Mechanical Engineering student Simon Longela plans to restore lost hope to Africa’s amputees, with the development of a high-tech artificial hand.

The artificial hand, unlike conventional prosthetic limbs, will share a number of properties of a human hand.

The exploration into artificial limbs is the focus of the Congolese’s Mtech study and is close to his heart.

“From where I come from, there are a lot of people who lost limbs during the civil war. They either lost hand or legs. When coming up with an idea for my study, I thought of how I could solve problems back home” said Simon.

Working under the guidance of Prof Oscar Philander, head of the Adaptronic Advanced Manufacturing Technology Laboratory (AMTL), the first phase of the project is nearing completion.

“The first step of the project is to show that it is possible to recreate an artificial human hand. Using adaptronic technology, I reached the point to where the hand has motions similar to that of a human hand,” he said.

The hand currently has the ability to grasp and the fingers have a range of motions.

Simon explained that the next stage of development will focus on converting human heat into power, which will allow the hand to function without gears or motors.

Prof Philander said the project is progressing well and is positive that on completion it will benefit the lives of amputees.

Simon plans to enrol for his doctorate at CPUT and will continue to focus on the development of the high-tech hand.

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News
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A team of CPUT Mechanical Engineering students was announced overall winner of the 2008 Sasol Mini Baja Challenge, held on 17 and 18 October 2008 at the Gerotek test facility outside Pretoria.

The competition, which takes its name from a famous race across the deserts of California, invites South African and international students to compete in off-road vehicles that they have designed and built themselves.

Entries are judged in two sections – the theoretical, which consists of the design and safety aspects, and the practical, which is made up of the acceleration, top speed, skid pull, manoeuvrability and hill climb tests as well as a four-hour endurance event.

The two CPUT entries both performed well, with vehicle number 2 taking first place overall, as well as second place in the Static judging and second place in the Performance section. Vehicle number 32 took fifth place overall. Tshwane University of Technology was second overall, followed by the Central University of Technology in third place.

Captain of the winning team Jaco van Niekerk praised the camaraderie of the event. ""This was the third time I'd entered but my first win,"" he said, ""The endurance race was really rough. We had two breakdowns but kept going. We did well on the static evaluation but I think our competitive edge came from having entered before – and lots of man-hours!""

To participate in the Mini Baja challenge, students need to accomplish all the planning and manufacturing tasks required when introducing a new product to the consumer industrial market.

Starting with only a rulebook, and a Briggs & Stratten 10 hp engine at the beginning of the year, they have to come up with a concept design, which they refine until they have a final design. The students then build the vehicle, and take part in the race at the end of the year.

The project encompasses many disciplines such as Mechanical Design, Strengths of Materials, Manufacturing Technology, Mechanics of Machines, CAD, and Costing, and gives the students an opportunity to bring these all together. A complete design and costing report must also be submitted, which forms a part of the student’s academic marks.

The winning Baja team is the one that can perform consistently over all the various sections. How well the team members do in the competition depends on the quality of their design and workmanship, as most of the parts are manufactured by the students themselves, with very few components bought off the shelf.

Designing, building and racing an off-road vehicle is certainly no “paper project”. The students' performance in the competition depends on all of the work and decisions taken during the year. The experience that the students gain from this is invaluable.

By David Evans, Faculty of Engineering

Written by CPUT News
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Mechanical Engineering students Bryce Wicht, Steven Black and Stephen Benford are proof that CPUT is producing the country’s next generation of innovators.

This trio designed and manufactured a fully functional, remote aeroplane for their final BTech project. The aeroplane measures 3x1.5m, is 400m high and runs on methanol-based fuel.

The aeroplane has already taken to the skies, much to the delight of these students who spent the past few months developing this impressive device.

TAKE FLIGHT: The aeroplane is fully functional

Bryce says while it took them several weeks to build the aeroplane, the research and design phase took up the bulk of their time.

