Academic excellence and determination were at the centre of the recent Vice-Chancellor’s Prestigious Achievers Awards ceremony where the new cohort of recipients were celebrated.

The ceremony, held at the Cape Town Hotel School on the Granger Bay campus, also celebrated the success of four awardees who have graduated.

The awards programme was started in 2018 and is bestowed annually on deserving Master’s and Doctoral students who have shown academic excellence and an embodiment of the CPUT graduate attributes.

The 2022 awardees are:

• Oritonda Muribwathoho (completing a Doctor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering. Her research title is: Development of metal matrix composites suitable for hulls and ship decks.
• Murendeni Nethengwe (completing a Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Sciences) Her research title is: Evaluation of antioxidant potential and mechanism of action of phenolic compounds from South African indigenous plants used in the management of diabetes-related male infertility.
• Shaun Mgoma (completing a Doctor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering). His research title is: Recovery of valuable compounds from agricultural food using green technologies: Process design and Techno-economic analysis.
• Bongisiwe Zozo (completing a Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry). Her research title is: Purification and characterisation of the native black soldier fly larva Protein.
• Mzoxolo Ntabeni (Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering. His research title: The influence of academic and industry-specific project management qualifications on the effectiveness of project managers in the construction industry.

The four recipients who have graduated are:

• Dr Yvonne Maphosa (Doctor of Food Science and Technology)
• Dr Imisioluseyi Akinyede (Doctor of Engineering in Civil Engineering)
• Sivenathi Jayiya (Master of Public Relations Management)
• Sihle Ngxabi (Master of Horticultural Science)

Chairperson of the Awards Committee, Prof Joseph Kioko, said the recipients have the potential to achieve great things.

Kioko said that too often, such excellent potential is extinguished by a lack of funds or resources, resulting in many brilliant, possibly life-changing dreams being deferred, often forever.

“Fortunately, humanity has in itself the ability to provide the spark or the fuel that would keep those lights shining all the way to a brighter future. For a fitting example of what we can all do, one needs to look no further than people and entities like the Mauerberger Foundation Fund and its chairperson, Advocate Diana Yach. The foundation has been generously supporting these awards and has ensured that the spark in many bright minds at CPUT has been kept alive. On behalf of the committee, I’d like to express our deep gratitude to Advocate Yach.”

Recipient Oritonda Muribwathoho said she was immensely thankful for the award, adding that it would mean “less stress” and allow her to focus on her studies.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Chris Nhlapo saluted the recipients and said he hoped that some of the recipients would become professors and vice-chancellors at the institution.

Yach said she was pleased to announce that the amount allocated to CPUT was being increased this year.

She said the awardees had fulfilled the dreams set out when the awards programme was first established.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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Following their visit to the Faculty of Applied Sciences, the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences (HSWT) representatives were impressed by the “outstanding hospitality, friendliness, great enthusiasm and dedication to practice-oriented teaching and research at CPUT”.

The HSWT delegation comprised of Prof Carsten Lorz, Vice President for International Affairs and Diversity at HSWT and a Professor in Forest Soil Science, and Juliane Glovania, Project Coordinator for the African-Bavarian Alliance for Applied Life Sciences.  Dean of Applied Sciences, Prof Joseph Kioko, said the aim of the visit was to explore and establish strategic links between HSWT and CPUT, particularly the Faculty of Applied Sciences.

Kioko said HSWT has programmes which are similar to those offered by Applied Sciences at CPUT, such as Agriculture, Horticulture, Landscape Architecture, Food Technology, Biotechnology Environmental Sciences and Biodiversity Conservation. 

“We hope to establish links to advance research collaboration, academic exchanges, and to leverage best practices. There will also be a particular focus on innovation/entrepreneurship,” said Kioko.

The visit was a great success and culminated with the formulation of the next steps towards a mutually beneficial partnership between the two institutions, observed Kioko.  “As part of the next steps,  HSWT will invite CPUT Faculty members in the area of agriculture and  climate change to a HSWT seminar in March/April 2023 to network with HSWT scholars and other Faculty members from partner universities from South Africa, Senegal, Ethiopia and Tunisia in frame of “African-Bavarian Alliance for Applied Life Sciences". HSWT will cover accommodation, meals, and flights to Germany.

The Dean was also impressed by the keen absolute extent of common areas of interest (for both Teaching & Learning; and Research & Innovation), and the interest to collaborate from both sides, “which was really great to see”.

“I foresee a rich and productive future of collaboration between ourselves and HSWT.”

Reflecting on their experience at CPUT, Lorz said the visit at CPUT was very impressive, with their discussions with the Faculty of Applied Sciences as well as with the Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships, Prof Judy Peter. “We were especially impressed by the professionalism of the laboratories and practical teaching sites of the departments of food technology and horticulture/landscape architecture,” he continued.

