CPUT’s first December Graduation kicked off today with the capping of Faculty of Informatics and Design students in the Major Sports Hall on Bellville campus.

In total some 5 220 graduands from six faculties will be capped at 12 ceremonies, which will include the conferring of 49 Masters and 10 Doctoral degrees over four days.

“Graduation is a major highlight of the academic year and we are very pleased to end off this rather challenging year with such a big celebration of our students’ achievements and our institution,” says Acting Vice-Chancellor Dr Chris Nhlapo.

Nhlapo will be present at all 12 ceremonies, some of which will be presided over by CPUT’s new Chancellor Thandi Modise.

He looks forward to sharing in the joy of the graduands and their families. “I am greatly honoured to witness our students reaching the pinnacle of their academic journeys so far. It is indeed a great cause for celebration and I feel really privileged to have a front-row seat,” Nhlapo adds.

The Faculties of Business and Management Sciences, Informatics and Design as well as Education will award Dean’s Medals to their outstanding students.

There will be three ceremonies per day at 09:00, 14:00 and 19:00 and all ceremonies will take place on Bellville campus.

Each ceremony will be live streamed.

Use the hashtags #WeAreCPUT and #CPUTsummerGrad2017 when posting memories on social media.

Written by Abigail Calata

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.  

Written by Kwanele Butana
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Joel Dikgole, Chief Executive Officer of the Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training Authority, told graduates from the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences that doing good in society makes one feel better.

Dikgole was a guest speaker at last evening’s graduation ceremony where about 500 students were awarded diplomas and degrees.

He added that in order for the graduates to move forward and be happy they need to give back to their communities.

“Be part of something and don’t stand for yourself alone,” he said.

He said that graduates should figure out what their calling in life is and do something about it as nobody can tell them what it is.

“Your real job is to find out the reason why you are here today and do something about it,” he said.

He commended the graduates for taking the opportunity in life to absorb knowledge and expressing their eagerness to move to the next level of knowledge.

He added that the partnership between CPUT and his SETA, which saw the establishment of the only W&R SETA Research Chair in South Africa, will produce graduates who meet the sector’s demographical profile and its need for skills.

“There’s a need for universities to have partnerships with SETAs to ensure that students are empowered with skills needed in that sector,” he said.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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The Faculty of Business and Management Sciences (FBMS) recently launched the HoD (Head of Department) Capacitation Programme, which is designed to assist HODs to manage and lead, to feel empowered and confident to execute their role.

The event was held at Granger Bay Campus. Prof Renitha Rampersad, Assistant Dean: Research & Innovation, provided the opening and the welcoming of guests. Acting Manager: Strategic Initiatives and Projects Andiswa Mrasi and Black Ops Inc. team founder, Sven Wolf, an Alumni of CPUT, Wolf presented the project’s overview. Wolf and Mandy Jones, HOD: Marketing presented the introduction of module 1, then the User trial (HoDs) which was followed by engagements.

Mrasi said: “As a leader and manager in a particular discipline, the head of department is expected to be actively involved with the management, planning, lecturing and research within the department, as well as ensuring that the mission and the strategic objectives of the University are manifested in set objectives executed at a Departmental level.

“The Head of Department plays a vital role in the University leadership, simultaneously having to understand and shape the "big picture" (vision, goals and direction) of the institution while also giving meticulous attention to the details of running a department.”

Mrasi, who is also the leader of the programme, hailed the feedback that they received from all the HoDs who attended the “successful” launch.

The objectives of the programme are:

• Capacitate newly appointed HoDs.
• Can be used as a refresher course by existing HoD.
• Most of the modules are presented by experienced HoDs in the Faculty. This is aimed at ensuring knowledge transfer and retention.
• Contribute to positioning the university as an employer of choice.
• Integrate performance development as a leverage to developing and growing staff.

“We have reached a very important milestone, one that speaks to Focus Area 4 of the Vision 2030 and that is Smart Human Capital. With this programme, our intent is clear as the faculty, we want to ensure that every academic department head is well equipped. Afterall, to achieve our bold objectives, we heavily rely on these very academic departments,” Mrasi continued.

“We wish to thank most sincerely Black Ops Inc. team lead by Mr Sven Wolf for their technical expertise and meeting our demands.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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As the country celebrated Heritage Month, the Business and Information Administration Department in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences collaborated with the District Six Museum (D6M), and engaged all second-year Diversity Management students and International exchange students in workshops re-imagining and exploring the past at the Homecoming Centre in Cape Town.

