On Thursday 7 December 2017 Judge Hlophe granted the attached agreed order postponing the return day of 7 December 2017 in the matter of CPUT v Ayakha Magxothwa and 5 Others under case number C15789/17 sine die.

The interim relief interdicts and restrains, inter alia, the unlawful conduct on all CPUT campuses, academic sites and residences, remains in place.

Download the court order here.

Thank You,
CPUT Legal Services

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.

A willingness to tackle difficult topics and include creative influences in his lectures have earned a CPUT lecturer a top teaching award.

Siddique Motala, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying, was recently announced as a National Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award winner for 2017 and will formally receive the award at a gala ceremony in November.

The award is made on behalf of the Council of Higher Education (CHE) and the Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of South Africa (Heltasa) and recognises the unique contributions winners make to their classrooms.

Motala was also awarded the CPUT Faculty of Engineering’s Teaching and Learning Award in 2016 and credits his achievements to an interest in exploring more than just quantitative teaching methods.

“In Engineering there can be a split between the hard sciences and the soft, which is the part that would be more interested in aspects like ethics. This could translate into a situation where ethical considerations are simply a box to tick. Ultimately to me a surveyor doing their job ethically is doing their job properly,” he says.

In an effort to encourage his students to explore more creative solutions Motala doesn’t shy away from discussions about race, religion, class and even the Fees Must Fall debate. Additionally creative avenues like history, art and a deliberate focus on Africa makes his students relate to one another in completely innovative ways.

“It is unfortunate that our local students will often be able to point out New York or London but not Benin or other African countries, this has presented an opportunity for foreign African students to take the lead in class,” he says.

Motala, along with two other winners, Drs Mark Marais and Muhammed Nakhooda, will also be recognised at an Institutional Teaching and Learning Awards ceremony event next week.

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.

A R40 000 bursary donation to six Architecture students will not only have an immediate financial impact but also has long term transformation ambitions.

The South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) made the donation and encouraged the Architectural Technology Department to distribute the funds as they saw fit.

Acting Head of the Architectural Technology and Interior Design Department Nikki Jinka says staff debated the most applicable way to split the money and in the end decided to divide it into two R10 000 and four R5 000 awards.

In order to be considered students wrote motivation letters describing their experience of being disadvantaged and were also assessed on their academic performance and financial need.

First year student Marileen Lamprecht, 23, scooped one of the coveted R10 000 prizes after explaining how she changed universities and courses then job shadowed for a year in a boutique Architectural firm near her home, all in her pursuit of being an architect one day.

Jinka says the ongoing transformation agenda of SACAP was the main consideration when assessing the students.

“It is critical that the industry reflects not only more architects of colour but also that more  females are brought on board,” he says.

The other winning students are Lusenathi Ntsabo; Nyiko Makhubela; Siphiwe Mabaso, Raabeah Floris and Jasmine Zwane. 

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.

As a result of protest action at our Cape Town campus this morning a decision has been taken to close only that campus immediately.

We are aware that protesters forced staff and students out of a number of buildings and started fires in the multi-purpose hall.

In the interests of everyone’s safety classes on that campus have been cancelled and staff have been encouraged to work from home for today only. Normal operations will continue tomorrow.

All other campuses should operate as normal today.

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.

Minister of Public Enterprises Lynne Brown paid a visit to CPUT yesterday to explore a number of research innovations and how they can address some of South Africa’s urgent needs.

The event was a prime opportunity for some of the university’s researchers to engage directly with Brown and her top officials from State Owned Enterprises (SOE) like Transnet and Eskom about the technologies being developed at CPUT. The mammoth four-hour engagement was facilitated by the Advancement Department and saw everything from bursary and training opportunities to some of the challenges faced when dealing with SOE’s unpacked and explored.

Brown and her delegation also got a hands-on understanding of the CPUT innovations at a mini showcase featuring the Agrifood Technology Station, French South African Institute of Technology Station in Clothing and Textiles and the Adaptronics Advanced Manufacturing Technology Laboratory. 

