With Golden Arrow Bus Services celebrating 150 years in the business of transporting passengers across the Peninsula, it has partnered with CPUT to bring education to worthy students who would otherwise be denied the opportunity to study at a tertiary level.

For over five years, the Golden Arrow Foundation, through its holding company Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI) Limited, has helped students with comprehensive annual funding for the duration of their studies at CPUT worth well over R100 000.

In recognition of this continuing effort, the Advancement Department hosted a luncheon earlier in the term to honour the company for the opportunities given to students in industry-related academic disciplines, such as Engineering and Human Resources.

This year, five students ranging from first-years to seniors, were awarded full bursaries to cover their tuition, accommodation, books, travel expenses, and living costs. They all shared the same sentiment of gratitude to the bursars, promising to act with consideration for the rare gift of ‘free education’.

Speaking at the luncheon, Golden Arrow’s Human Resources Director Meko Magida said the bursaries were an ideal means to contribute towards the positive development of the country’s future workforce. “We employ over 2 500 people with a wide spectrum of skills from across the peninsula and countrywide. We therefore felt it fitting to give back to the pool from which we draw our valued human resources. We believe that if you offer holistic support to a student with great potential, you will reap even greater rewards from them as a member of your workforce”, said Magida.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Vuyisa Mazwi-Tanga encouraged the recipients of the bursaries to make full use of the exceptional opportunity, urging them to pay full attention to their academics in order to succeed. Advancement Director Dr Garth van Gensen echoed her sentiments, saying the funding was an invaluable gift to their development, adding that the students should use this opportunity wisely.

Past bursary holder and recent graduate Qaqamba Qauka said the bursary changed her life as a student, allowing her to concentrate fully on her studies and not worry about finances. Qauka is now working in the Human Resources department at Golden Arrow.

Other projects supported by the Golden Arrow Foundation include Adventure Bus Trips, support for the Woodside Sanctuary and various educational and youth leadership programmes. 

By: Thando J. Moiloa

Written by CPUT News
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Thanks to the Mathematics and Physics Department, the Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS) now has a better understanding of their customer’s expectations.

The largest carrier of road passengers in the Cape Town Metropole, GABS enlisted the help of CPUT to conduct a survey that focused on their customer’s experiences and expectations.

The result was a 65-page Customer Satisfaction Survey.

HANDOVER: CPUT’s Dr Chris Nhlapo hands over the Customer Satisfaction Survey to Nic Cronje, CEO of Golden Arrow Bus Services

Head of the Department, John Farmer says they jumped at the opportunity of collaborating with GABS, which allowed them to give students an opportunity to put their skills to practice.

Over a period of several months, students conducted face-to-face interviews with passengers at bus stops in Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha, Killarney, Cape Town and Bellville.   

Students also distributed questionnaires to passengers on busses travelling various routes.

Lecturer Alphonce Bere says the results provide a clear picture of customers’ experiences and expectations as well as a profile of GABS clientele.

The study shows that timelines of buses, fares, the safety with which bus drivers operate buses and courtesy of bus drivers are considered to be the most important things to passengers.

Bere says GABS also received low ratings for availability of buses during weekends and there were concerns around fares and the validity of tickets.  

John Dammert, Corporate Development Manager at GABS commended CPUT staffers and students for their hard work.

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News
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More academically deserving CPUT students are set to benefit from additional bursary funding from the Hosken Consolidated Investments Limited (HCI) Foundation and Golden Arrow Bus Services.

Bursaries to the value of R1, 520 700 have been made available by the HCI Foundation, while Golden Arrow contributed R37 330 in addition to R98 000 which was announced earlier this year.

The contributions are part of a bursary programme partnership between CPUT, Golden Arrow Bus Services and HCI Foundation aimed at making higher education accessible, as well as contributing to the reduction of skills shortage in the country.

The Golden Arrow bursaries cover tuition and accommodation costs, books and travel expenses as well as a living stipend, while the HCI Foundation bursary covers a large portion of registration and tuition fees only.

CPUT Advancement Director Dr Garth van Gensen expressed gratitude for the funding on behalf of CPUT.

""This additional funding from HCI and Golden Arrow will ensure that more of our students achieve their academic goals without worrying about funding for their studies,” he said adding that “we are grateful for the generous support and we look forward to a strengthened partnership.”

Speaking on behalf of the HCI Foundation, bursary programme manager Khaya Jack said the Foundation was committed to supporting and encouraging students at tertiary education level, as well as to assisting them to complete their studies in order to increase the number of youth who are qualified, skilled, and employable.

Jack said the bursary programme had retained its focus on providing financial assistance to academically deserving students from historically marginalised groupings whose families were least able to afford the cost of higher education.

“Our financial contribution to student funding is a direct commitment to an educated society which helps to improve the quality of life of its people,” he said.

