In the midst of an extended drought, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology has found a way of utilising an innovative resource to keep its grounds and gardens green. This initiative is driven by the university’s personnel who mainly uses recycled water to achieve the goal of saving water and maintaining the campuses.

The Bellville Campus utilises huge pumps which are controlled by computer and irrigation stations to water the entire campus and its sport fields.

Douglas Curran, Chief Horticulturist at CPUT, says the Bellville Campus gets treated effluent water from the Bellville Sewage Works which gets stored in a retention dam on the campus.

What is important to note is that, “while the water meets safety standards it is not recommended for drinking, cooking and washing,” says Curran.

It has been nearly 30 years since the treated effluent water is used to irrigate the sport fields and their drainage system collects the water and sends it to the campus’ lake which pumps it back to the dam," he says, and mentioned that the irrigation system uses the same water five times.

Old areas are not irrigated at all and the Piazza on the Cape Town Campus has a pumping system connected to underground spring water which is used to keep the grass there merely alive.

Lawns and gardens on the Wellington Campus are maintained using boreholes.

While CPUT has an exemption certificate from the City of Cape Town which allows it to use fresh water to irrigate the majority of the Cape Town Campus up to three-times-a-week, the university has managed to only water newly-planted areas only once-a-week.

Since January 2018 the City of Cape Town has implemented Level 6b water restrictions that prohibit residents from using no more than 50 litres of drinking water per person per day. Capetonians are also prohibited from irrigating, hosing down paved surfaces, washing of vehicles or filling their swimming pools.
The restrictions further stipulate that drinking water should be used only indoors for essential washing, cooking and drinking purposes.

If the drought persists and residents use more than 50 litres of water per person per day, the City has announced, Day Zero will come into effect on 12 April 2018.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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Motivated by CPUT’s resolve to conduct research that seeks to address society’s challenges, CPUT academics are collaborating with herbalists to validate their work.

Prof Learnmore Kambizi, a lecturer in the Department of Horticultural Sciences, is leading a team of academics and postgraduate students that will help the herbalists establish and maintain herbal gardens as well as cultivate some medicinal plant species that would not ordinarily grow in the Western Cape.

They aim to do this done through hydroponics and tissue culture techniques available at CPUT.

Kambizi was invited recently to speak at a well-attended seminar convened by the Western Cape Inyanga Forum in Mfuleni, where areas of co-operation between Cape Nature, the Department of Health, academic researchers, local authorities and registered Traditional Medical Practitioners were discussed.

He says the academics decided to work with herbalists as they are custodians of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS), which they, the academics, intend to document to ensure that such valuable knowledge is preserved for future generations.

To sustain this research project and support postgraduate training he has been awarded funding to the tune of R1.5 million for three years by the National Research Foundation (NRF).

“We conduct a wide array of bio-assays on various medicinal plants (both pure and crude extracts) to assess their curing potential and toxicity,” he adds.

Steven Mapfumo, a doctoral candidate involved in the project, says the link between academic work and IKS is very important. “Western medicine is marketed as the cleanest and most effective medicine, but previous generations, which relied on plants lived longer when compared to the current generation.”

Sibusiso Xego, another PhD candidate, says her passion for herbs was inspired by growing up in a home where there were traditional healers. “We are taking the knowledge from the community to the lab and from the lab back to the community.” 

Written by Kwanele Butana

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A CPUT staffer is going to Ireland next year after being awarded a full doctoral scholarship.

Aifani Tahulela, a Research Assistant in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, has been selected by the AESOP Project to undertake PhD studies in Global Human Development at University College Dublin.

Tahulela went through a rigorous selection process and got the nod from a group of international experts from the consortium’s member institutions in Europe and South Africa.

This is a joint programme and will require of her to spend half of the three years required to obtain a PhD in Dublin and the other at CPUT.

“I am so excited, as I have been dreaming of completing my PhD as a joint programme with an international university and nothing else,” says the tenacious Tahulela.

“My research will focus on sustainable resource management and is linked to Millennium Development Goal 12 which aims to eradicate poverty and improve waste management.”

She hopes to use the knowledge and skills she will gain from her studies to fulfil her long-term dream of establishing the continent’s first waste management centre that will train people to recycle waste and make money from it.

She adds that her PhD studies will lead to collaborative work between the two universities that may open opportunities for CPUT students and staff.

“I want to show my postgraduate students that beyond these mountains there are opportunities.”