“We originally designed two aeroplanes, but opted for this one,” he says.

One of the goals of the project was to design a lightweight device that could carry a heavy payload. Instead of opting for conventional material used for such devices, the students used foam core ply board, a lightweight material used for the building of yachts.

LIGHT: The aeroplane is made of high-tech material sourced by the students

 Stephen says the project was a challenge but that they are all pleased with the outcome.

“The most gratifying part of this process was seeing the design come to life,” he says.

Lecturer Walter Kohlhofer commended the students for their hard work and commitment to such an innovative project.

He says the project exposed students to aerodynamics and other engineering principles, which forms a solid base for those wanting to pursue a master’s degree in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles systems.

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.

An innovative building is helping the CPUT community and the public see rubbish in a completely new way.

The ‘upcycled house’ is a partially constructed home, made of wire mesh and waste, and is currently at wall height and being constructed by Mechanical Engineering students at the Bellville campus.

This Service-Learning project is a collaboration between the World of Eve; Bavarian government; Premier’s office; Western Cape Government; CPUT’s Service Learning Unit with assistance from the Mechanical Engineering, Management and Project Management departments.

Envirochoice Project Management; Interwaste Cape Town and various local and rural artists have all contributed to the structure of the upcycled house on the Bellville campus.

The pioneering design by the artist, Markus Heinsdorff, has attracted the attention of organisers of the World Design Capital who are keen to display this interesting house at the V & A Waterfront in 2014.

This week, stakeholders from government and CPUT video-conferenced with their German counterparts to discuss the progress on the ‘upcycled’ house and to plan the activities for 2014 which will include additional academic disciplines at CPUT as Service-Learning projects.

It is hoped that the house will help students and communities view waste as a valuable commodity and that it may act as a catalyst for job creation in communities.

Next year the Business Faculty will launch their Service-Learning project “How green is your campus?” in the form of a campaign using the house as a symbol of environmentally friendly living.

Written by Lauren Kansley

Tel: +27 21 953 8646
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Liaises with the media and writes press releases about interesting developments at CPUT.

Postgraduate Mechanical Engineering students have gathered at CPUT to share ideas and network.

The Mechanical Manufacturing and Materials Engineering Conference continues today with presentations ranging from exploring human factors in virtual vehicle design to testing of diesel engines running on waste cooking oil, no area of mechanical engineering was left untouched.

Organised by the South African Institution of Mechanical Engineering along with CPUT and the Universities of Stellenbosch and Cape Town, this year’s conference attracted more than 100 postgraduate students and academics.

CPUT Dean of Engineering, Dr Nawaz Mohammed says the conference is vital for postgraduate students as it not only provides a platform to network,  but also to share best practices in research and explore possible areas of collaboration.

During the two-day conference, 44 postgraduate students each got the opportunity to deliver 15-minute presentations on their areas of research. Students also fielded questions from academics and their counterparts and participated in robust discussions.

Prof Rob Knutsen from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UCT says he was impressed with the presentations.

“The students put a lot of effort into their presentations. They are all very proud of their work,” he says.

Prof Knutsen says it was interesting to get insight into the diverse areas of research students are involved in.

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News
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A group of Mechanical Engineering students are ready to jet off to the United Kingdom to compete in the 2012 Formula Student competition.

The event is the most prestigious educational motorsport competition, which sees students battle it out on the racing track, in single-seat racing cars they designed and built.

This is the first time CPUT will compete in the competition and is the only South African university to secure a place in this year’s competition.

ENGINEERING: Mechanical Engineering student Kerwyn Lategaan shows off the CPUT formula racing car

Run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the competition aims to inspire and develop innovative young engineers by providing students with a real-life exercise in design, manufacture and the business elements of automotive engineering.

Prof Oscar Philander, head of the Adaptronic Advanced Manufacturing Technology Laboratory, under which the project falls, says this is a huge achievement for the students as well as for the institution.

“We are incredibly proud of our students and their achievement to make it this far in the competition,” he says.

