooste were delighted at the attendance and enthusiasm of alumni and promise that this year’s successes are just the beginning of a new era in alumni relations.

They collectively extended heartfelt thanks to those who attended for making the event such a roaring success. “It was an honour to spend time with some of our finest alumni, and deeply gratifying to see the new faces in amongst the old faithful”, they say.

In addition to the fun, R4 500 was raised through the support of the various raffles – a real boost for the Bursary Fund which helps deserving students finance their futures.

Alumni Association chairperson, Jeff Daniels, says many more such events are planned across the country and region in 2014 as part of the drive to give back to the university using the professional resources, networks and goodwill of CPUT’s graduates.

For further information on joining and supporting the Alumni Association or the Bursary Fund, please contact the Alumni Office on 021 460 3389. Photographs of the night’s festivities can be viewed on the CPUT Alumni Facebook page here .

Written by Janyce Weintrob

Tel: +27 21 460 3514
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Fellow alumni,

2015 has been a significant year for our university, with many highlights and milestones achieved.

As CPUT proudly celebrated its 10th year as a merged institution, there have been grave happenings too. The nationwide protest action by students for more affordable education affected every university in South Africa, some more deeply than others. The #FeesMustFall campaign is a stark reminder to all of us how strongly our young people hunger for a decent education. For all committed alumni, it serves as a call to action to strengthen and reinvigorate the support we give to our Alma mater. I thank all of you who have so generously supported the CPUT Bursary Fund in the past. I urge those who would like to help the cause of education in South Africa to now consider making a contribution, no matter how small.

It is now, more than ever, that we can help those who are so desperately keen to make a success of their lives. I also want to express my appreciation to our alumni who offer experiential learning opportunities to our students. Our gratitude is also due to those alumni who give their expertise, time and energy to the institution. It is these kinds of actions that contribute to taking CPUT from good to great.

Our planned Alumni Association activities - including a networking event in the Eastern Cape and our AGM, have both had to be cancelled due to the student protests. Sadly, these protests were at times violent and have resulted in the postponement of exams, now rescheduled for January.

Despite the difficulties of the past few weeks, I urge both current students and alumni to not lose faith in our university. CPUTs’ students are our children, our siblings, members of our society and our future workforce. Let us be in the forefront of calling for discipline and respect for fellow students, university staff and property. As alumni let us be proud brand ambassadors for CPUT and uphold our values of Ubuntu and mutual respect. It is in times like these that we need to unite and strengthen our support to ensure the legacy of CPUT continues.

On behalf of the entire Alumni Association Executive, I wish you a safe, peaceful and joyous holiday.

Jeff Daniels, Chairperson of the Alumni Association

Read the latest edition of the Alumni Connect Newsletter here

Written by Janyce Weintrob
Tel: +27 21 460 3514
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.