She thanks Beryl Liebetrau, the faculty’s Internationalisation Officer, for identifying the opportunity and supporting her with applying for the scholarship, as well as Prof Harry Ballard for his outstanding supervision of her Master’s degree in Public Management, which she completed earlier this year. 

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Prof Chux Gervase Iwu, Acting Assistant Dean: Research & Innovation in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, has added another feather to his cap after a collaborative research team he leads walked away with this year’s Emerald African Management Research Fund Award.

Iwu was recently presented with a certificate and funding for their research project entitled, “The wholesale-retail nexus: An assessment of the role of immigrant African wholesalers in the development of the retail entrepreneurship in South Africa”.

Iwu has won numerous accolades for his outstanding research work and has presented papers at many international conferences.

“Considering that I have received almost similar awards in the past, it sort of validates the necessity of researching emerging economies' socioeconomic matters.”

Emerald Publishing was founded in 1967 to champion new ideas that advance the research and practice of business and management. It manages a portfolio of nearly 300 journals, more than 2 500 books and over 1 500 teaching cases.

Emerald supports researchers through its awards programme which includes various research fund awards among others.

In addition to teaching entrepreneurship to students, Iwu is also assembling a team to gather data for the project.

“It makes me feel good that people are acknowledging the value of immigrant/migrant focused research so that we can start debunking the myths that immigrants are here to take people’s jobs and wives,” he jokingly adds.

“But seriously, the characterisation of migrants as desperate, dirty and dangerous (the infamous 3D euphemism) by the International Labour Organisation seems to represent indigenes' overall perceptions of the average migrant.

“And we can't say that the ill-treatment of immigrants by locals, and please note that this is not unique to South Africa, is not a reflection of the anxiety of locals. So, the value of this study is such that the reader gets to know that immigrants actually add value to mainstream socioeconomic dynamics of any nation.”

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Collaboration between content lecturers and their language counterparts can improve learning and teaching.

The role of content lecturers in teaching of language and literacies was discussed robustly at a Language Indaba held recently by the Language Working Group in collaboration with Fundani Centre for Higher Education Development’s Language Unit on the Bellville Campus.

This developmental initiative by CPUT was not only meant to initiate the interests of academics in the domain of Multilingualism in Higher Education and language development but also meant to explore a progressive dialogue in relation to viable strategies and possible interventions that could improve access to learning and possibly contribute to effective teaching.

“All lecturers should be of the view that they have responsibility to contribute to language teaching for betterment of their students,” says Nomxolisi Jantjies, Xhosa Language Specialist at CPUT.

“Therefore, the multi-literacies students bring with them should not only be seen as a challenge or hindrance but as a resource that they can tap into to gain access to the epistemologies of content specific language.”

Rhodes University’s Prof Chrissy Boughey said the most dominant understanding of curriculum decolonization is that it involves the inclusion of African content and thought and that the use of indigenous languages as languages of learning and teaching also featured strongly.

Boughey added that the use of indigenous languages as media of instruction impacts on the identity and well-being of students.

Prof. Sivakumar Sivasubramaniam, Head of Language Education at the University of the Western Cape, said students are not a statistics but have a voice and therefore should be heard.

Sivasubramaniam argued that students’ competencies can be maximized through giving them platforms to speak and practice their views.  

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Prof Oluwafemi Oguntibeju in the Department of Biomedical Sciences has maintained his C3 National Research Foundation (NRF) rating.

Oguntibeju’s rating application outcome was confirmed recently by the NRF in an email to the university, and the new rating will be valid from January 2018.

While he was expecting an improved rating, he says he’s happy about having maintained his previous rating.

He says the rating will put him in good stead for additional funding for his research on diabetes and medicinal plants.

“I secured an NRF grant last year to support postgraduate students who are mainly South African.”

He adds that the quality of his research has improved and that he is grateful for the grant that made all of it possible.

“CPUT is proving to build positively on its NRF-rated researcher cohort every year, we deliberately choose to celebrate every new rating that our researchers obtain simply because it is directly aligned with CPUT’s vision, its institutional strategy, and in particular, its RTI Blueprint 2020 in which we commit, amongst others, to build a reputation for research and innovation,” says Prof Dina Burger, Director: Research.

“Every NRF-rated researcher is a significant contribution to our increasing reputation for research and innovation and, in so doing, we are gradually becoming an institution that will contribute to the development agendas of South Africa, Africa and beyond.”

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The Language Working Group, together with the Institutional Language Unit, will be launching the first ever multilingual touchscreen directory on the Bellville Campus.