Student group leader, Kerwyn Lategaan says the team is well prepared for the event that will take place during July in Silverstone.

Lategaan says the group of 15 students will compete in several track and off-track events, where processes such as costing and design will also be judged.

Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, Dr Chris Nhlapo says CPUT fully supports this project.

“By focusing on innovation, the institution is setting itself apart from other universities of technology and by participating in Formula Student we afford our students the opportunity to be part of the testing ground for the next generation of world-class engineers,” he says.

By Candes Keating

Photographs by Mpho Ndou

Written by CPUT News
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It’s official – a group of Mechanical Engineering students are set to jet off to the United Kingdom, where they will compete in the 2012 Formula Student competition.

The event is the most prestigious educational motorsport competition, which sees students battle it out on the racing track, in single-seat racing cars they designed and built.

This is the first time CPUT will compete in the competition, and to top it all off, CPUT is the only South African university to secure a place in this year’s competition.

The news of the selection brought shouts of joy from the team of 12 Mechanical Engineering students, who for the past year have been working around the clock on the car.

Morne Riddles, who is supervising the project, said this is a huge feat for CPUT.

Run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the competition aims to inspire and develop innovative young engineers by providing students with a real-life exercise in design, manufacture and the business elements of automotive engineering.

Student group leader, Kerwyn Lategan, said the organizers gave universities a 130-page rule guide and brief, which they had to follow from the design to the manufacturing process.

He said they stepped up to the challenge and are now in the final stages of putting the vehicle together.

The group will compete in several track and off-track events, where processes such as costing and design will also being judged.

Student Michelle Minnaar said the group is looking forward to the event, which takes place in July.

“We are all both excited and a bit nervous,” she said.

Prof Oscar Philander, head of theAdaptronic Advanced Manufacturing Technology Laboratory, under which the project falls, said he is proud of the students.

However, he said the project would not have been such a success if it had not been for the help of CPUT support departments and individuals such as Christo Arnoldus, Sharon de Vos and Sarah Sacco.

“A large number of people made this project a success,” said Philander.

HARD WORK: Rushdia Benjamin cuts out foam, which is used to shape the shell of the racing car.

FINAL CHECK: Mechanical Engineering students do a final check on a foam replica of the car’s body. The foam structure is used to construct the shell of the car.

BEGINNINGS: A prototype of the racing car was unveiled by the students in late 2010. Work on the car began soon after the unveiling.  

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News
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CPUT students are thinking big.

A wide range of bright ideas and products was showcased at this year’s CPUT Idea-Create Student Innovation Competition.

A beer keg that has been recycled into a barbeque, a snack dryer, a solar wonder cooker and a device to find lost items, are just some of the inventions thought out by students.

Director of the Technology Transfer Office, Prof Gary Atkinson-Hope says the competition is in its third year and is gaining popularity, with more than 70 students taking up this year’s challenge.

This year’s top innovators hailed from the Industrial Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Departments.

A group of Industrial Engineering students created The Braai Tool, a sleek-looking and versatile device that can be used as a bottle opener, tongs, fork and spatula.

“We are ecstatic and positive about the future of the braai tool,” says Sebastian Bosman, who represented the group at the prize giving.

The invention was part of the BTech Industrial Design R5k project, an official World Design Capital project that tasked students with producing and selling a product with the ultimate aim of earning R5000 or more.

Mechanical Engineering student, Musa Morgan, created a unique pair of briefs called Manhood Underwear. The briefs are designed for use by males after they are circumcised and assist in the healing process by protecting the area that was operated on.

“I feel honoured to have won this prize,” says Musa who plans to take his idea further and turn it into a business.

Musa, along with a group of four friends also scored another prize at the competition for the design of their website, Ad4All, an online classifieds for students.

Guest speaker at the event, entrepreneur Vuyisa Qubaka, encourage students to keep on innovating.