Acting Vice-Chancellor Dr Chris Nhlapo says CPUT was ready and willing to fill any gap that SOE’s had identified and was primed to take the country forward with Brown’s ministry.
“CPUT already has signed agreements with many SOE’s and the question we have here is how we continue to grow these partnerships,” he says.

Brown was candid about a number of pressing challenges hampering greater economic growth including renewable energy, port efficiency and less reliance on international companies to do work that locals could be trained for.
“If you don’t have skilled labour, you don’t have an economy that grows. That is when you see the easy option being taken, which is bringing in an international company to do the work,” she says.

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.

Life truly started at the age of 31 for Dellicia De Vos. As a result of a lifetime of judgement and persecution because of her Albinism, the reserved mom-of-two avoided any social setting that may make her anxious.

But after a chat and advice from a good friend De Vos decided to let go of the crippling self-confidence issues which had shadowed her younger years. 

“My experiences were that people would look at you and think you are stupid or disregard you in a social setting. That was the reality I had to live with for my whole life and it wasn’t easy,” she says.

After noticing that little children often shied away from her, De Vos’ good friend suggested that she approach youngsters with a more open and friendly demeanour. The result was immediate and she slowly started replicating the behaviour with adults too.

“Learning to accept myself as I am started when I was 31 years old. I figured there must be a reason that I was born like this and that it’s ok to be the way I am. I decided to stop being so sensitive because the people mocking me were really the ones missing an opportunity to get to know me,” she says.

De Vos was featured in a documentary entitled As We See It: Education and Albinism earlier this year and is keen to do more advocacy work for a younger generation of people living with Albinism.

She is currently completing her Masters in Disability Studies at UCT.

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.

As a child, Dr Barbara Boswell dreamed of being a writer but without the influence of excellent black South African female writers the young girl expected the dream to remain just that - a dream.

Instead after matriculating she pursued the next best career option and studied journalism- eventually graduating from Peninsula Technikon on the eve of democracy in SA in 1994. Boswell returned a few years later to complete her BTech in Journalism while working as a journalist in Cape Town.

Years later it was while she completed a doctorate in Women’s Studies at the University of Maryland in the States that the idea of finally realising her childhood dream of writing a book finally crystallised.

“My PhD led me to the work of some great, but unknown Black South African women writers and discovering them made me believe I could write fiction of my own,” she says.

“I tried my hand at writing fiction while completing my dissertation, and the novel "Grace" is the result. The novel actually helped me complete the arduous project of writing a dissertation because it provided me with spaces of creativity.”

The novel follows the story of Grace, a young girl growing up on the Cape Flats in the 1980s, who’s past comes rushing back after the reappearance of a long-lost friend. As a victim of domestic abuse herself Boswell says the book explores the impact that violence, both personal and political, can have on an individual’s life.    

Boswell currently teaches English Literary Studies at Wits and says her novel is joining a local literary scene that is exploding with exciting talent.
“We are a very creative nation and our literature is flourishing!,” she says.

“When you look at the number of new books coming out, it is apparent that we have found our voice and are continuing to articulate our experiences in beautiful ways. It's an exciting time to be a writer and reader, as we are spoilt with a number of excellent books, both fiction and non-fiction, to choose from.”

Visit http://www.modjajibooks.co.za/titles/grace/ for more information about the book which retails for around R250.

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.

An impoverished community, which used to have a thriving clothing, industry may see a resurgence in the trade thanks to a CPUT intervention.

The Technology Station: Clothing and Textile along with corporate assistance from the National Screen and Digital Supplies company recently trained a group of unemployed young people from Atlantis the art of screen printing.

The 26 individuals were trained over a two day period on how to use every day, cheap materials like a table, wooden board, the sun and a simple squeegee to transform basic items into desirable products like conference bags, branded T-shirts and pillows.

Trainer Patrick Nolan says there is a gap in the screen printing industry because most labourers aren’t properly trained to do the job.

“You have a scenario where someone works his way up into a screen printing job and is trained by co-workers but they pick up bad habits and there is no proper training,” he says.