Mandie Richards, senior lecturer and subject co-ordinator, advised that although the workshop focused on forced removals in District Six, forced removals were not synonymous to District Six, as the Group Areas Act passed on 27 April 1950 by the apartheid government was responsible for the separation and segregation of people into residential areas based on their race, which in itself was a social construct, throughout South Africa.

Mandy Sanger, the Education Manager at the D6M, engaged students in active conversations about colonialism, white privilege, culture, identity, language, restitution and human dignity.

Teams of students participated in role play and enacted scenarios on stage in the Avalon Theatre, which was previously known as the Fugard Theatre, and possible future stars were born, as the student audience applauded a few dramatic performances highlighting the suffering experienced by people in South Africa.

As the past influences the present and often shapes the future, District Six ex-residents accompanied students on guided tours to sites in District Six and shared their stories. Jasmina Salie, an ex-resident and author, shared the pain she and her family endured when they were forcibly removed from District Six to Hanover Park, where she still resides.

Second-year student Zena Julie shared the story of her grandmother’s forced removal from Newlands and finally settling in Mitchells Plain, and added that the workshop provided her with a greater understanding of the past and the impact of apartheid.

Richards was joined at the workshops by Fidelis Chu, the subject lecturer on the Wellington Campus, who shared his insights on the importance of history and how it shapes students’ understanding of the present. Students engaged in further conversation over lunch which was held on the rooftop garden overlooking the City Hall and Table Mountain.

Richards further stated that to enhance the understanding of students, the conversations at the workshops were integrated into the Diversity Management curriculum. Students had to identify a challenge in their community and explore ways as to how they would make a difference in communities by sharing their knowledge and skills or creating awareness thereby empowering communities.

“The workshop concluded with teams presenting their project plans which included homework clubs in communities, volunteering their services as tutors, neighbourhood watch to ensure the safety of the community, to creating awareness about gangsterism, teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence and feedback was provided to each team,” added Richards.

Richards advised that the future of the country was in the hands of the youth, and that this required that they be part of the narrative and that their voices and contributions be valued. The challenges raised by the teams and solutions as to how they would address them in their communities, provided her with hope that “this cohort of students will be global citizens and agents of change”.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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Two CPUT academics were among the presenters at the International Conference on Innovation in Basic – Higher Education.

Zinzi Magoda, a lecturer in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, and the Faculty of Education’s Assoc Prof Zayd Waghid, presented their work at the conference, which was held earlier this month in Istanbul, Turkey.

Magoda’s presentation was titled: The effect of using business experiments as a teaching strategy for effective student learning: A case of entrepreneurship students at a University of Technology.

Her areas of expertise in research include social entrepreneurship, social media marketing, consumer behaviour studies, marketing, growth, and development of Small Medium Micro Enterprises and female entrepreneurship.

She is pursuing a DPhil in Business Management and holds a National Research Foundation grant (NRF). Magoda was recently awarded a Black Academics Advancement Programme (BAAP) grant.

She said the conference's focus on innovations in basic and higher education was “a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the most recent advancements and cutting-edge research in these fields as well as to exchange best practices in teaching and learning, leadership and administration, and research collaborations”.

She thanked CPUT and the NRF for the opportunity.

Waghid’s presentation was titled: Exploring South African university educators’ pedagogical practices concerning Global Citizenship Education.

“In response to the current pandemic, I investigate the philosophical underpinnings guiding university educators' pedagogical practices at a South African university. I use a soft versus critical Global Citizenship Education framework as a conceptual lens to investigate the extent to which university educators' pedagogical practices supported by educational technology can be reconsidered in order to achieve some of the goals of critical Global Citizenship Education in cultivating social justice,” said Waghid.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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Prof Paul Green, Dean: Faculty of Business and Management Sciences raves about the students who developed an app to help in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) and achieved a second place in League 4 in the 2022 Enactus South Africa Competition held at Sandton Convention Centre.

The Enactus competition is an annual inter-university event among the 26 universities in South Africa (SA) where the ultimate winner goes on to represent South Africa against all other countries in the world at the global finals in the USA. Green said Enactus is an international non-profit organisation based in Springfield, Missouri. He says it is an international social entrepreneurship project presentation competition for university students, initially named Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE).