The directory was designed and developed by iPoint, a company which specialises in developing touchscreen directories for shopping malls across South Africa.
“The touchscreen earmarked for the engineering building appears to have the same features as those one would find in malls but offers much more than just directions,” says Theodore Rodrigues, the Acting Institutional Language Co-ordinator at CPUT.

This device promotes multilingualism by allowing end-users to engage with the device in their home language from its welcome screen.

Rodrigues adds that after the end-user decided on a preferred language, they are now enabled to continue their search in that language. In addition, the device also acts as a ‘language teacher’ by providing users with equivalents of certain words in various languages.  This intelligent device currently provides service in the following languages: Afrikaans, English, isiXhosa, isiZulu and Sesotho.

“To fully embrace the concept of inclusivity within a multilingual context other languages are also considered for the future,” says Rodrigues.
“The possibilities of such an innovation are endless, and its launch should be celebrated as a step in the right direction to promote the human linguistic rights of all South Africans.”

The procurement of the directory is part of a multilingual signage project which aims to have signage on all of the university’s campuses translated into the province’s official languages. This launch will take place from 12h00 on the 29th of September.

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Hundreds of qualifications were conferred during the CPUT Spring Graduation on the Bellville Campus today.

The event is one of the highlights of the CPUT academic calendar and provides the university with an opportunity to celebrate and recognise the achievements of students from all faculties.

During this year’s Spring Graduation CPUT will confer 989 diplomas and degrees, including 45 Masters and Doctoral degrees, in two ceremonies on the Bellville Campus.

This was the first graduation which Chancellor Thandi Modise presided over since her installation as CPUT chancellor, and marks a new era for the university.

Modise, who is also Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, has succeeded former Finance Minister, Trevor Manuel, who was the inaugural chancellor at CPUT.

The morning ceremony saw qualifications being conferred to students who completed academic programmes in the faculties of Applied Science, Business and Management Sciences, Education, Health and Wellness Sciences as well as Informatics and Design.

Acting Vice-chancellor, Dr Chris Nhlapo, told the audience that the day represents several years of study which required sacrifices not only from the graduates but also from their partners and family members.

“The number of our graduates show that we are making great strides in research and innovation,” said Nhlapo.

In the afternoon ceremony graduates in the Faculty of Engineering will be capped, including 21 Masters and Doctoral degrees.  

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Over the past couple of years CPUT brewers have consistently bagged awards during the annual SAB Intervarsity Beer Brewing Challenge and this year was no exception, as the team brought home no fewer than two awards.

CPUT scooped The Best Cider award for the team’s Apple Adventure Cider and also clinched second place in the lager category for their Klopse Lager.

“It was a very proud moment for me,” says Food Science and Technology lecturer, Dr Zanephyn Keyser. “The students worked very hard and created the most awesome brews this year.  They are true ambassadors of the department and were able to use this platform to showcase their creative skills.” 

The art in brewing CPUT’s traditional cider with a delicious crisp apple flavour and aroma was in the selection of the yeast from the department’s culture collection.

“We combined two complementary yeast strains, each with its own unique character that resulted in a well-rounded brew, which we now call our Apple Adventure,” adds Keyser.  

The team created a crisply refreshing beer (‘Klopse Lager’) with a medium golden appearance, using barley, hops and the department’s unique Saccharomyces yeast strain.

This year’s team consisted of students Ryan Morkel, Poppy Mabele, Armand Uys, Taylon-Lee Hendricks and Siphosethu Peter, as well as lecturers Keyser and Veronique Meyer.

CPUT made its debut in the competition in 2013.

This year the challenge, which pitted 16 South African tertiary institutions against one another, took place in Kyalami, Johannesburg.

• Competition background: SAB has assisted South African universities in setting up microbreweries. CPUT is one of the recipients of a microbrewery, which is used to train Food Science and Technology students in the area of brewing.

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A conference which empowered young women in higher education with skills such as entrepreneurship, self-defence and personal branding was recently held on the Bellville Campus.

The two-day conference, which was hosted by the HIV/Aids Unit, was attended by approximately 300 female students from universities and TVET Colleges around the Western Cape.
Prof Nomafrench Mbombo, Western Cape Health MEC, told the young women to be wary of risky sexual activities as it could lead to their downfall such as unwanted pregnancies, sexual transmitted infections and abusive relationships.
“Girls are groomed for men’s sexual gratification,” she said.