CPUT’s Shamil Isaacs says the university answered a government call to support small and medium enterprises by stimulating innovation capabilities and entrepreneurial spirit in impoverished communities.

“They can go out and sell these services to business. CPUT will then take it further by providing additional services like putting their prints on actual products thereby adding value and eventually they could earn a living from this,” he says.

“Atlantis still has a few clothing factories and there are many people who used to work in this industry years ago so this, combined with the fact that our local clothing industry is seeing a spike in interest, could see Atlantis become a clothing manufacturing hub again.”

One of the participants, Garth Blaauw, says he envisions the group joining forces to start a small business which could service local Atlantis businesses.

“These businesses and churches are paying other people lots of money for this service so we could do it and earn a living,” he says.  

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.

Today CPUT Acting Vice-Chancellor Dr John Volmink accepted an R8 million donation from Absa Bank toward student funding.

Using a combination of academic performance and financial need CPUT’s Financial Aid office has identified 267 qualifying students and will disburse the funds after a verification process has been completed. Many of the qualifying students either have very limited financial resources or fall within the “missing middle” category of students whose parents or guardians can only afford to pay a portion of the required university fees.

Volmink says the donation does not just affect the lucky students but their extended families as well.
“You must take the students you are helping then multiply it by thousands because you are creating thousands of opportunities and in fact you will never really be able to calculate the true cost because what Absa is doing is helping to break the cycle of poverty,” he says.   
“CPUT attracts rural, economically challenged students who are bright. These students desire the same things that other more affluent students want but what they need most is support both emotionally and financially. That is what you are doing here today.”

The donation forms part of Barclays Africa Group’s 2017 CEO Scholarship Fund which aims to disburse R210 million which will impact around 3 000 university students across the continent. Absa Africa Head of Citizenship Sazini Mojapelo says The CEO Scholarship Fund grew exponentially since its inception in 2016 when it was only expected to affect around 200 students.
“When we saw the Fees Must Fall movement we realised that as a large corporate it was important to answer the call to action. We increased the scholarship programme from 200 to 2000 students and this year we expanded it to 3000 across the continent,” she says.

In 2017 the fund expanded to include the peer to peer mentoring programme Elevate Education which, through a series of workshops, equips students with the skills to not only survive university but to thrive too.

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.

A recent study into the nutritional benefits of snoek has proven what Capetonians have always known – that the fish not only tastes great but is good for you too. 

Compared to its expensive counterparts like salmon, trout and cod, snoek is often perceived as a low value fish, which is generally preferred by people in coastal areas close to where it is caught.

Now, thanks to a study by Suné Henning from CPUT’s Food Technology Unit and Stellenbosch University’s Prof Louw Hoffman, the humble snoek is being recognised for its considerable nutritional benefits.

The study concluded that snoek is a healthy, relatively cheap high protein, low fat food source that is high in ‘good’ omega 3 fatty acids.

The study will continue the research into other South African marine fish species like sardines, hake and catfish and will continue into three different cooking methods as well- microwaving, oven baking and steaming.

Henning says the study found that there isn’t a huge nutritional difference between a fresh and frozen snoek but admits that fresh fish will always taste better.

“If a fish is frozen for an extended period then the fat deposits break down and the texture will change so it is better not to freeze fish for too long,” she says.

The snoek study has received extensive media coverage with further findings eagerly anticipated.

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.

A chance encounter on a train has seen a Disability Unit staff member being featured in a documentary focusing on the challenges of people with Albinism.

As We See It: Education and Albinism was produced by the Human Rights Media Centre and attempts to shed light on the realities of living with albinism through the experiences of four individuals.

Dellicia De Vos is a familiar face at CPUT’s Cape Town campus where she works as an Administrator in the Disability Unit. For years De Vos has been helping students with disabilities acclimatise to university life and introducing them to the adaptive study aids like magnifiers and recorders which will assist their studies.  

De Vos was on a train one Saturday in 2016 when a women approached her about participating in a documentary on Albinism and the associated challenges.