“The most successful entrepreneurs succeed because they are passionate,” he says.

“They moved from trying to do something to mastering it. Work on something because you are passionate about it.”

Deputy Director of Enterprise Development from the Western Cape Government, Deon Damons, whose office has funded many of CPUT’s innovative students, says the ideas unveiled at the competition have the potential to grow into big businesses.

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.

Mechanical Engineering lecturer Fareed Ismail is the latest academic to join CPUT’s impressive list of innovators after his patent in Small Scale Modular Solar Powered Aquaponics System was registered.

This invention will allow communities to do small-scale farming, especially in areas where there is little or no infrastructure and low levels of expertise.

“This invention will allow such sub-social as well as affluent environmentally friendly communities to promote entrepreneurship, create awareness of green energy, and supply sustainable livelihoods throughout,” says Ismail.

 The system consists of an aquaculture unit to breed and grow fish as well as a hydroponics water filtration unit that facilitates the growth of vegetables and fruits. The invention also relies on renewable energy such as solar thermal, wind and photovoltaic energy as a power source together with a programmable control system.

Aquaculture as well as fresh produce farming is normally available on a large scale and requires huge capital and infrastructure layouts.

However, Ismail says this invention allows for smaller-scale and more intense farming by combining renewable energy, aquaculture, hydroponics and tunnel farming systems.

“The possibility of expansion where required in a rural or urban settlement globally will be feasible by linking more than one modular aquaponics system together,” he says.

Ismail says this invention will also ease the strain on depletion of natural resources in oceans, dams and rivers and lower the carbon footprint by providing a sustainable energy efficient means to provide food.

Recently Ismail, together with Dean of Engineering, Dr Nawaz Mahomed and Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department, Prof Modi Kuanda harvested the first greens from the prototype.

Mahomed says he is positive that this pilot will provide a sustainable livelihood opportunity for many communities.

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.

CPUT students are gearing up to take to the race track this July at the iconic home of motorsport, Silverstone in Britain.

On Tuesday, 27 May 2014, CPUT together with its TIA-Adaptronics AMTL research unit is gearing up to unveil their formula racing car.

The racing car was designed and manufactured by a multi-disciplinary group of students, led by Mechanical Engineering students, who will compete in Formula Student, Europe’s biggest student motorsport event.

The CPUT team, CAPE SPEED, will be the only team from South Africa to compete in this year’s event, which has attracted teams from 100 universities across the globe.

The teams will be competing in 600cc racing cars, which are designed and built from scratch and are capable of travelling from 0 to 90kph in only a few seconds. The racing cars will be put through a series of rigorous tests, including acceleration, sprint, endurance races, and skid pads.

This will be the second time that the CPUT team has participated in this event. In July 2012 CAPE SPEED, as a first entrant of this competition, surprised many by placing number 65 out of 132 entrants. The team also made history by being the first team from Africa to complete all race stages.

But this year’s team is hoping to improve on the current ranking says CAPE SPEED captain, Cyprian Onochie.

This year’s racing car was designed using the latest materials and techniques available, which included technology from CPUT’s Product Lifecycle Management Competency Centre.

“It was hard work and long hours, but we managed,” says Cyprian.

This year’s team also consists of students from the Faculties of Informatics and Design and Business, who are working on other aspects of the competition.

*The project is a recognized WDC2014 Project. Follow all CPUT’s WDC2014 projects at www.imaginethat.org.za

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.

This July, a group of BTech and MTech Mechanical Engineering students will compete in the Student Formula event at Silverstone in the UK.

The event is one of the world’s premier inter-university challenges and annually attracts thousands of students from across the globe.

Students from various disciplines are charged with designing and building a formula racing car from scratch and at Silverstone their design skills and technical know-how is put to the test as they battle it out for first place.

In 2012 our students participated in the Formula Student for the first time and went on to be the first African team to complete all race stages. The team was ranked 65th out of 132 overall and came 27th out of 132 for the endurance stage of the event.

