Business Faculty graduates were urged to play a meaningful role in their communities.

Guest Speaker Michael Lawrence, who is the Director of the National Clothing Retail Federation, addressed hundreds of graduates and their supporters, during the first in a week-long series of graduation ceremonies, which kicked off at the Cape Town campus on Monday.

Lawrence says South Africa needs purposeful and passionate individuals, who will make positive contributions to the economy as well as to all other spheres of the country.

“Your lecturers have skilled you and now is the time to act. Become doers,” he says.

SKILLED: Timothy Paul is the oldest student to graduate during Autumn Graduation Week. He is 62 years old and received his National Diploma in Management

He informed graduates that making a difference in communities is what counts in life and not the material possessions they hope to acquire.

One such graduate, who has already made major contributions to his community and hopes to do much more, is Timothy Goosen.

Goosen at the age of 62 received his National Diploma in Management and is the oldest student to graduate this year from CPUT.

Goosen, who plans to study further next year, says he hopes his achievement will inspire others to educate themselves.

“It’s never too late to study,” he says.

The Business Faculty graduation continues in Bellville on Monday evening and in Cape Town on Tuesday morning.

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News

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Graduates at last night’s Business Faculty’s graduation ceremony at the Bellville Campus were encouraged to think like entrepreneurs when they join the labour force.

This advice came from City of Cape Town’s Information Technology (IT) Senior Manager, Rudy Abrahams, who was the guest speaker at the ceremony. Abrahams insisted that the graduates should run their future jobs like profit-making businesses.

“Think how you can improve the internal processes and systems where you work,” he said.

In a moving speech, Abrahams shared personal experiences about his own trials and tribulations including dropping out of the former Pentech twice.

However, through the help of his family and friends he managed to pick himself up, got a job at an IT company and later enrolled for adult learning.

He asked the graduates to remember the role played by their parents and guardians in their quest for academic excellence.

He encouraged graduates to subscribe to a high work ethic and fill themselves with confidence as this is what employers are looking for.

Hundreds of students obtained diplomas and degrees with 16 graduates obtaining their diplomas cum laude.

But the night belonged to Daylene Wendy Onkruid who won a Dean’s Medal for her achievement in Human Resource Management. She achieved distinctions in all 16 subjects with an aggregate of 88% and is now registered for a B-Tech degree in the same course.

By Kwanele Butana

Written by CPUT News

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Representatives of the Business Faculty from three departments attended the 2nd International Business Management Conference held during the fourth quarter. The two-day gathering, which took place at the University of KwaZulu Natal’s Durban Westville Campus, attracted a large number of academics from around the world.

CPUT sent four academics, namely Dr Stan Cronje (Public Management), Peter Veeran (Public Management), Barry Odendaal (Human Resource Management) and Chux Gervase Iwu (Entrepreneurship & Business Management), who presented papers that were well received and debated at the conference.

Making his debut at an international conference, Odendaal asked the question: ‘Is the Employment Equity Act (EEA) still valid?’ in his presentation and argued that the change in the political life of all South Africans had brought about huge challenges to both the employer and the employee. Seen as a threat to some, Odendaal thought that if the Act was correctly implemented, perhaps the country would experience improved comparative competitiveness. His paper further challenged the perceptions of all South Africans and also proposes some solutions to certain areas in which the Act has failed.

Veeran’s paper acknowledged the challenges of globalization on public human resource management policies and procedures in the South African public service. He argued that a need existed for achieving, maintaining and enhancing public service delivery systems as well as implementing cutting-edge human resource management theories and practices for globally competitive human resource management. 

Iwu’s paper dealt with the issue of short supply of and access to both prescribed and recommended textbooks. In his opinion, short supply according refers to the library not acquiring enough support texts, while access refers to the lack of funds by the student to own a prescribed or recommended textbook. His study indicated that given the challenges of short supply of and access to tools of study, universities and colleges will constantly battle with student’s academic challenges like not handing in assignments on time, plagiarizing and defacing library books. These factors together extend the problem of poor pass rates, high dropout rates, and therefore put students at risk, argued Iwu. He then proposed that a used book store will not only provide affordable study materials, but would serve as a project for various departments in universities and colleges.

In his presentation, Dr Cronje was of the opinion that the provision of housing to the poor had always been a contentious issue in public administration and had acquired special significance in the current political environment of service delivery in South Africa. He proposed a strategic management model which he hoped would alleviate the dichotomous relationship that exists between government departments and communities that cry out for better service delivery. He concluded by explaining the implications of the proposed strategic management model within the prism of local government.