“The aim is to get students excited about community engagement, socio-economic upliftment, and free market economy and to immerse them in the role of entrepreneurs and companies within the market economy. These are all aligned with the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he said.”

Team CPUT competed in the fourth league (there are four leagues, and the University competes in the league drawn) as a semi-finalist and team CPUT won the second prize trophy for their community-based project named “4All” an App developed in addressing GBV, especially in the low economic area of Elsies River as a pilot project. “This in itself is a huge feat for team CPUT, gauging from the limited time and resources that were available to the team for its preparation for the competition,” Green enthuses.

He adds: “The students’ project is topical in today’s socio-economic ills we witness in our society. It brings 21st century skills and the CPUT Graduate Attributes from the classroom into practice within our communities.”

The team members are Mpho Serepo, a second-year student: Diploma in Accountancy, Vivian Boyce, second-year student in Construction Management, Tshifhiwa Mudau, third-year in Bachelor of Health Sciences in Medical Laboratory Science, Thabo Ntshabele, in-service trainee in Electrical Engineering, Zuma Noluthando, third-year, Chemical engineering, Walusungu Kaira, Master’s student in Chemical Engineering, Sabelo Mashinini, third-year in Industrial Engineering, Tanyaradzwa Hove, Bachelor of Technology Honours in Electrical Engineerin and Akhani Sopangisa second-year, Civil Engineering.

Mpho, the project leader, says: “I am very happy about the achievement and I also feel the need for CPUT to invest in such an organisation that will not only change the students’ lives but the lives of the country, or maybe the world at large.” She said their project is called 4All because it caters for everyone regardless of their class, race, sexuality and age, “also because it’s designed to help combat every type of violence (mental, physical, sexual)”.

“The aim of the project is to help in combating GBV.”

This project is an App that has a panic button that alerts the listed next of kin, community volunteers, police, and ambulance in case of emergency. It also has the social feature that allows the user to talk to the social worker or a psychologist. “It has the legal feature where one can get advice from a lawyer and also be guided on the necessary steps to open a case, news feed page, where the user will get updates about the GBV statistics in their surrounding area. Anything recorded on the app will be used as an electronic police statement. “This an App that will assist the SAPS in case of dockets theft ...”

Mpho added that it took hard work, dedication, discipline, and a few sleepless nights for them to achieve their feat.

“4All is an App developed in addressing GBV, through the enthusiasm of Team CPUT in their quest to address socio-ills in their communities, and their task was tackled with benevolence. The App addresses real societal challenges in the now, it’s relevant. GBV is a real serious problem, we need to celebrate women and children day every day and not only once a year, that is inclusive with the LGBT+, but it is also paramount to me, that is a serious scourge in need of remedial action, indeed a serious topic for the CPUT community at large,” Green added.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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Matric learners and other individuals eager to kick-start their careers and unlock their future can now apply to study at CPUT in 2022. 

Whether you wish to be a paralegal, clothing designer, civil engineer, journalist, or nurse, the institution has you covered with numerous career-focused courses to choose from. The university has six faculties offering 235 undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the fields of Applied Sciences, Business and Management Sciences, Education, Engineering and the Built Environment, Informatics and Design, as well as Health and Wellness Sciences.

The 2022 application process is open from today, 28 May 2021, for all intake application categories and for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

The admission requirements for the 2021 Grade 12 learners will be based on their final Grade 11 marks only, together with any additional programme specific requirements (where applicable). Final acceptance to the programme will still be based on the final Grade 12 results.

Admissions and Registrations Centre Manager, Sonja Swanich advised applicants to avoid submitting their applications unless they are 100 percent certain that they meet the entrance requirements (validate against 2022 prospectus), and that they have obtained all the necessary supporting documentation as outlined on the CPUT website.

“Always submit your first choice as your first career choice, followed by your second and third career choices. Always submit your online application together with required documentation,” Swanich said.

She urged the prospective students to first read all the relevant application-related information as outlined in each step.  “Once you are certain of which programmes you are interested in applying for...first check for any programme specific requirements as outlined.”  