This year’s team is made up of Mechanical postgraduate students who are already hard at work on the formula racing car.

Work began last year when students conceptualised their design using state-of-the-art 3D-design programmes at the university’s Product Lifecycle Management Competency Centre.

With the designed passed by lecturers at the TIA Adaptronics Advanced Manufacturing Technology Laboratory (AMTL), students started work on the car and already have completed the outer shell and are working on other elements, including the engine.

*This is a recognised World Design Capital 2014 project. For more information about CPUT's efforts for WDC2014 visit the imaginethat* website.

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.

Finding a quiet spot for group study work on campus is more difficult than you think. Silence is required in the library, it’s too hot to sit outside, lecture rooms are in use.

With that in mind, Mechanical Engineering lecturer Fareed Ismail set a group of BTech Mechanical Engineering Students a task – create a contained space for students to use without getting heatstroke.

“I suggested a study pod as I saw our quad areas were hardly used by students because there was no covering or shading,” said Ismail.

Group 34 (Jaco Swiegelaar, Stefan Gunter, Hanò Kriel and Bartlo Crous) took nine months from inception of idea to completion to build a proof of concept and present it at the Mechanical Engineering BTech poster and presentation day.

The initial stage of the project was to determine feasibility: “This included questionnaires to students on how they use their free time at the campus and whether they would like the study pod option to carry out work,” explained Ismail.

Feedback from students was positive and the group started brainstorming ideas, chose and designed a particular concept, commissioned the manufacture of various components and finished the pod just in time to show the lecturers the Student Pod.

They chose an industrial look of wood and galvanised steel and created a pod that can seat four people around a table on the one side and two people on the other side of an internal dividing wall. The whole pod sits on casters so it can be moved around.

“The plan is to continue upgrades to the pod next year by powering it with renewable energy so students can plug in cell phones and laptop chargers,” said Ismail.

Funding for this proof of concept came from the university’s Capacity Development Programme (programme 1, activity 4 is for creating learning spaces for students) and Ismail says if they can source additional funding they would try to develop more while upgrading this first design.

“I had my first meeting with a group of students in the pod and it was very comfortable. If the university is serious about developing entrepreneurship this is an opportunity where we can expand the project into a fully developed business. Obviously, this would take time and commitment from various partners but I feel this is possible,” said Ismail.

“They say you should think outside the box, but we say come and think inside our pod,” said Hano Kriel during their presentation.

Jaco Swiegelaar said they would welcome suggestions on how to improve the pod and make it effective for long-term use. “We would like to incorporate a system that requires students to swipe their student cards if they want to use the pod. Such a system would incorporate some kind of timer that indicates when use of the pod has expired,” said Jaco.

Written by Theresa Smith
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Three Dutch students who spent the last three months working with a community outreach project in Belhar have captured their work on video.

Douwe Schoemaker, Nina van Savooijen and Stijn Burmanje from Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands worked under the supervision of senior lecturer Fareed Ismail of CPUT’s Mechanical Engineering Department. The video (

) explains what they did with the Africa Community Project (ACP) at the Belhar Early Childhood Development Centre.
One of the speakers in the video is Christiaan Hartzenberg, founder of ACP which runs the Centre from the Multipurpose Hall. The Centre, which opened in 2001, looks after about 120 children and they started a food garden in 2002.

They approached CPUT and first worked with students through the Work Integrated Learning programme, but things really took off when they met Ismail who introduced them to sustainable aquaponics farming.

“These three Dutch students worked on a business model for the aquaponics system, looking at marketing the produce and researching potential clientele,” explained Hartzenberg.

The students (one Architecture student and two Industrial Design Engineering students) arrived in South Africa with a plan, ready to do a business review of the food garden in collaboration with the Mechanical Engineering Department. They were surprised to encounter children at the project centre and had to offer fun learning activities while working on the aquaponics system. Within the first month of work they managed to secure R55 000 funding to upgrade the system.