Mbombo decried the patriarchal environment which raises boys differently from girls and added that young women sometimes feel the pressure to have children in order to please or gain hold over their men and that transactional sex is a common practice these days as women wants to live the good life. 

Acting Dean: Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences, Prof Penelope Engel-Hills, said she works with communities around issues of gender-based violence. 
“In this country women are not well at the moment and this means that the society at large is ill,” said Engel-Hills.

HEAIDS Project Manager, Alex Semba, said the conference was a platform for the delegates to network with each other.
Semba discussed the programmes that HEAIDS is providing to universities and colleges to address the ‘blessing’ culture in a bid to reduce HIV infections among women between the ages of 15 and 24 by 30%.
He said health and wellness is important in order for higher education institutions to perform their core functions of teaching, research and community engagement. 
During the conference the delegates received goodie bags and spot prizes, and were equipped with a range of skills including personal safety, entrepreneurship and leadership.

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The Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Services SETA) has awarded 265 bursaries to CPUT students for the current academic year, making CPUT students the largest group of beneficiaries of this SETA nationwide.

“We pride ourselves as a sector skills and training authority in meeting the needs of students and ensuring that new entrants to the labour market are adequately trained,” Bursary Manager, Basani Sithole, told the students.

“It is your responsibility to pass your studies and enhance the skills of the current workforce and alleviate poverty in our communities.”

The partnership between CPUT and the SETA started in 2015 when 10 students from Khayelitsha were awarded bursaries.  In 2016 another 10 students from Mitchells Plain were funded and in 2017 that number increased exponentially to 265. The SETA says it is eager to continue funding CPUT students in 2018.

The students applied directly to the SETA. The bursaries were awarded to both part-time and full-time students with the former getting a maximum of R35 000, which covers tuition fees and books, while the latter got R60 000 for tuition fees, books, meals and accommodation.

The role of the SETA is to ensure that the skill requirements of the services sector are identified and that adequate and appropriate skills are readily available.  The Services SETA contributes to the improvement of sector skills by ensuring that education and training is provided for the citizens of South Africa.

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Student transitions to and within university were recently unpacked at the annual Extended Curriculum Programme (ECP) Symposium hosted by CPUT.

The Regional ECP Symposium held on the Bellville Campus was themed, “Responsive and inclusive curricula and pedagogic practice in ECP: Understanding transitions to and within university”.

The ECP provides students with extra time as they are allowed an additional year in which to complete their studies.

Delivering the keynote address, UCT’s Dr Bongi Bangeni and Prof Rochelle Kapp said their study revealed that as students from disadvantaged backgrounds transitioned into university they have to negotiate their learning and identity.

“The data illustrate the ways in which student learning is often impeded by the limitations on choices within degree structures,” says Kapp.

Also shown was how decisions made at high school level continue to impact students’ pathways on entry, at senior levels and even after the successful completion of the first degree.

Their study recommended that understanding schooling and its impact on students’ experiences within university as well as turning classrooms into spaces for active engagement may improve student success.

Besides attracting delegates from the four universities in the region, the symposium was also attended by academics from the Unisa, the University of Johannesburg and Wits.

Welcoming the delegates to CPUT, Prof Anthony Staak, DVC: Academic, said dysfunctional schooling yields students who are under-prepared for university education.

“Accept under-preparedness and adjust the curriculum accordingly,” advises Staak.

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A leading researcher at CPUT in the Faculty of Applied Sciences, Prof Victoria Jideani, has two patents under her belt.

While this NRF-rated researcher has a patent for dietary fibre from the Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterenea), she also has a patent for probiotic yoghurt produced from a Bambara groundnut milk beverage and the method for the production thereof. The latter may lead to an exciting new business venture for the university.

“Indigenous knowledge (IK) associated with Bambara groundnut (BGN) in South Africa is not documented,” she explains, adding that, “Despite the BGN rich IK and nutritional profile, not much is known about its nutraceutical potential.”

She says that this knowledge system is at risk of becoming extinct because of the rapidly changing natural environment and fast-paced economic, political and cultural changes. 

“There is an urgent need to document the IK and establish a relationship between it and the BGN nutraceuticals.”

“One of my publications on BGN paved the way for international collaboration between the South African Association for Food Science & Technology (SAAFoST) and the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) in America.”

Her article “Should the BGN remain underutilized?” was published in the August 2015 issue of FST Magazine, which is published by SAAFoST and subsequently republished in Food Technology (USA) by IFT as “Utilizing BGN in Value-added Products” in 2016.