• The applicants can go to https://www.cput.ac.za/study/apply/step-4-online-application
• Get the documents ready and submit them together with the application.
• Read the online step-by-step application guides obtainable from the CPUT website
• Submit your application as soon as possible and avoid last-minute submissions.  The demand for access to CPUT is higher in comparison with the number of applications allowed into the programmes (as controlled by the enrolment targets)

Please visit the CPUT website for further details and closing dates: https://www.cput.ac.za/study/apply/step-4-online-application

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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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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A determined graduate has overcome a mobility disability and other challenges to obtain his BTech: Public Management degree.

Andile Magqabi was capped on Wednesday during the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences’ graduation ceremony.

He is wheelchair-bound and became paralysed after surviving a shooting incident in Gugulethu in December 2015. He completed his diploma at CPUT in 2016 and says that’s when things changed completely.

Accessing facilities on campus was a challenge as some lecture rooms were not accessible by wheelchair.

“Nonetheless, there were friends and classmates who were willing to assist me,” adds the Alice-born graduate. “The lecturers were understanding and gave me additional time to complete assessments.”

He says his lecturers were very supportive of his academic development and general welfare. “They would give me time off to see doctors and email me lecture notes when I missed class.”

He also thanks the Disability Unit for assisting differently abled students by listening and attending to their concerns.

“CPUT taught me self-discipline, respect and meaning to the axiom that whatever you’re going through in life you’re not alone,” recalls the Sandenberg Residence’s senior student.

“I went to church for the first time here at CPUT and learnt that God is able and willing and that where there’s a will there’s a way.”

He thanks his parents and friends as well his lecturers Altee Whittaker and Dr Stan Cronje, who is a pillar of strength in Andile’s life and a parent not only to him but to the rest of the students.

He says differently abled students fear going to school because of the pressure to perform from able-bodied students and more can be done to make facilities accessible to wheelchair bound and visually-impaired students.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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The Wholesale & Retail Sector Education and Training Authority (W&RSETA) has awarded bursaries to the tune of R42 million to CPUT students who excel academically. 

This year the SETA awarded 160 new bursaries to successful applicants in addition to more than 300 students who they have been funding since last year. This amounted to a life-changing R42 million.

The students, who are in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, applied for funding earlier this year directly to the Seta via their website.

During a bursary contract signing session held recently on the District Six campus, the Seta gave students backpacks and stationery in preparation for the upcoming exams.

CPUT and the W&R SETA have a strong partnership since the latter has been awarding bursaries to our students over the past four years.

“We highly appreciate partnering with the SETA. They have been funding both undergraduate and postgraduate bursaries as well as the Wholesale & Retail Leadership Research Chair. The postgraduate bursaries are assisting developing future academics,” said Prof Paul Green, Dean of Business and Management Sciences.

“Some of these students are graduating in December and this makes us proud as an institution to see students realise their potential.”

Written by Kwanele Butana
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Growth in tourism the world over outperforms other sectors when it comes to job creation, says national Minister of Tourism Derek Hanekom.

Addressing a networking event attended by subscribers of the Progressive Business Forum and Cape Town Hotel School students and staffers, Hanekom said the tourism sector currently employs more workers than the mining sector.

He discussed the following pillars of tourism for a successful business:

•  Do not only have the right tourism product to sell but also enhance it
•  Enhance the experience of your customers by investing in humans and other resources
• Market your product and promote travel
• Make it easier for people to come to your country by being friendly, dealing with the country’s VISA regime which prevents would-be tourists to come to the country; and
• Transformation in the sector is urgently needed. “Don’t treat transformation as just a compliance requirement, but because it’s the right thing to do.”

Hanekom said he was honoured to address the school’s postgraduate students who were also in attendance at the event held at the Cape Town Hotel School which is housed in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences.

“Tourism is a very exciting sector,” he told the audience. “The knowledge you gain here can make you an asset. Never stop acquiring more knowledge.”

He challenged them to create jobs when they leave CPUT in order to employ the millions of unemployed people in South Africa.

Dean of Business and Management Sciences Prof Paul Green said the Granger Bay Campus is not only a place of learning, restaurant, conference venue and opportunity for CPUT students to gain experience, but also a destination in its own right.

“We particularly appreciate that the Minister will today engage with our staff and students, impressing upon them a big-picture view of tourism in South Africa. The latest release of Stats SA indicated that the tourism sector directly contributed 2.9% to the South African Gross Domestic Product and that the subsectors of the industry with the most value (R17.6m) was the accommodation sector,” said Green.   

