Eastern Cape learners experienced true hospitality at CPUT’s Hotel School when they recently visited Cape Town as part of an educational tour.

The 60 Grade 12 learners from Dudumayo Senior Secondary School near Umthatha not only enjoyed the culinary skills of CPUT students but were also given a tour of the impressive facilities at the Granger Bay Campus.

Lecturer in the Business Faculty’s Graduate Centre for Management and Co-ordinator for the Faculty’s extended academic programme, Mbuso Tshaka, arranged for the learners to visit the institution after receiving a request from the Dudumayo school teachers.

Tshaka said: “It takes a lot of courage and hard work for an underprivileged Eastern Cape school to afford a tour of such a long distance; as far as I know the furthest most Eastern Cape schools can go is East London”.

“As a representative of the University, I saw an opportunity to create a platform to host these students at the hotel school as this is an opportunity to expose ourselves as the future institution of their choice,” she said.

The group heard presentations on the career options available at the university from Thandokazi Mtshekisa, a CPUT Student Recruitment Officer; Douglas Dyers, a representative of Maritime Studies and Luke Van Rensburg, Marketing and Functions Coordinator at the Hotel School.  Each learner also received a complimentary educational gift pack with CPUT brochures, detailing all courses on offer.

BACK IN THE CLASSROOM: Though they may be out of the school environment, the Dudumayo learners listen to a presentation of CPUT's courses by Ms Mtshekisa as part of their four-day education tour.

Mtshekisa, who also hails from the Eastern Cape, said she enjoyed interacting with the learners as she could relate to the experiences.  A CPUT alumnus, Mtshekisa, said she was glad to be able to expose the learners to the educational opportunities at the university.

“It's always good to make a difference,” she said.

Dyers concurred, saying it was a perfect opportunity to showcase how one can improve your circumstances through furthering your education, despite your background.

Tshaka was also positive about the outcomes of the visit.

 “I can't thank everyone who assisted with this visit and for taking time out to welcome the school. I am convinced the information given to them has made a difference, as they plan to make the right academic choices for their future,” she said.

By: Thando Moiloa

Written by CPUT News
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His own love of playing pool and the experience of watching illegal gambling spoil the game has led a CPUT academic to a multi-million rand study on the topic.

Business lecturer Mbuso Tshaka has been selected by the National Responsible Gambling Programme to research illegal and informal gambling in the province.

The nationwide study will cost in excess of R2 million and will be completed by mid 2013.

Tshaka says he is ecstatic to have been successful since he has personal experience on the topic.

“I was always an enthusiastic pool player but the game has been ruined by gambling,” he says.

“No one wants to just play a friendly game. It is always about money.”

Using a team of 15 young researchers Tshaka will canvas 1500 people to investigate the financial, mental and social effect of games like cards, dice and pool.

Some of the challenges he is expecting to encounter include getting people to co-operate, getting access to illegal gambling dens and safety concerns.

“Gamblers are also often not honest about the extent of their problem,” he says.

“The one thing I do know for sure about gambling is that you never get rich through gambling. It has the potential to bankrupt you but not make you rich.”

By LAUREN KANSLEY

Written by CPUT News
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