“I told her that if she had asked me a few years previously I would have removed myself from the situation but over time I have learned to accept myself as I am. As my confidence increased I also felt the need to start being more vocal about the challenges people with Albinism face,” she says. 

In the 31 minute documentary De Vos recalls travelling from Namibia to Cape Town as a five year old to attend the Athlone School for the Blind, where she remained for her entire schooling career. The wife and mother of two is now pursuing a Master’s degree in Disability Studies at UCT.

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.

As the world recognises Global Wind Day today a very special occasion linked to the potential of wind power will be taking place at CPUT.

The South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (SARETEC) and Nordex Acciona Wind Power will be hosting its first Graduation Ceremony of Wind Turbine Service Technician Programme. The Wind Turbine Service Technician is a formal qualification for technicians that is recognised by SAQA (South African Qualification Authority) at NQF Level 5.

Since January 2015, SARETEC has rapidly established its reputation as a world-class renewable energy training facility. Having been set up to meet the needs of SA's fledgling renewable power industry and the possibilities it holds to reshape our energy systems, decarbonise our economy and boost jobs and growth.

Most of the 18 Wind Turbine Service Technician graduates are currently employed in the wind industry and the qualification will open the door to international work placements.

The graduation takes place at the state-of-the-art SARETEC building.

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.

A generous R7.2 million bursary allocation from the Energy and Water Sector Training Authority (EWSETA) will improve the academic lives of 123 CPUT students.

The students, who are studying Environmental Health, Civil Engineering and Electrical Engineering, were notified of the good news at a recent cheque handover attended by the CEO of the EWSETA Errol Gradwell and CPUT’s Advancement Director Calvin Maseko.

The multi-million rand bursaries were awarded to academically achieving students and will cover books, tuition, accommodation and fees.

Gradwell told the lucky recipients that the qualifying criteria was stiff so the group of 123 represent the best of what CPUT has to offer.

“You made it because of your performance and the assumption is that because you take your studies seriously you also take life seriously,” he says.

Gradwell says South Africa’s need to occasionally import scarce skill talent from other countries was unnecessary because the country is flooded with young, vibrant unemployed youth who, with the right training, should outclass its international opponents.

Maseko says the EWSETA first funded a group of 45 students in 2015 and that cohort is scheduled to graduate next year.

“We hope that you will also come back in two years’ time to celebrate with us as these students graduate,” he told Gradwell.

The EWSETA plays a crucial function in ensuring that the National Skills and Development Strategy is executed within the energy and water sectors.

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.

Students from across CPUT’s six faculties will soon be learning in the state-of-the-art 4D immersive theatre environment of the new look Iziko Planetarium.

Six months ago the Iziko Planetarium closed to the public for an urgently needed R28.5 million refurbishment, which included replacing the 30-year-old Minolta projector with a Digital Dome.

CPUT along with other academic partners UCT and UWC financially supported the project after recognising the potential of having advanced digital visualisation technology on their doorstep in Cape Town.

The potential of the Digital Dome extends to the in-depth study of animation, chemical structures, human anatomy and the depths of the ocean to name a few.

The Digital Dome will also spark learner interest in sciences and optimise South Africa’s eResearch and data visualisation capacity.

Dr Chris Nhlapo, Deputy-Vice Chancellor: Research, Technology Innovation & Partnerships, says the Iziko Planetarium project shows the potential of regional collaboration.

“Collaboration is not about competition. It means working together for the common good. The launch of this project is the realisation of a dream, lots of hard work and the ability to forge alliances between and amongst universities in order to provide our researchers and students with an opportunity to experience what could only have been a dream before.  With this technology we are enabling our researchers to experience what has, this far, been out of reach. It creates new experiences and new knowledge without which we cannot build our future,” he says.

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 annual CPUT Open Day attracted thousands of prospective students and their parents to the Bellville campus this weekend.

With over 70 courses on display learners were spoilt for choice when deciding what career they would like to follow.

Apart from interacting directly with the learners and lecturers in chosen courses, students could also visit the laboratories and facilities of a variety of courses and get a first-hand experience of what to expect.