During the event, Hanekom fielded questions from the audience members ranging from where students could take their business ideas to the role of higher education in delivering inclusive growth in the sector. 

Written by Kwanele Butana
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Engagements between CPUT academics and their overseas counterparts provide the space for open creative discussions, emanating innovative ideas that can be operationalised. This led to realising the CPUT’s Smart Internationalisation strategy in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences.

This was said by Prof Paul Green, Dean of Business and Management Sciences, while welcoming a delegation from the Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administracao do Porto in Portugal.

“As a faculty and university at large, we nurture collaborations of this nature as they speak to our new decade Vision 2030, which asserts that ‘The development of a multi-cultural ecosystem characterises an internationalised university to provide an educational experience that prepares our staff and students at all levels, for a global environment’. The realisation of this vision, and in particular our Smart Internationalisation strategy within our Faculty, and where the real work takes place, is in engagements of this nature, which provide the place and space for open, creative discussions, emanating in innovative ideas which can be operationalised,” added Green.

The purpose of this collaboration is primarily to focus on teaching, research, and postgraduate supervision. Some staff members from the Business and Information Administration (BIA) Department travelled to Porto in 2019, and a Memorandum of Understanding was put in place to formalize the partnership in addition to the ICM (E+) (a funded agreement), which was successfully applied for in 2018.

The exchange programme was initiated in 2015, and a good working relationship with Dr Alexandra Albuquerque, the Head of International Relations, was established by CPUT’s Dr Shairn Hollis-Turner.

A mobility agreement was initially signed in 2019, which was set to expire in 2021 but was extended to July 2022 due to the impact of COVID-19 and the subsequent country lockdowns that affected all the travel planned for 2020 and 2021.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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National Research Foundation-rated researcher Dr Nyx Mclean, who specialises in LGBTIAQ+ identities and communities and their use of digital technology to form public and counter-publics to resist the status quo, was recently hosted by the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences (FBMS).  

Speaking at the event, the Dean of the FBMS, Prof Paul Green, said that although South Africa is working towards a society which is free of discrimination, “We also need to be aware of the privilege afforded to certain members of society whilst members of the LGBTIAQ+ community are often marginalised”.  He said: “We need to ensure that we are respectful of an individual's affirmed gender identity, name and pronouns, as knowing and using a person's correct pronouns fosters a culture of inclusion, makes people feel respected and valued, and thus affirms their gender identity.”

Mclean, a Research Associate at Rhodes University, regularly consults on policies that seek to include gender and sexual identity.  They engaged over 180 staff members and students in an inter-active conversation driven by questions posed from the audience and started the conversation by identifying with their pronouns, being “they” and “them” and invited the audience to share their pronouns.

The former CPUT academic said it’s essential to be comfortable with your identity and provided details of organisations that could assist you. They emphasised that gender is not “clear cut and is fluid”. Mclean further stated that often, cisgender people assume that their gender identity is clear-cut and are not aware that there is gender diversity. Using the incorrect pronoun causes hurt, which could be intentional or a lack of understanding.  Mclean also referred to a social media drive creating awareness about gender expression and the normalisation of pronouns.

They responded to a myriad of questions as to how to address people with the correct gender pronoun. Mclean said: “It is safe enough to ask the person, and you might find it uncomfortable, as in our society we are generally taught to unconsciously or consciously categorise people based on what we have learnt”. They informed me that this is referred to as gender attribution. Mclean also emphasised the importance of the tone being one of kindness when enquiring.

Mclean said their worldview is advocated through an intersectional and inclusive lens and ethical university.  Senior Lecturer and Chairperson of the Transformation Forum in the Faculty, Mandie Richards, said academic institutions, organisations and civil society need to work towards a culture of acceptance and respect, which is inclusive of all people.

“Our worldview may often be influenced by a narrative which is uninformed and intolerant of people who have different viewpoints and who do not fit into a box, and so creates a disruption to the status quo with which we are familiar,” said Richards. 

She stated that the institutions must address policy, and academics must reflect and provide an inclusive curriculum that integrates content that reflects the diversity of students and communities in which they live. 

