A fourth-year student’s superb rope-skipping skills earned her a place in the Western Cape Kgati team who recently jumped their way to a silver medal at the National Indigenous Games Tournament.

Tourism Management student and Kgati player Abenathi Ntelezi from Khayelitsha is a keen sport enthusiast who says Kgati requires fitness and flexibility, a variety of styles, coordination, and the ability to sing while jumping – all of which necessitates practice and regular training.

“Kgati, also known as ugqaphu in Xhosa, is a rope-skipping game played by a team of six players (three girls and three boys). Players skip over a rope, two players swing the rope while the others jump and you can jump in singles, doubles, triples or even four players inside the rope. You sing and dance while jumping and all songs must be traditional,” she explained.

“I started playing Kgati at school sports level (juniors), where I was selected to represent the Western Cape Province in Pretoria, Gauteng. In that tournament, we finished in position one – a gold medal, which is how I was identified for the senior team. Since then I have not stopped, and I continue training to today.”

She said this year’s games taught her about unity and celebrating diverse cultures while respecting and tolerating people from various backgrounds.

“To me, the experience was more than just sports; it was an educational experience that reminded me of my cultural roots and instilled a sense of pride in me. While I was there to compete, it was more about preserving age-old traditions and stories, which has also helped me learn and understand the social construct of different cultures and traditions within our country. I am grateful for the opportunity and look forward to next year's national games endeavours, which I will begin preparing for this year.”

The team finished second out of the nine provinces represented, earning a silver medal.

Abenathi was recently selected as a coach for the Western Cape province's u/14 Kgati team, which will compete in the South African School Sports Championships in Pretoria from December 9 to 15.

“This is one code where there’s growth. It is very encouraging to see development and being recognised.,” she said.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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CPUT showcased its diverse research activities on Research Day, held on 28 November 2008.

The event, the first of its kind, celebrated research excellence in order to promote a culture of research at the University. It is envisaged that it will be a regular feature on the CPUT events calendar.

CPUT is rated second among Universities of Technology on the research league tables in respect of research output (after Tshwane University of Technology). It boasts 11 NRF-rated researchers, and invests considerable funding into research activities within faculties and research centres.

Addressing delegates in the Auditorium on the Bellville Campus, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships Dr Chris Nhlapo emphasised the importance of the commercialisation of research, which to date had not been a focus of South African higher institutions. A new CPUT venture would enable researchers to convert their findings into commercial products or services.

“Research should not just end up on library shelves”, said Dr Nhlapo.

CPUT is currently in the process of appointing a Director of Technology Transfer and Innovation, who will oversee the commercialisation process, as well as a Manager of Commercialisation. CPUT has also set up an Innovation Board to evaluate research conducive to commercialisation. This should ensure CPUT’s leadership in technology and innovation in Africa, according to Dr Nhlapo.

Director of Research at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth, Dr Pieter van Breda, applauded CPUT for its research activities, noting that research thrived within a strong research culture and ethos, coupled with an effective research office. He encouraged CPUT academics to focus on relevant research: “(Research) must make the world a better place.” He also emphasised the integration of research with technology and innovation.

Zena Scholtz briefly outlined the importance of women in research at CPUT, focusing on the establishment of the Women in Research Association earlier in 2008. Assoc Prof Liz van Aswegen analysed CPUT subsidy-generating research outputs from 2005 to 2007.

The afternoon programme showcased research within each of CPUT’s six faculties, concluding with a presentation by Mr Mahlubi Mabizela, Director of Higher Education and Development Support at the Department of Education (DoE). In his outline of DoE research funding policy, he noted that many institutions were losing subsidy funding through incorrect or incomplete reporting, especially of conference proceedings.

The day concluded with the presentation of awards to individuals who had demonstrated research excellence, based on work completed between 2005 and 2007.

• The platinum award for industry funding in excess of R1 million went to Assoc Prof Oscar Philander of the Engineering Faculty, who brought in funding in excess of R5 million.
• The platinum award for the most completed Master’s and Doctoral candidates supervised went to Prof André Slabbert of the Business Faculty.
• The platinum award for the highest number of DoE publication subsidy units went to Prof Theo Haupt of the Engineering Faculty.

An exhibition of student and staff research posters was held outside the auditorium. Awards were given to the top three posters in the staff and student categories.

• The prize for best poster in the staff category went to Snyman Ohlhoff of the Department of Tourism Management in the Faculty of Business.
• The prize for best poster in the student category went to Ilse Nadia Frederichs and Maricel Keyser of the Department of Food Technology in the Faculty of Applied Sciences.

