The Vice-Chancellor of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), Professor Vuyisa Mazwi-Tanga, announced the establishment of the Mauerberger Foundation Postgraduate Scholarship for Research Excellence at the April 2008 Graduation Ceremony. This prestigious award of R1.4 million over the next four years will reward outstanding academic achievement and support top students to continue to postgraduate study at CPUT.

Professor Mazwi-Tanga paid particular tribute to Mrs Estelle Yach, the Chairperson of The Mauerberger Foundation. Mrs Yach has been a visionary and long-standing benefactor to CPUT. For more than twenty years the Foundation has supported many deserving students through its bursary programme which has to date contributed over R2 million to CPUT.

""In establishing this new scholarship programme at CPUT, Mrs Yach and The Mauerberger Foundation Trustees are not only rewarding outstanding student achievement but also creating invaluable benefit to the university as we strengthen and grow our research programme at the postgraduate level,"" Professor Mazwi-Tanga said.

The first recipients have all achieved their degrees with distinction.

Their names are as follows:

• Alia Adams (Business)
• Adrienne Van As (Education)
• Anton Harris (Engineering)
• Adriaan Rootman (Engineering)
• Koketso Kujane (Engineering)
• Brent Vallay (Engineering)
• Vernon Davids (Engineering)
• Donovan Malgas (Informatics and Design)

The scholarship in an annual award and students from all disciplines who have achieved first class results are eligible to apply through the Postgraduate Scholarships Office

Photograph: Ms Estelle Yach (second from left) and CPUT Vice-Chancellor Prof Vuyisa Mazwi-Tanga (centre) are surrounded by the recipients of the Mauerberger Foundation Scholarship.

Written by CPUT News
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A multi-stakeholder training and internship initiative to address critical skills shortages in the Information and Communication Technology sector was recently launched by the City of Cape Town together with the Cape IT Initiative, Oracle, IBM, and CenCRA/ CPUT.

Thirty unemployed, predominantly Black African graduates, have been offered a scholarship, which will see them complete a five-month certification training course in software development. On completion of the training, they will be employed as interns by industry.

According to Jenny McKinnell of Capaciti1000, the programme initiators, Cape IT Initiative, worked closely with the Khayelitsha Community Trust, Avenir Education, Working Technologies as well as with CenCRA (Centre for CIO Research in Africa, which is facilitating the training at CPUT), to recruit and vet candidates for the programme.

She said all candidates had to pitch themselves to industry before being accepted onto the programme.

Melinda Walker, of the City of Cape Town, said they had come a long way in IT. ‘’When we became a City at the end of 2000 we could not send an e-mail from one part of the city to another. We now have a brilliant IT department’’.

She commended CPUT and the City for all the work they have put in this initiative. ‘’Your programs are going to have a significant impact on this initiative and the IT field in general’’.

McKinnell said the City of Cape Town contributed R348 000 for this programme of which a large portion will be used to cover the transport costs of the candidates, the majority of which would not otherwise be able to afford to attend the training. Training sponsorship at a market value of R40 000 per candidate has also been leveraged from multinational IT vendors, IBM and Oracle.

‘’In addition, candidates will be placed with industry for at least six months after the training, and industry will contribute a further R630 000 in stipends. This means the total funding leveraged from industry as a result of the programme will be R 1.89 million,” said McKinnell.

By Thami Nkwanyane

Written by CPUT News
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Applications for the Mandela Rhodes Scholarship are now open, providing an opportunity for admission for African graduates to further their studies at one of the leading universities in South Africa.

While completing their postgraduate studies in any field of choice, the Mandela Rhodes Scholarship leadership development programme will empower students to solve some of Africa’s most difficult challenges.  A successful applicant will begin a life-changing leadership journey and find a community of people who shares their passion for the positive transformation of Africa.

Applications for the class of 2022 is opened from 23 March to 20 April 2021. Visit the website to apply.

The scholarship covers tuition for a one-year Honours degree or a two-year Master’s degree in any field at a recognised South African institution of higher education. This includes tuition and registration fees, allowances for study materials, research, and medical aid, accommodation and meals, personal allowance and economy class travel to and from your home country to your South African university at the beginning and end of your degree.

Students between the ages of 19 and 29, who are citizens of any African country, and have a first degree with above-average academic results (above 70%), are eligible to apply for the scholarship.

This programme is built on the principles of reconciliation, education, entrepreneurship, and leadership, and a belief that leadership begins with inner transformation. The programme is delivered primarily through a series of online or in-person workshops. The scholarship is looking for scholars who have demonstrated the potential to embody The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship founding principles of reconciliation, education, entrepreneurship, and leadership.

Students must have already assumed a leadership role and made an impact on his or her campus or community.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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