Human Resource Management Department Lecturer Taryn Kroukamp emphasised the need for people to understand that discrimination happens “all around us”.  Kroukamp said: “The freedom we fought for should include our freedom of expression and gender identity terms.” She stated that respect and inclusivity “are key for us to move forward”.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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An academic in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences has penned a chapter in an international book about the value of multilingualism in education.

Sithembele Marawu, the faculty’s Language Co-ordinator, has contributed a chapter in the book, The Multilingual Edge of Education, which was published recently by Palgrave Macmillan.

Marawu says the book emanated from the International Conference on Urban Multilingualism and Education which was held at Ghent University, Belgium in 2013. Subsequent to the conference, he was asked to develop the paper into a book chapter.

“My chapter is about the value of code-switching as a pedagogical resource,” he says. “It’s based on classroom discourse and it analyses the communicative repertoire of a teacher as they interact with learners in both English and IsiXhosa.”

The chapter, under the title “Teaching in two languages: the pedagogical value of code-switching”, emphasizes that the learners’ mother tongue is a pedagogical resource and is in contrast to the dominant view that indigenous languages don’t have a role to play in pedagogy.

“All languages can be used in education,” he argues. “We’re still perpetuating the colonial hegemony which imposed English as the only language of teaching and learning.”
He adds that it feels good to have his paper selected for inclusion in the book which boasts some of the leading scholars in the field of bilingual or multilingual education such as Jim Cummins, Piet van Avermaet and Kathleen Heugh.

“The book is relevant as it says multilingualism is a resource that can be used in classrooms for educational purposes.”
The book can be ordered online and its chapters can also be bought separately.

Marawu has just completed his PhD degree at Rhodes University and will be graduating next month.
He adds that later during the year, he hopes to publish articles based on his doctoral thesis which investigated classroom code-switching as a pedagogical resource in multilingual classroom settings.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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The Faculty of Business and Management Sciences recently hosted a guest lecture by Swedish academic and researcher, Prof Jens Hultman, titled “Building Sustainable Retail in a Technology-driven environment.”

Hultman is a Professor of Marketing at Kristianstad University, Sweden, with over 20 years of experience in research and teaching in retailing and marketing. He is part of the leadership team of the research platform called FOHRK (Food, Health, and Retail at Kristianstad University) and is also involved in various research projects on food retail marketing and format development in the retail sector.

Guests were welcomed by Prof Victor Virimai Mugobo, the Head of the Department of Retail Business Management, who said the guest lecture will be part of an annual guest lecture series and the “first guest lecture that we are going to have with Kristianstad University”. During the guest lecture, Hultman pointed out that sustainability is a tricky topic in retail, adding that there is an array of interpretations of what sustainability really means and what practices are necessary to strive towards sustainability.

Hultman noted the managerial orientation of sustainability over the years has gone from “why should we care, to how can we manage sustainability in the best way?”

He added that the competitiveness of a retailer is heavily associated with sourcing. “Where they buy, what they buy, how they buy will of course influence their sustainability. Retailers also have a major influence on the decisions consumers make. “If they can influence what and how we consume they also have an ability to function as a transformative power in our society, for example nudge consumers to buy less of something or more of something else.”

Hultman explained that new technology and digitalisation have created the need for multichannel capacity in retail. Digitalisation has also created a situation where the physical store is not a necessary component in retail anymore. “Pretty much every one of us is carrying around a mobile telephone. In the new shopping environment, the way that we shop, is hugely different now compared to 15 years ago.”

The day concluded with a question-and-answer session. In addition to the guest lecture, Hultman also presented a workshop for postgraduate students and staff titled “Navigating Postgraduate Research.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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Academic success comes in different forms for everyone, and Summa Cum Laude is one of the highest honours to be bestowed on a student.

The Business and Management Sciences faculty celebrated this success with two students today.

Monwabisi Luthuli is a well-known figure at CPUT since he was once a popular SRC president. Luthuli says that while student politics was thrilling, he wasn’t achieving the academic success he knew he could achieve early on in his studies.

“I was very active as a student leader, and that compromised my academics, but then as I matured, I decided to come back to CPUT and completed my diploma, and passed all my subjects with distinction, and then I continued to the Advanced Diploma and also just passed Summa Cum Laude now,” he says.

“It has been an absolute great pleasure returning to CPUT.”

A fellow Advanced Diploma in Marketing classmate, Nkaiseng Mokhele, also received the top honour. She says she has always been a good student and achieved excellent marks because she listened to lecturers.