Speaking about their experiences of the conference, Odendaal shared that ‘it is important for us to be able to attend industry gatherings, in order to be able to measure the impact of our research outside of the classroom’.

“We were interacting with international colleagues and learning about what’s happening on the other side of the world. It was truly a stimulating discussion”, said Veeran; whilst Iwu expressed that ‘it was great to be able to tap into local resources instead of always having to go abroad’.

“It was amazing to see the support that we as colleagues had fore each other. As the conference showed a different approach, we had an opportunity to get constructive criticism and feedback”, said Dr Cronje.

Edited by: Thando J. Moiloa
Photos by: C.G. Iwu

Note: Peeter Veeran was not available at the time the lead photo was taken.

Written by CPUT News
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A total of 5 788 diplomas and degrees will be awarded to CPUT graduates during the March Graduation Ceremonies.

At these twelve ceremonies, which will be held on both the Cape Town and Bellville campuses, the institution will also award 56 master degrees and ten doctorate degrees.

Six graduates will be awarded Dean’s Medals for outstanding academic performances, while one graduate will receive the prestigious Vice-Chancellor’s Medal, which recognises the top CPUT graduate of the class of 2008.

This year’s graduation commenced on 23 March 2009 at the Cape Town campus and saw graduates from the Business Faculty take to the stage to receive their academic qualifications.

The Business Faculty is the largest faculty at CPUT and five of the twelve ceremonies have been set aside for this faculty.

The remainder of the ceremonies will be used to confer degrees in the Faculty of Education and Social Science, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Health and Wellness and the Faculty of Informatics and Design.

Addressing graduates and their family members at the first graduation ceremony, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic Prof Anthony Staak said during the next few days the institution will celebrate the success of those graduating.

“We are proud of what you have achieved thus far and sincerely hope that we have helped to place you on a trajectory that will lead you to even greater success in the future,” he said.

Prof Staak said the institution’s mission speaks of creating and applying knowledge that will contribute to economic and social development in South Africa .

He said the graduates, who will go on to become alumni of the institution, must also commit to this mission.

“Many of you will go on to occupy influential positions in commerce, in industry and in the public sector. We sincerely hope that you will not forget the communities from which you come,” he said.

Prof Staak urged graduates to use their “special skills and influence to put something back” into their communities and to help contribute to their development.

He also called on graduates to continue to support CPUT and to further their professional development at the institution.

With the rapid pace of technology, graduates will have to update their skills continuously to ensure that they remain leaders in their fields, said Prof Staak.

Prof Staak said CPUT will continue producing graduates who will be able to contribute to the development all sectors in South Africa .

With funding of close to R300 million from the National Education Department, CPUT is set to increase its undergraduate and postgraduate activities in scarce skill areas.

A portion of the funds is also earmarked for infrastructure development, which includes new academic buildings and residences.

Guest speaker at the first graduation ceremony, Dr Ivan Meyer, a senior lecturer in Public Policy and Local Government at Stellenbosch University, said CPUT is living up to its mission of being at “the heart of technology and innovation in South Africa.”

He said CPUT academics, students and graduates are making an impact in various fields in South Africa.

“CPUT is delivering on its mandate of producing a new generation of leaders,” he said.

Dr Meyer urged graduates to do their best in the working world and be ambassadors of CPUT.

Photo: Vice-Chancellor Prof Vuyisa Mazwi-Tanga and Chair of the CPUT Council, Dr Rev Lionel Louw, congratulates Marketing Doctoral graduate Darlington Onojaefe.

By Candes Keating

Published online: 24/03/2009

Written by CPUT News
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The CPUT academic Marketing Department, which falls under the Business Faculty, has received a generous donation of 200 copies of the prescribed textbook eMarketing: the Essential Guide to Online Marketing from a Cape Town-based online marketing agency, Quirk eMarketing.

Quirk eMarketing was established in 1999 by Rob Stokes, a then 20-year-old Business Science graduate from University of Cape Town. With insight beyond his years, Stokes became a pioneer in terms of the advent of the eMarketing (online marketing) discipline.

eMarketing: the Essential Guide to Online Marketing has been prescribed for the second year students as a module in their Marketing II subject.