For the first time free online applications are now open for learners who have never applied to CPUT before. Manual applications, which can be posted or processed at our campus administration will cost R100, visit http://www.cput.ac.za/study/apply for more information.

Open Day is the largest marketing event at CPUT but prospective students can still contact departments directly for more information or call the CPUT call centre at 021 959 6069.

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

This first-year Management student looks the picture of health but one glance at his toned stomach reveals the scars of over 25 operations.

Martinique Du Preez was once dubbed the Miracle Boy by surgeons at Groote Schuur Hospital because he beat the odds to receive not one but two kidneys. His miraculous story is even more special because he then went on to earn his place on the South African Transplant Games team and last year broke five SA Transplant records in one day.

Martinique says he astounded even himself when he broke those records at the Transplant National Games. The sporting codes he broke are 100m sprint, 200m sprint, javelin, long jump and ball throw.

“I just went to enjoy myself and as I kept breaking the records I felt that it couldn’t be me doing these things,” he says.

“It was even more surprising because in the past I have struggled to qualify for the team.”

Martinique says the standards for Transplant Athletes are equally stringent to that of regular ones.

“The standards are always high whether you are a transplant or paraplegic athlete. So the athletes you see at these games are the best of the best,” he says.

Martinique was diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure when he was 13 years old. He received his first kidney donation from his mother however that organ was rejected after only six hours.  The likelihood of finding a second suitable donor was slim because of his rare blood type AB+. Then news came that he was a match for a donor kidney from a young man his age who was fatally shot on the Cape Flats.

Martinique is now raising funds to attend the World Transplant Games to be held in Malaga Spain in June. 

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

Applications for one of the most generous student funding opportunities is open and CPUT students are being urged to apply.

The Caro Wiese Award is sponsored by SA business tycoon and CPUT Honorary Doctorate recipient Christo Wiese and his wife Caro.

Worth R70 000 each the Caro Wiese awards are bestowed on two students (one male and one female) who have achieved academic excellence despite extreme personal hardship.

The Caro Wiese Awards are almost one year old and the 2016 recipient was Matthew Benjamin a Sudanese refugee who walked to SA in 2011 and arrived in Cape Town speaking very little English and with only R200 in his pocket. Determined to study he taught himself English using YouTube videos and eventually enrolled for a Masters course in IT. Matthew successfully graduated last year and thanks to the generous award was able to continue his studies. 

Convener of the award Prof Janet Condy says that while the award is partially based on academic excellence the focus is on the applicant’s personal story.

“CPUT students who have achieved excellent results relative to the opportunities they have had, and who have a track record of high achievement despite the most formidable social, physical, or other personal challenges, are eligible,” she says.

Visit http://www.cput.ac.za/study/funding/caro-wiese-award for more information on how to apply.

Applications close on May 19.

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.

Following 21 years of reporting and editing stories for newspapers, journalism alumnus, Gasant Abrader’s debut book tells the stories of South Africans through the eyes of an editor.

Abarder started the book, ‘Hack with a Grenade – An Editor’s Back Stories of SA News’, when he began with a manuscript 10 years ago. Initially, the book was about tabloid journalism. However, after writing a few chapters, his laptop’s hard drive was corrupted. When he recovered the manuscript in 2017, he was motivated to finish the book.

“So the book evolved from being a book about tabloids to a book about South Africans doing extraordinary things but along the lines of injustices, homelessness, faith and religion, unsung sporting heroes. It tells the stories of South Africans through the eyes of newspaper editor and takes you behind the scenes of newsrooms and where hard decisions get made.”

He says the book is interesting to journalists but actually, it’s a book for everybody. “If you want to read about contemporary South Africa, and some of the challenges we face like gentrification, then this is a book that I would urge people to read and buy and support a local author,” he remarks.The retail price differs but it’s around R250,00.

Abarder is donating 10 copies to the Journalism Department, purchased by a donor who prefers to remain anonymous.

The Acting Director, Institutional Advancement at the University of the Western Cape, studied journalism at the then Peninsula Technikon but he didn't complete a few modules in his final year, “which was really silly and short-sighted”. After spending 21 years in the mainstream media – half of which was as editor of newspapers, he is now employed at UWC.

