The Vice-Chancellor’s Prestigious Achiever Award will be helping 10 academically gifted students to fund their post-graduate studies.

Valued at R1 million for the current cohort, the fund identifies students who have achieved excellent results throughout their academic studies and can make a contribution to society by completing their Masters and/or Doctoral studies.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Chris Nhlapo says the award is a way of grooming the next generation of professors and ensures that Dean and Vice-Chancellor medallists remain connected to CPUT and come back to complete their Masters and Doctorates with the institution.

In 2019 one student was selected for the honour but a year later the pool of recipients has increased to 10, with students studying a variety of course options including Food Technology, Public Relations and Mechanical Engineering.

The Mauerberger Foundation Fund, which is a key sponsor to the award, was represented at the certificate ceremony by Advocate Dianna Yach.

She complimented the institution on making a real-world difference to positively transform society through technology.

“The recipients have a real desire to solve local and African problems in emerging economies and to do so in a way which is scalable. This is where CPUT makes the difference,” she said.

Prof Nhlapo called the recipients the cream of the CPUT crop and encouraged them to keep up the good work.

“You have been chosen because you represent the best of what CPUT has to offer, you have displayed the graduate attributes of resilience, superior problem-solving abilities and most importantly ethical capabilities. You already have the recipe for success,” he said.

PR Masters student Sivenathi Jayiya, who lives in Delft, thanked the award panel for seeing the best in her and believing in her capabilities.

The award will cover her existing student debt and finance the logistical cost of completing her Masters like transport, interviews and editing.

“Thank you to the panel for listening to my story and seeing something in me that I didn’t see in myself. Thank you also to the VC for giving children from disadvantaged communities the opportunity to study in peace and without worry,” she said. 

Written by Lauren Kansley
Tel: +27 21 953 8646
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Liaises with the media and writes press releases about interesting developments at CPUT.

The Vice-Chancellor’s Prestigious Achiever Award was recently launched and has already identified its first recipient. The annual award will be bestowed on deserving students who have shown academic excellence and embody the CPUT graduate attributes.

Vice-Chancellor Dr Chris Nhlapo says the purpose of the award is to financially aid CPUT students who have achieved excellent results throughout their academic studies and can make a contribution to society by completing their Masters and/or Doctoral studies.
“This award is not a replication of existing interventions. Rather it is a way of ensuring that Dean and Vice-Chancellor medallists remain connected to CPUT and come back to complete their Masters and Doctorates with us, later becoming professors,” says Nhlapo.

The first recipient of the award is Mechanical Engineering Doctoral candidate Zamavangeli Mdletshe whose research topic is developing and testing a renewable energy-based thermal desalination system. Zamavangeli was identified by her supervisor Dr Velaphi Msomi who encouraged her and her mother to allow the talented student to continue on to Masters and later her doctoral studies.

“She wanted to go to work and was so shocked when I asked her to consider doing her Masters. She received funding from the NRF and started in 2016 and within 14 months she was completed and graduated with Cum Laude,” he says.
“At her graduation, I asked her mother to give her another three years to complete her doctoral degree and she agreed.”

Unfortunately the previous funding opportunity was no longer on offer and Zamavangeli was in danger of dropping out until Msomi responded to a staff email about the Vice-Chancellor’s Prestigious Achievers Award.
“I wrote to the VC and I was so shocked when he wrote back to me almost immediately. We discussed Zamavangeli and her situation,” says Msomi.

The event was also attended by former VC and Dean Medallists and their loved ones. 

Former VC Medallist Anthony Ezeonwuka thanked Nhlapo and CPUT for investing in talented students.
“More financial support can make things easier, it would motivate more students to be like Zamavangeli and be the best they can be,” he says.

Click the following link to apply now -http://www.cput.ac.za/…/le…/vc/vice-chancellors-bursury-fund

Written by Lauren Kansley
Tel: +27 21 953 8646
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.