The process of adding this new and innovative textbook onto the prescribed reading list began when Lyndi Lawson, Assistant Marketing Manager of Quirk eMarketing, contacted Rodney Duffett, Advertising Lecturer in the Marketing Department, late last year.

Lawson expressed that their company wished to donate 200 textbooks (worth R65 000) to the faculty’s second year Marketing students.

The culmination of this initiative took place on 16 February 2009 when Stokes and Lawson, the agency representatives, visited the CPUT Bellville Campus to present the textbooks.

During the handover event, Stokes delivered an inspiring and motivating speech. He also made the students aware of several lucrative internships available at his company.

The textbooks were then distributed to the eager students.

Duffett closed the event by presenting Rob Stokes with an Excellence Award certificate to thank Quirk eMarketing for their valued support and development of Marketing students across the country.

By Thando Moiloa

Photo: Second year Marketing students appear elated after receiving donated textbooks from Quirk eMarketing.

Written by CPUT News
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“I’d like to introduce programmes to encourage and support lecturers, researchers and managers in achieving great outcomes for the Faculty. I also plan to strengthen ties with the other Deans and Unit heads to increase collaboration and cohesion between us.”

Those are the words of Professor Mzikayise Shakespeare Binza, the new Dean of CPUT’s Business Faculty. Formerly Professor of Public Administration at the University of South Africa (UNISA) and past director of the Raymond Mhlaba Institute of Public Administration and Leadership, Prof Binza has also worked as senior lecturer in Public Administration at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU).

“Growing up, I had a dream of helping others; and although my first choice of career was Law, I think landing up in Public Administration has still helped me to realise my vision. I embraced the world of academia and didn’t look back. Challenging as it may be, I want to make a contribution towards research”, says Prof Binza.

Born and raised in the Eastern Cape, Prof Binza holds a PhD in Public Administration in a field of political economy, with specific reference to public-private partnerships and local economic development. His research areas are: politics & economics of Public Administration, leadership for development and governance, public policy, local government and performance auditing.

Having provided research, training, and consultancy services to various South African government ministries and departments and to international embassies, Prof Binza intends to make research and development priorities within the Faculty.

“I think that I can share my experiences from the merged institutions where I’ve worked. I want the Faculty to be respected by the rest of the community because of its integrity and let it resonate an open, developmental character”, he adds.

In October 2010, Prof Binza received an Y2 rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF) in recognition of his research work. He was also in the top twenty researchers at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) for 2006-2008 periods. During 2006 and 2007, Prof. Binza was awarded an Emerging Researcher of the year Awards by NMMU in recognition of his research outputs. Also in 2007, he was awarded a National Research Award as the South African top researcher in the Thuthuka Programme under the National Research Foundation (NRF).

Prof Binza has published a book titled Public-Private Partnership Model: Improving States’ Local Economies and has published 20 papers in international and DOE accredited journals and conference proceedings. He’s also presented nearly 60 scientific papers in international and national conferences and seminars. He serves as a member of the Editorial Boards of the US-China Public Administration Journal, the Administratio Publicans journal and is also a reviewer for NRF research projects.  In addition, he is a member of the Worldwide Forum on Forces and Forms of Change in Doctoral Education. 

In March 2010 he was appointed as Rapporteur by the European Union & CAAST-NET on the EU-Africa Research Collaboration Workshop on the Social Sciences and Humanities.  He also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Raymond Mhlaba Trust Fund; RMTF Investments Pty (Ltd) and St. Francis Hospice.

Having recently relocated from Pretoria, Prof Binza enjoys reading and athletics, and has run in the Comrades Marathon in years prior. He is a devoted father and counts himself as fortunate, being the first member of his family to have obtained a post-graduate degree.

By: Thando J. Moiloa

Written by CPUT News
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Almost R53 000 raised by students in the Business Faculty has been donated to two charity organizations.

Students from the Department of Office Management and Technology’s Business Administration 1 ran a fundraising day at the Cape Town and Wellington campuses as part of their entrepreneurship module.

Some of the profits raised by the Cape Town groups went to Red Cross Children's Trust with a cheque of R40 000.00 handed over to Tara van Schalkwyk, the trust’s Communications Co-ordinator: Events. 

Students also collected donations such as mugs, clothes, stationery and yoyos for Red Cross.

Wellington students handed over their cheque of R12 668.40 to the head of Huis Andrew Murray, Johannes von Wielligh. 