Marketing and Communication Department

Photograph: Prof André Slabbert receives the platinum award for the most completed Master’s and Doctoral candidates supervised.

Written by CPUT News
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A former Tourism Management student, who plays for a National First Division soccer team, says Varsity Football played a huge role towards him becoming a professional football player.

Bizana Pondo Chiefs player, Bravo Maseti, played in the CPUT first team which made it to the national finals of the University Sports South Africa (USSA) tournament in 2012 and 2014. In 2014 he was the team captain under coach Phila Mabesi.  

Maseti was born in Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape but grew up in Plettenberg Bay.

He says that Varsity Football afforded him an opportunity to play competitive soccer. “We used to play USSA qualifications with other Varsities in the province. When you qualified for [the] USSA national tournament, you play [in] a national tournament which is more competitive and organised.”

The soccer star adds that playing in the national finals of the tournament is where players have to prove that they belong in a professional set-up as the tournament is very tough.

He says he has vivid memories of when he played in the USSA national finals in 2012 at the University of the Western Cape where the CPUT team managed to qualify for the Varsity Cup.

“And in 2014 when we were coached by Phila Mabesi and I was the captain of the team, we managed to qualify for the USSA nationals which where hosted by the Durban University of Technology. I was also selected for a national team.”

He currently plays for Bizana Pondo Chiefs which at the beginning of the 2020/2021 season was promoted to the GladAfrica Championship, the second tier of South African soccer.

Besides playing soccer, Maseti runs coaching clinics and is studying towards a coaching qualification. He is also a personal trainer.

“It is the talent in me that motivated me to play soccer. A talent that I was given by God and I use it to praise Him.”

He adds that the challenges of playing the sport include being nervous before the commencement of games and stressing over the opponents’ match tactics.

Maseti sees himself coaching a team in the next five years, whether in the GladAfrica Championship or the Premier Soccer League, the topflight of national soccer.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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A fourth-year student’s superb rope-skipping skills earned her a place in the Western Cape Kgati team who recently jumped their way to a silver medal at the National Indigenous Games Tournament.

Tourism Management student and Kgati player Abenathi Ntelezi from Khayelitsha is a keen sport enthusiast who says Kgati requires fitness and flexibility, a variety of styles, coordination, and the ability to sing while jumping – all of which necessitates practice and regular training.

“Kgati, also known as ugqaphu in Xhosa, is a rope-skipping game played by a team of six players (three girls and three boys). Players skip over a rope, two players swing the rope while the others jump and you can jump in singles, doubles, triples or even four players inside the rope. You sing and dance while jumping and all songs must be traditional,” she explained.

“I started playing Kgati at school sports level (juniors), where I was selected to represent the Western Cape Province in Pretoria, Gauteng. In that tournament, we finished in position one – a gold medal, which is how I was identified for the senior team. Since then I have not stopped, and I continue training to today.”

She said this year’s games taught her about unity and celebrating diverse cultures while respecting and tolerating people from various backgrounds.

“To me, the experience was more than just sports; it was an educational experience that reminded me of my cultural roots and instilled a sense of pride in me. While I was there to compete, it was more about preserving age-old traditions and stories, which has also helped me learn and understand the social construct of different cultures and traditions within our country. I am grateful for the opportunity and look forward to next year's national games endeavours, which I will begin preparing for this year.”

The team finished second out of the nine provinces represented, earning a silver medal.

Abenathi was recently selected as a coach for the Western Cape province's u/14 Kgati team, which will compete in the South African School Sports Championships in Pretoria from December 9 to 15.

“This is one code where there’s growth. It is very encouraging to see development and being recognised.,” she said.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Stefani Swart, who was awarded the Dean’s Medal at today’s Faculty of Business and Management Sciences’ graduation ceremony after obtaining her diploma Summa Cum Laude, says her hard work has paid off.

Stefani obtained distinctions in all 18 subjects and achieved an aggregate of 88.67% over the three years of study towards the National Diploma in Tourism Management.

The 21-year-old grew up in Paarl where she obtained her Senior Certificate at La Rochelle Girls High School in 2015.

She says studying very hard and putting a lot of effort in one’s work is all it needed for her to earn her achievement.

While as part of her Work-Integrated Learning she worked for N-Concepts and Design, a Paarl-based wedding and events management company, Stefani will now work as an assistant teacher at W A Joubert Primary School.     

She will also be studying Education: Foundation Phase through distance learning. “I have always wanted to do tourism and then pursue my passion for teaching children.”

Written by Kwanele Butana
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