By Noloyiso Mchunu

Written by CPUT News
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The lives of five CPUT students were made easier when they were awarded full bursaries to cover their tuition, accommodation, books, travel expenses, as well as a living stipend.

On 22 May 2009, the Hosken Consolidated Investments Limited (HCI) Foundation through Golden Arrow Bus Services handed over bursaries to the value of R98 000 to students they identified as academically deserving.

The bursary programme is part of a new partnership between CPUT and Golden Arrow, which will see more students awarded full bursaries, internships and possible employment on satisfactory completion of their studies.

Speaking at the hand-over ceremony, Golden Arrow Director for Human Resources Meko Magida, said the partnership was one of the means through which the company was addressing the skills shortage in the country.

He said as the programme continues to grow, more students could benefit.

“If you do well, we would like you to join the company”, said Magida.

Dr Mandla Tshabalala of the HCI Foundation said the students had shown talent and should continue to take their studies seriously.

“Grab this opportunity with both hands and run with it,” he said.

Advancement Director Dr Garth van Gensen said the opportunity afforded to the five students was phenomenal and should not be taken lightly. He said the students were not the only beneficiaries of the programme but the entire CPUT community.

Dr van Gensen said the university was excited at the partnership and grateful for the generous contribution.

The students, Keenan Brandt (second-year Mechanical Engineering), Zimbini Makunga (first-year Mechanical Engineering), Qaqamba Qauka (second year Human Resource Management) and Lonwabo Mganisa (1st-year Mechanical Engineering) said they were thrilled and relieved by receiving the bursary.

They said it would be easier for them to focus on their studies without worrying about payment of their fees.

The students said with internship and employment placement taken care of, they had one less thing to worry about when they finished their studies. Christian Roberts, a Mechanical Engineering student, who was unable to attend the handover, was also awarded a bursary.

By Noloyiso Mchunu

Written by CPUT News
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Due to excellent work from the Mathematics and Physics Department, the Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS) understands the needs of their passengers and knows areas where they need to improve their service offerings.

This was revealed by the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Francois Meyer, during the official handover ceremony of the Customer Satisfaction Survey Report for Golden Arrow Bus Services, held at Bellville campus recently.

Vice-Chancellor, Prof Chris Nhlapo, highlighted that Golden Arrow had contracted the Department of Mathematics and Physics five times (2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2022), to conduct a customer satisfaction survey with its customer base. “Handover events for the project's technical report have taken [place] many [five] times in the past! And thanks to Mr John Farmer! – Community Engagement,” Nhlapo remarked.

He stated that the purpose of the ceremony, over the years has been and still is:

• To offer the University an opportunity to recalibrate its social ownership.
• Offers GABS an opportunity to know its customers better and adjust the services accordingly,
• To offer CPUT students an opportunity to train and learn about Research Methodology and Research Ethics (Human Subject - Ethical Clearance).
• It is really about who owns these universities?
• Do they know their communities?
• How do they treat them and relate to them?
• What do they teach them?
• What is the future of these universities?
• Can our universities provide credible solutions to our communities?
• African universities MUST fulfil some of these societal expectations.

Nhlapo enthused: “To say I am happy to be part of today’s handover event, will simply be an understatement, an oversimplification in terms, and not a sincere and fair depiction of the magnitude of this occasion and a complete betrayal of my feelings. CPUT has a standing contract research relationship with Golden Arrow Bus Services going back ten years.”

In his acknowledgement of the report, Meyer said: “This survey has helped to inform many strategic decisions over the last many years. It helped us to serve our passengers as it provides such invaluable performance gage and give us insight into who are our passengers are and what they need from us. The survey is therefore such a handy tool in running a business.”

In his remarks, Prof Joseph Kioko, Dean: Faculty of Applied Sciences, said for the past 10 years or so when “this partnership has run, it has been a wonderful, almost unique, platform for us to work towards the three main pillars of Higher Education: Learning and Teaching, Research and Scholarship, and Community Engagement – our golden triangle”.

Kioko said: “For an enterprise such as Golden Arrow Bus Services or a Metropole such as the City of Cape Town or the Province of the Western Cape, which must necessarily have an eye on a prosperous and sustainable future, this has to do with using data to leverage effective marketing, to build and provide better products and services, to strategise and to design solutions for our customers and our people, and so on. This also applies to universities such as ourselves. And whereas this partnership has sought to advance those goals, when I think about us, as a faculty, the impact of this partnership goes even deeper.”

Acting Head of Department of Mathematics and Physics, Dr Thomas Farrar, provided the presentation of survey results. Dr David Phaho, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships handed over the survey to Ricardo Mackenzie, Western Cape MEC for Mobility and Prof Gilingwe Mayende, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Operations, delivered a vote of thanks.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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