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The Wholesale & Retail Sector Education and Training Authority (W&R SETA) has this year awarded bursaries to 316 CPUT students to the value of approximately R30 million.

  The students in the Retail Business Management Department applied for the bursaries after the SETA invited applicants in an advertisement published in national media.

“SETA adjudicates the applications and award based on merit,” says Advancement Director Calvin Maseko.

“The SETA then sends a list of the approved students to CPUT before coming to us for verifications.”

The SETA’s bursaries were awarded to CPUT students as follows:

303 undergraduate students got a maximum of R71 000 each;

Seven continuing students got a maximum of R71 000 each. Previously the SETA funded 96 students and out of the 96 the seven are still continuing with their qualifications;

Four PhD students, got a maximum of R250 000 each and;

12 Masters students got a maximum of R150 000 each.

“The PhD students are CPUT lecturers and this is highly appreciated because it motivates staff members to get higher qualifications,” says Maseko.

The initiative contributes to the university’s targets for the New Generation of Academics Programme.

CPUT has already made books and meals allocation to the students and the invoices were sent to the SETA.

“CPUT highly appreciates this partnership,” he says gratefully.   

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Following the success of his debut book which was published earlier this year, an academic in the Education Faculty has penned another book.

Dr Oscar Koopman has just recently returned from a six months-sabbatical leave during which he completed his new book, 'Science Education and Pedagogy in South Africa'.

Published by Peter Lang in New York, USA, the book is currently in production and will be released next month.

The multidimensional book explores new teaching methods and looks at various aspects of science teaching and learning.

“I am very honoured to have published with Peter Lang and be reviewed by William Pinar, who is often described as one of the greatest curriculum scholars in the world,” says Koopman.

“Publishing with Peter is not easy because he’s a world class publisher for top academics in the world.”

The book addresses various issues related to the teaching and learning of Physical Science in South Africa, but more specifically its main focus is on how to improve the quality of teaching and learning of science in a multi-cultural context, given the decry for a decolonised curriculum in South Africa.  

“I argue that before we tackle the problem of decolonising the curriculum we first have to obtain empirical evidence of how the psyche of teachers were affected by the legacy of apartheid education.”

This is a solo project with a contribution (one chapter) by CPUT alumnus ,Paul Iwuanyanwu, who recently completed his PhD at the University of the Western Cape.

The book is available online on amazon.com, takealot.com and other stores.

Koopman is also working on another book which will be released early next year.

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The CPUT Residence Business & Risk Assessment Centre has launched an on-line accreditation system which will refine the process of sourcing suitable student accommodation.

Called Off-Campus Housing Accreditation Program (OCHAP) the accreditation system offers students the opportunity to find private CPUT-accredited alternative accommodation and allows property owners to apply electronically.

CPUT officials will then inspect the particular building and if approved may be accredited.

Each landlord wishing to be accredited has to apply online via the Residences webpage and an automated response will be sent to the applicant as well as alerts to the OCHAP.

In order to be an accredited student accommodation facility the landlord must complete the forms and documents confirming compliance with CPUT regulations must be submitted.

Details of the property will only appear on our website once it has been accredited and the once-off administration fee has been paid.

Proof of ownership or mandate to lease, has to be submitted once you receive feedback on your application.

Each advert has a span of three months on the CPUT website. Once full occupancy is reached the landlord must inform the OCHAP office via email in order for your advert to be retracted from the website.

The database on line is updated regularly to provide students with information of availability of beds, see here

Lease agreements between students and landlords must be for at least six months.

For more info on OCHAP contact the Residence Business & Risk Assessment Centre’s Off-Campus Housing & Accreditation Office on the Bellville Campus on 021 959 6154 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

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Second-year Education student Corne Conradie scooped the prize for coming up with a winning name for the character featured on the Help2Read project’s logo.

Corne, who is also a volunteer for the project, won a R250 book voucher for the innovative name, Nolwazi (Nguni for mother of knowledge).

Help2Read is a non-profit organisation on a mission to erase illiteracy in South Africa.

Since 2015, they have partnered with the Faculty of Education on the Wellington Campus where they have trained pre-service teachers, who are English Home language subject specialists, as volunteers for Help2Read.

The students work at a children’s home and in schools in the Wellington area, where they enhance the reading skills of the pupils in their care.

Every other day the students commit an hour to reading with a specific child for the whole year.

“In May of 2017, Help2Read launched its new look,” says the faculty’s Dr Hanlie Dippenaar, “and part of this campaign was to run a competition to find the name of the little reader in their logo”.