“Dedication, focusing and doing what the lecturers tell you to do has been my recipe for success. The pandemic was tough for me because I lost loved ones during this time, but I told myself that my goal is to graduate.”

To pass Summa Cum Laude, a student must pass all their subjects with distinction on the first try.

Luthuli and Mokhele were part of a cohort of 431 students who graduated during the afternoon ceremony at CPUT’s Bellville campus today.

Written by Lauren Kansley

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

The Banking Sector Education and Training Authority (BANKSETA) Chief Executive Officer, Eubert Mashabane, has announced that it will invest R10.3 million towards the Work Integrated learning programme in IT-related qualifications for 2022/3.

Speaking virtually at the CERPIA SAP Skills Development Programme graduation ceremony held at the Auditorium at Bellville campus, Mashabane said: “This investment is to fund about 140 students from this particular institution. The Banking sector remains a pillar of our economic growth, but we are convinced that we could achieve additional growth if we produce more graduates such as the ones who [are] graduating today. We remain committed to producing a pipeline of young people contributing to our economic sector.”

He said that when BANKSETA partnered with CPUT, one of the long-term objectives was to address the country's high unemployment rate challenge. The second objective was to create an environment where learning and education is a partnership of mutual commitment “where we both pursue wisdom, we pursue knowledge, we pursue understanding that the development of expertise and skills are  of paramount importance as well as to embrace appropriate values and values among our youth.”

Addressing the guests, Vice-Chancellor Prof Chris Nhlapo said: “Today, we celebrate your achievements, marking the successful completion of your SAP course. At this graduation, we celebrate the 70 students who have completed the SAP course.   The SAP Course is one of the world's leading software developers for business process management (automation – audit findings). SAP offers a comprehensive portfolio of leading cloud-based ERP [Enterprise resource planning] solutions and tools to meet the needs of businesses…”

Nhlapo said SAP skills are in demand in South Africa and globally – “Glocalised vs Globalised”. “It has been proven that adding SAP courses enhances your competitive advantage and enables you to stand out in a crowd,” he continued.

“Thank you to BANKSETA, and long live our relationship, which started in CPUT in 2013, funding work integrated learning. Indeed, without BANKSETA’s millions of Rands, we wouldn’t be here today celebrating your accomplishments.

“Thank you to BANKSETA, and long live our collaboration and community engagement, which is alive and well (third mission of any university - Strengthening the social ownership of university -social contract/compact).”

Mashabane said: “Congratulations to the  BANKSETA graduates who have made this day a very memorable one for all of us and through whose commitment the BANKSETA and the CPUT partnership has resulted in such an achievement bearing such impressionable results. It’s a great pleasure to join you in this graduation ceremony, at which we acknowledge and celebrate you as our VIPs today. Apart from the joy emanating from this graduation ceremony, we indeed have to emphasise that you are acknowledged as the future drivers of the SA economy, and we recognise you as the leaders of the future.”

Dr Diane Bell from the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences said: “I would like to thank Eubert Mashabane and the BANKSETA for the sponsorship of the CERPIA SAP Skills Development Programme, without whom none of this would have been possible. We appreciate your support and partnering with us to develop the skill sets of our students, which the Fourth Industrial Revolution and future knowledge revolutions demand.”
Student Dewrin Cookson said: “On behalf of the students, I would like to take this moment to thank CPUT, BANKSETA and last but not least, the Advancement Department for providing us with such an amazing opportunity. Not only the funding but also the skills development programmes to help us advance our career aspirations.”  

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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The Faculty of Business and Management Sciences recently resumed face-to-face orientation sessions for first-year students on the District Six Campus.

“The number of students who attended the face-to-face sessions surpassed numbers expected as well as orientation sessions pre-Covid-19, as most departments had approximately 80% of the registered students attending orientation in 2022,” said Mandie Richards, Business Information and Administration (BIA) senior lecturer. Richards added that seeing the piazza abuzz with animated students laughing and chatting was a “heart-warming moment” as students are the life and energy of the institution.  “The enthusiasm and excitement exuded by students to be on campus added to the atmosphere, as students quickly connected with lecturers and their peers and [had] an exciting start to their academic journey.”

Richards said although most departments concluded the orientation sessions on Friday, 25 February, a few departments further engaged first years in face-to-face sessions during the remainder of the first term.