At Salt River High School, it was his Afrikaans teacher, Riedwaan Toyer who sacrificed his Saturday to take Abarder to workshops hosted by Die Burger. “And my Grade 12 English teacher, Mr Nicholas was the first of all of them to suggest journalism as a career.”

Between 1997 and 1998, Abarder worked as an intern at The Star newspaper in Johannesburg.

“My success there made me arrogant and gave me a sense that I didn't need to graduate,” he recalls. Back in Cape Town in 1998, the young Abarder landed freelance shifts at the Cape Times and got a permanent job at Cape Community Newspapers. So he didn't complete his studies, “which a few years later I regretted”.

However, in 2016, a former colleague, CPUT's media liaison officer, Lauren Kansley, encouraged Abarder to enrol via Recognition of Prior Learning to complete his BTech in Journalism.

 “It was the best decision I made. While I was the old man on campus it opened so many doors for me after I graduated Cum Laude in 2017.”

He believes that his journalism skills which he gained from CPUT will assist him in a corporate environment that requires qualifications.  

“I am indebted to Lauren Kansley for her encouragement and to CPUT for the opportunity. The course was stimulating and ventured into new areas of media like modules on fake news, newsroom leadership and the ethics of journalism. I particularly enjoyed the thesis process, which was a research project.”

Reflecting on his achievements, Abarder says: “You have to set yourselves goals and deadlines. Deadlines are important in the world of journalism and also in life. I set myself a deadline to be an editor of a major newspaper by age 35. It happened when I was just 31 - making me the youngest editor of the Cape Argus. I wrote down these goals too - one of them that I would write a book by the age of 40. I missed that deadline by two years but last December, my debut book, 'Hack with a Grenade - An Editor's Back Stories of SA News', was launched. A little bit of ambition is always important too.” 

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

Prof Shirley Zinn is an individual who has experienced incredible career highs and gut-wrenching personal lows, but it was these lows that she encouraged graduates to embrace and learn from.

Zinn, a Harvard graduate and accomplished businesswoman, was the guest speaker at the Faculty of Education graduation ceremony on Tuesday evening and shared a snippet of her own life story which included growing up in a gang-riddled neighbourhood and as an adult losing her only son unexpectedly in a car accident.

“Each one of us has faced our own tragedy and heartache but I am here to say that setbacks and disappointments will come,” she says.

“You have the potential to do far more than what you thought you could. Tonight we celebrate the futures you will create, not only for yourself but also for others.”

Zinn knows exactly what she is talking about since she herself spent many years in a classroom teaching, first at Groenvlei High School then later lecturing at UWC.

She grasped an opportunity to do her Masters at Harvard University in the States and despite immense financial challenges continued on to do her Doctorate at the same Ivy League university.

On her return to South Africa she moved her career into Human Resources and went on to work at many multi-national companies, the corporate banking sector and SARS.    

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.

Building race cars must rank high on the list of dream jobs and one CPUT alumnus is doing just that.

Mechanical Engineering graduate Julien Hardy works as the team manager of Century Racing, a rally car manufacturer that builds cars to compete in world renowned races like the Dakar rally.

This week Hardy returned to his alma mater to encourage a new generation of mechanical engineering students to aim high. Hardy was a guest of CPUT’s Advancement Department and also visited CPUT’s own Adaptronics Advanced Manufacturing Technology Laboratory (AMTL) to see the work that students are doing building race cars which compete at Silverstone in the UK.

Hardy told students that a typical car he builds costs in the region of R4 million and can compete in the Dakar which is considered the longest, hardest race in the world.

“It is daunting and scary but the day you cross the finish line you are already thinking about the next car you want to build,” he says.

“Once upon a time I was also sitting there where you are now wondering how to get here.”

The experienced engineer says he loves his job and puts in incredibly long hours to achieve his level of success.

“There is no better feeling than sitting in a car you just built and driving it out of the workshop. It is exciting but very long hours because you don’t go home until the car is done,” he says.

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.