“The Faculty’s focus on applied teaching and training in agriculture, food technology, horticulture, nature conservation, environmental management etc makes it an excellent partner for our university. We were very impressed by the high motivation and dedication of all people we met. The Faculty of Applied Sciences has a great team and we are looking forward to our future cooperation.”

Kioko added that the key outcome was that a tangible foundation for collaboration between CPUT and HSWT was laid down, and a plan of action was agreed to.

“Making this collaboration a success will be a key contribution towards our goals of smart internationalisation in line with the aspirations of our One Smart CPUT V2030,” Kioko remarked.

Lorz said they would be happy if they could merge their networks with other African universities to enable mutual learning and experience-sharing when it comes to applied higher education.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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The inaugural Food Security Colloquium served as a platform for meaningful dialogue, signalling CPUT's commitment to addressing food insecurity and fostering a supportive environment for all students.

The event was hosted by the Division of Student Affairs (DSA) and the Centre for Diversity, Inclusivity and Social Change (CDISC) and the theme was: Adopting and Institutional approach to food security.

Dean of Student Affairs, Nonkosi Tyolwana, emphasised the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to tackle the issue of hunger, adding that studies that had been conducted on the topic had few solutions in terms of mitigating the problem.

She said that according to a HEMIS study, more than 60 percent of CPUT students come from indigent families.

There were currently 976 requests from students for food.

She added that the Institutional Transformation Forum, led by Prof Paul Green, had done “pioneer work” and developed the food security concept (immediate and short-term focus).

Mancom approved the concept in 2020 and requested the DSA to lead and coordinate it in collaboration with a number of internal partners.

The Vice-Chancellor constituted the Institutional Food Security Committee, chaired by Prof Joseph Kioko, to ensure that a longer and sustainable approach to address student hunger is institutionalised.

Tyolwana outlined the purpose of the event, which included, among others, gathering information from the CPUT community on solutions to the immediate challenge of food insecurity with immediate, short and long-term solutions; to discuss interventions aimed at reducing food insecurity and to discuss holistic approaches to integrating food security across the university to enhance impact.

Keynote addresses by Green and Kioko highlighted the gravity of food insecurity, not just at CPUT but nationwide. Green highlighted commendable past initiatives such as food gardens and departmental food drives and stressed the need for a formalised approach. He proposed a few strategies for discussion including food banks, voucher programmes and nutritional workshops.

Kioko echoed the sentiment, emphasising the importance of food security in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. He outlined efforts to address food insecurity, including the acquisition of land near the Wellington Campus as well as a tractor and other implements.

“The aim of buying this was to use it for training agriculture students and whatever is produced by those students can go into feeding themselves and other students.”

The event featured panel discussions on students' experiences with food insecurity and current initiatives to alleviate hunger, as well as a plenary discussion focusing on sustainable solutions.

Key takeaways included the need for project streamlining, including a database of initiatives and a need for a forum to provide structure.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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In honour of the commitment, involvement, and leadership contributions of the postgraduate and undergraduate Student Quality Desks (SQDs) within the institutional Quality Management Systems (QMS), the Quality Management Directorate (QMD) recently hosted a Leadership Award dinner at the Cape Town Hotel School.

In his opening address, QMD Director, Dr Siyanda Makaula, emphasised  the significance of involving students in all aspects of institutional QMS, aligning it with the strategic focus on smart student engagement outlined in focus area 7 of the CPUT Vision 2030. Makaula said QMD employs three key approaches: collaborative, participative and reflexive to engage students holistically in the institutional QMS.

He stated that while the SQDs are distinct from the Student Representative Council (SRC), their leadership roles in promoting quality and transformation within their respective faculties deserve acknowledgment.  Makaula emphasised QMD's commitment to “valuing students' voices, creating a foundation for students to be active co-creators of knowledge within the University academic community”.

The SQD representatives graciously shared their experiences and journeys, reflecting on how their perception of “quality” has significantly expanded over time. The Dean: Faculty of Applied Science, Prof Joseph Kioko, commended the QMD for involving students in their activities. Kioko offered encouragement to the SQD members, advising them to appreciate their leadership roles as preparation for assuming social leadership responsibilities in the future.

The Dean: Faculty of Informatics and Design, Prof Tembisa Ngqondi, also applauded the SQDs for their leadership, urging them to continue in their commitment to maintaining quality standards.

Also present was Faculty Quality Forum chairpersons, Prof Desiree Scholtz from the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, Prof Anna Dippenaar from the Faculty of Education, and Prof Bingwen Yan from the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, each sharing insightful remarks, contributing to the overall significance of the occasion.

The head of the Business Innovation and Incubation Centre (BIIC), Prof Michael Twum-Darko provided an overview of BIIC and presented innovative opportunities to the SQDs. This collaboration aims to make the entire CPUT student body aware of the business innovations facilitated by BIIC.

In recognition of the leadership capabilities and active participation of SQD members in the 2023 academic year, QMD and Ngqondi presented Leadership Achievement Awards to SQD leaders.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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