The trio plans to start a non-governmental organisation in the Netherlands, drawing on previous students from TU Delft and Ernst-Abbe University of Applied Sciences (Jena, Germany) who also worked on the project. Beleaf (which is also the name of the video and blog) will be a platform to raise funds for the project and a way for the students to continue to be a part of it even after completing their studies.

While the food garden’s most important purpose is to feed the children at the Centre, they harvest enough produce to sell and generate an income. The short video also features one of their loyal clients, corporate catering company Pure Good, who have signed a contract with the community pledging to buy required produce.

Ismail said the short video was exactly the kind of platform needed to promote the project through electronic media: “This places CPUT at the forefront of fostering entrepreneurship in needy communities. Fostering strong community engagement and international relationships with foreign universities stands us in good stead for the coming Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department Simphiwe Nqabisa expressed excitement about the potential of the exchange programme between CPUT and TU Delft:” We need to foster these kinds of collaborations. For the past few years it’s been one-sided with their students coming here. But, we want to explore new possibilities and send our students out."

Written by Theresa Smith

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Provides coverage for the Applied Sciences and Engineering Faculties and the Wellington Campus.

In their quest to eradicate gender-based violence (GBV) and start conversations on educating CPUT men to be able to have a gender-equal campus, the Centre for Diversity, Inclusivity and  Social Change in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor recently hosted a workshop at the Bellville Campus.

The workshop followed the inauguration of the Vice-Chancellor’s Think Tank for Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Task Team in March this year.  The Centre for Diversity, Inclusivity and Social Change in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor saw a need to have ambassadors who will be directly involved in GBV campaigns and interventions across all CPUT campuses to promote a campus free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination,  is diverse, equitable, inclusive and where difference is valued and celebrated.

The Centre’s Diversity and Inclusivity Assistant, Tumiso Mfisa, coordinated the workshop. This included the training for the first cohort, which targeted students and facilitated the orientation of the ambassadors. The CSRC president, Nanga Codana, shared a message of support with the ambassadors, highlighting the significance of men’s immediate response to GBV. The three sessions addressed issues such as how the ambassadors can conceptualise GBV in South Africa and how men can play their role in eradicating GBV on and off campus.

The participants also went in-depth on the practicality of GBV interventions on and off-campus, where the facilitator spoke on community engagement and interventions, which work primarily on awareness-raising on and off-campus, and how important it is to mobilise men in such programmes and educated the ambassadors on how to win over society in partaking in any intervention. 

There were also team-building exercises and discussions on various qualities the ambassadors need to ensure success in implementing the GBV programmes and men’s development interventions. 

Mfisa highlighted the overall picture of what the ambassadors should be like, which included them being transformed to transform others and that “together we can forge gender equality the second cohort will follow and will involve CPUT Staff members”.  “A follow-up session will involve more students and staff in GBV interventions and campaigns. Collectively, we can all #BreakTheBias and end GBV if we work together and not in isolation, ‘gender equality is everyone’s responsibility to enhance oneness and smartness,’” he said.

Ambassador Kwena Etmond Mapumo, a Diploma in Analytical Chemistry student, said:  “It was a very thought-provoking session we had, and I’d like to see more engagements and for us to be the change we wish to see in making a safe space for all.”

Another ambassador, Lance Sibuyi, a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering student, said: “Indeed, it was an awesome session. [I] learned a lot, which upscaled my perspective and knowledge on various issues about gender-based violence.  Thank you, team, for the awesome workshop!”

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Meet our ambassadors by opening the link below: https://ieyegallery.pic-time.com/avm046TH

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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If you have no fear of heights or confined spaces you are encouraged to join the eight qualified wind turbine service technicians from the Eastern Cape who were trained and graduated at South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (SARETEC) yesterday.