“Congratulations to Corne for her innovative and creative contribution. We on the Wellington campus, are proud to be part of the Help2Read initiative and to be part of the future of reading in South Africa.”

Initially, Corne came up with six well-researched names, but together with her siblings she decided on Nolwazi.

She says volunteering in the project plays an integral part towards her holistic development as a CPUT student.

Melody Volmink, Literacy Tutor and Relationship Co-ordinator at Help2Read congratulated Corne and thanked her colleague, Leani van Zyl, for championing the partnership with CPUT by providing intensive training and support to the students.

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In a bid to professionalize the paralegal sector and contribute to the transformation of the legal profession as well as higher education curricula, CPUT will from 2018 be offering the new Bachelor of Paralegal Studies degree.

The degree, being the first of its kind in the country, is designed to consolidate the fragmented approach to paralegal education in South Africa and bring comprehensive paralegal education firmly within the domain of higher education.

The Unit for Applied Law at CPUT obtained approval for the degree from the Department of Higher Education and Training as well as the Council on Higher Education.

Whilst preparing students for existing and future paralegal careers, aimed at meeting the primary legal needs of individuals and communities, the academic programme will also assist with the current challenges in the country’s legal education by providing a conduit to the LLB degree that serves as both a preparatory and screening mechanism for prospective candidates for the private legal profession, says the unit’s HoD, Adv Noleen Leach.

The programme rests on four core pillars of legal education, namely Private Law, Public Law, Mercantile Law and Formal Law.  Formal Law, for the most part, has been integrated into the other three pillars where appropriate, and the work-integrated components woven into the programme.

The programme takes three years to complete on a fulltime basis and five years part-time in the absence of any credit transfer or recognition of prior learning.

An APS score of 30 points is required to apply for the degree, but for more information about entry requirements contact Adv Leach on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 0219596418.

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As part of its Mandela Day initiative, the Faculty of Engineering has launched a donation drive to raise funds to renovate an overcrowded local orphanage.

Started with three orphans in Nyanga in 1994, Emasithandane Children’s Organization is a home for 29 vulnerable children. The home consists of three very small bedrooms in addition to few common rooms.

Emasithandane not only meets the children’s basic needs such as clothing, shelter, education and food but also offers them a nurturing environment, which facilitates their personal growth and holistic development in the face of extreme odds.

The Engineering Faculty’s Luvuyo Kakaza says that they decided on an institution which caters for children’s needs as a response to the need to instil a sense of hope and convey a message that there are people who care.

“Today’s the launch of the project to raise donations for renovations and upgrades at the home, including creating study areas,” said Kakaza.

“We want to create a safe environment which is also conducive for learning.”

He added that the drive will continue in the next three to four months and donations can be made through a CPUT bank account or by purchasing a CPUT Mandela Month button for R20.

There’s also a Fun Run/Walk which will take place on July 29 and registration is open to all members of the public and all proceeds will be donated to Emasithandane. To register for the event one may click on the link.

Hazel Maposela, Finance Officer at Emasithandane, thanked CPUT for the gesture and says it addresses some of their challenges such as lack of safety and overcrowding.

She added that the home needs funds to pay salaries to its staff complement of nine employees as it only receives donations for food.

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CPUT students were recognised for their commitment and dedication to a pilot sailing project which aims to transform the sport.

The sailing programme was held at the Royal Cape Yacht Club over five weeks and the students were commended for their outstanding attendance which averaged close to 100%. The project was made possible by SA Sailing Western Cape (SASWC), the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs, the Sailing Academy, the Royal Cape Yacht club and CPUT’s Department of Student Affairs.

“The result was that development and transformation took place automatically and furthermore, life skills were transferred whilst having fun,” says Bev le Sueur, SASWC’s Acting Chairperson. 
“What an inspiration and incredible story for these 14 CPUT sailors who five weeks ago had no knowledge of sailing but eagerly competed in not only the Portugal Day Race on 10 June 2017 but also the Youth Regatta two weeks later.”

Le Sueur added that history had been made, new life-long relationships formed and life skills earned through the project. Students obtained skills such as diversity management, teamwork, discipline, commitment, communication, time management and dealing with stressful situations.
“Our sailing family has grown and is being enriched by energy and passion for the sport of sailing and fun was had by all,” says Le Sueur.

Student Development Officer Anette Grobler says the students obtained valuable life skills.
“For the students, it was about acquiring a skill that might ultimately result in them being employed in the sailing fraternity.” 

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