The home has been in existence since 1898, but became a Children's orphanage and a full children's home in 1966. It now cares for 150 children, between the ages of 6 months to 18 years.

HANDOVER: Office Management and Technology students at Wellington Campus hand over a cheque of R12 668.40 to the head of Huis Andrew Murray, Johannes von Wielligh.

The money will assist the home in buying much-needed shoes for the children and the amount needed for 2014 is R18 000

Groups of students from both campuses walked away with prizes for Most Profit and Best Marketing.

All products which were not sold by the groups on the Market Day were donated to Haven Night Shelter and Home of Hope.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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The Business Faculty is set to grow their partnership with the Johnson and Wales University in America.

Established in 2009, the partnership sees sports, tourism and hospitality students from America visit CPUT and interact with lecturers and students in the Sport Management and Hospitality Departments.

TOUR: Students toured the Granger Bay Campus and got an inside look into the training facilities for the Maritime Engineering Programmes

So far the partnership has proved to be a success, says Sport Management lecturer Brendon Knott.

“It is important for our students to a have a broader international context for their studies, especially with sport, tourism and hospitality being subjects that require an understanding of the international world and visitors from other nations,” he says.

However, CPUT is now looking at growing the partnership and exploring opportunities for staff and students to visit the American institution.

Prof Ronald Blum from Johnson and Wales University says they are eager to host CPUT.

Currently, a group of 24 students are in Cape Town and have spent time at the Granger Bay campus.

Prof Blum says their students have benefited from this programme.

 “We can learn from one another,” he says.

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News
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A group of lecturers in the Business Faculty have successfully completed the universally recognised professional SAP certification program, TERP10.

This 10-day training course focuses on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and teaches participants the basic business processes used in a variety of fields such as accounting, procurement and manufacturing.  

The lecturers who have successfully completed the course are now recognised as certified SAP trainers, allowing them to roll-out this much sought-after training programme to CPUT students.

This international qualification will add value to anyone’s CV and will give our students a competitive edge in the marketplace.

A lecturer at the Wellington Campus, Mvemve Mdingi, is excited about exposing students to the course and believes it will prepare them for the demands of the business world.

With the course internationally recognised, Mdingi says students will be marketable in local and global industries.

Auditing and Financial Accounting lecturer, Lindiwe Mabesele, says: "Through the course I have gained valuable insight into complex and integrated systems.  Some concepts can be incorporated into my course to help students better understand effective systems and controls.”

TERP10 coordinator and lecturer, Jerry Ansen, says CPUT is the only university in the world with such a large number of certified SAP trainers.

For more information on the programme contact Jerry Ansen This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Ferdo Maree This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

By Thando J. Moiloa

Written by CPUT News
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CPUT staff members never shy away from doing their bit for the community.

Recently, a group of 30 Business Faculty staff members participated in a community-driven big walk, aimed at raising funds for Red Cross Children’s Hospital and a community library on the Cape Flats.

The event, sponsored by the ‘Sunshine D’ and ‘Polar Ice-cream’ brands saw participants walk 10km along the Seapoint Promenade meeting back at the urban park adjacent to the Cape Town stadium.

Well over R20 000 was raised, which is much needed by the hospital and library.

Head of the faculty’s Strategic Projects and Initiatives, Dr Reedwaan Ismail, who rallied together the staff members, says participating in the event was great fun.

“Our Dean, Prof Binza, requested that I arrange a team-building exercise for our staff and I saw this as a fitting activity that also brings in an element of community engagement,” says Dr Ismail.

Thirty staff members signed up, with the Faculty funding their entry fees.  Each participant also received a medal for their efforts and a variety of spot prizes were up for grabs. After the walk, the participating staff met up for lunch at the CPUT Hotel School to share their experiences.

“It was certainly a wonderful initiative to participate in an event like this. We will definitely be participating again next year,” says Dr Ismail.

“Next year, we hope to get more staff to sign up and will ask students to assist in manning the water points for walkers.”

He extends heartfelt thanks to the Dean for his support and the Marketing and Communication Department for branded items worn by the staff.

By: Thando J. Moiloa

Written by CPUT News
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Late applications are being accepted for select courses for 2015.

All faculties are accepting late applications for selected courses.

Space for courses in the Business faculty will be announced if they become available.

Applications for international students however is closed and no exceptions will be made.

Click here for a list of the programmes with space available

The closing date for late applications is Friday, 31 October 2014 and the late application fee is R150.

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.