The graduates are from Bedford, Cookhouse, Adelaide and Somerset East local communities.   A wind turbine service technician plans, prepares and conducts installation, maintenance and component assembly for wind turbine processes, systems, facilities and equipment says Hendrik Volschenk, Operations Manager at SARETEC. The programme is sponsored by the Cookhouse Wind Farm in partnership with Suzlon Energy Limited, an Indian multinational wind turbine manufacturer.

Enthusiastic Operations Manager at SARETEC, Hendrik Volschenk said the qualification is a seven-month program at NQF level 5 and it amounts to 123 credits under the auspices of Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO). Volschenk said the qualification falls under the South African Wind Energy industry as the national accredited training centre under the auspices of CPUT for the QCTO Occupational certificate, SAQA ID 99559, Occupational Certificate: Wind Turbine Service Technician. 

“The purpose of this qualification is to prepare  learners to operate as  wind turbine service technicians, to them I would like to say welcome to the family and I would like to see them back here [at SARETEC] as trainers,” Volschenk remarked. He says the programme was in the value of

R 1,030,000 which includes, training, stipend, and Global Wind Organisation (GWO) certification. This includes five months theory and practical training at SARETEC and two months placement at various windfarms such as Klipheuwel, Cookhouse and Vestas wind farms. “We are the only QCTO-accredited institution in South Africa,” continued Volschenk.

“As we speak, they have employment contracts, I get emotional because they are like my children, I have become attached to them, this group was very disciplined.”

On her opening speech at the graduation ceremony, newly-appointed SARETEC director, Mokgadi Modise said: “To the graduates, I am informed that since the inception of this Wind Turbine Technician Programme that all the former students have been employed and none is idling or still looking for a job. This shows the quality of the programme you have done which will make you marketable nationally and internationally as these types of skills are within the scarce skills in the country. These are the type of skills that are sought after in the renewable sector at an international market. South Africa does not have enough of artisans, and it will still take a while before we could reach a concentration peak on those and say we have these skills in abundance,” Modise continued.

“Our experience has been that some trained in the country and end working outside the country farms internationally. However, we hope that you will stay in the country and contribute to our own skills pool. When we look at this training programme, we should not look at it only from the generation point of view, but we should see it as SARETEC and everyone here’s contribution towards the country’s Just Transition on moving towards low carbon economy. These skills are required.”

Volschenk added that a qualified wind turbine service technician will be able to prepare and plan for installation of components.

Inspect, diagnose malfunctioning, and conduct maintenance, replacement and repair of wind turbine components.

Assemble and install component parts and/or equipment.

“These individuals are able to work at heights in all weather conditions, including extreme cold and heat, for extended periods. Wind turbine technicians must be capable of working closely with other individuals as a team,” he added.

A graduate, Xabiso Mfamana said: “I would like to extend a word of gratitude on behalf of the students to our sponsors Suzlon and Cookhouse Wind Farm for the life-changing opportunity they have granted us, this also goes to SARETEC management, trainers for  equipping us and gave us an  exposure in depth in order for us to be competent… We are now qualified wind turbine service technicians, and this is the beginning of the new adventure,” Bafana continued.

“We have overcome the 1st phase and there's still more to complete. We all know that when climbing up the turbine, there are different platforms going up, when we reach the first floor, we are still at the bottom of second floor so let's keep climbing until we reach our desired destination, the nacelle as our honourable director,  Madam Modise emphasised growth.” 

Admission requirements for this course:

Artisan qualification in any of the following electrical/mechanical trades:

• NQF level 4 qualification Electrician
• NQF level 4 qualification Electro-Mechanics
• NQF level 4 qualification Mechanical Engineering Millwright
• NQF level 4 qualification Mechatronics
• NQF level 4 qualification Fitter and Turner

or

National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics

or

National Diploma in Electrical Engineering subject to RPL

Eligibility criteria:

South African Citizen or Permanent Resident

• No criminal record
• Physically fit (Full medical would need to be undertaken before commencing)
• No fear of heights or confined spaces

Written by Aphiwe Boyce