The departments were introduced by Faculty Dean, Prof Paul Green, utilizing a welcome video (hyperlink https://youtu.be/vXroQY20GhE)

The BIA department, as did most departments, invited various speakers from industry, alumni, and service departments to engage with students.  Students were also welcomed from the outset by the BIA student assistants at the entrance of the campus Administration Building and escorted to the orientation venues. Lively discussions with an external organisation, Inclusive and Affirming Ministries (IAM), took place, and issues of gender-based violence (GBV), sexual harassment and students’ rights were discussed. The sessions provided students with contact details of various organisations that will assist and counsel them should students require such help.

“Many questions emanated from the students, and the Faculty will continue these conversations as part of the First Year Experience, as GBV is a mandatory module for first years in the Faculty and integrated into the curriculum,” said Richards.  The Financial Aid Office presented relevant information about NSFAS (write in full), and shared vital information regarding financial issues, that are uppermost on many students’ minds who require financial assistance.  

The Cape  Town Hotel School engaged vendors and suppliers to meet with students at the Granger Bay Campus, and the Campus turned into a mini-expo with tasty treats available for students to purchase and a good introduction to cuisine offered at the Hotel School, which was recently awarded a 4-star rating. 

Students in all departments were given a campus tour to familiarise themselves with the campus. They attended sessions held in the computer laboratories to allow them to log in to their emails, activate their accounts, and gain assistance in navigating Blackboard.  Departments also invited the Disability Unit, Student Counselling Unit, the Library, the HIV/Aids Unit and Fundani Centre for Higher Education Development to engage with students and advise on various support structures at CPUT to assist students.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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CPUT and a range of partners celebrated International Women’s Day with the inauguration of the Think-Tank on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE).

The event, held at the Cape Town Hotel School, was live-streamed to an online audience and received national news coverage.

The theme was: Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Chris Nhlapo opened the event and said the pandemic and its accompanying negative regressive effects must not stop us from continuing to grapple with the issues of gender inclusivity.

“As a university of technology, it is critical that we accelerate women's careers in technology and reinforce authentic leadership in these spaces. Role model visibility in science and technology is critical to attracting more women to this field.”

Honourable Thandi Modise, Minister of Defence and Military Veterans and CPUT Chancellor was the guest speaker.

Modise said that while significant strides had been made to empower women and to promote gender equality, women still bear “a disproportionate burden of the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment”.  

“Our collective efforts to promote women empowerment and gender equality must be intensified. We owe it to the many martyrs who have laid down their lives for an equal and non-sexist society.”

She said the event, held in partnership with UN Women, is “a bold and very strong statement that CPUT remains a progressive leader among its peers on women empowerment and gender equality”.

Ayanda Mvimbi, a programme specialist for UN Women, congratulated CPUT for being a champion university “to accept and launch the think-tank for gender equality and empowerment of women”.

“I want to emphasise the need to involve academia in gender equality and women’s empowerment. The research expertise can bring in much-needed data and evidence-based solutions to accelerate gender equality for a sustainable tomorrow.”

Prof Driekie Hay-Swemmer, Executive Director in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, spoke on the Vice-Chancellor’s Prestigious STEM schools programme and said Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) were all fields still predominantly occupied by males.

Hay-Swemmer said the Vice-Chancellor believed that girls need to be exposed at a young age to the different careers available to them in STEM.  

“We would like to become the hub of STEM education in the Western Province. A beacon of hope and excitement, where the barriers and myths of maths are broken down. We wish to establish a world-class research chair in STEM education doing longitudinal studies, train and upscale educators, and be part of the next generation of scientists within a technology-enabled environment.”

The list of speakers and respondents included: Prof Beatrice Opeolu, Faculty of Applied Sciences; Ella Mangisa, Ilitha Labantu (CPUT partner); Dr Simon Nsengimana, Faculty of Business and Management Sciences; Tshitso Mosolodi, Snake Nation (CPUT partner); Nanga Codana, SRC President; Prof Tembisa Ngqondi: Dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Design; George Mvalo, Chairperson: Universities South Africa  Transformation Managers’ Forum and Nonele Ganyile, SRC Secretary General and a commitment pledge was signed by the various partners.

Nonkosi Tyolwana, Director of the Centre for Diversity, Inclusivity and Social Change, thanked the speakers and organisers.

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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