The world renowned Golden Key International Honour Society is due to be launched at CPUT in the third quarter of 2009.
The CPUT chapter will acknowledge and reward academic excellence among the top 15%of the university’s BTech and postgraduate students.

Golden Key, founded in the USA over 30 years, is one of the world’s largest academic honour societies. CPUT is the country’s first University of Technology to join this prestigious group.

Membership of the Society is by invitation only. The Society includes students in all fields of study and is based solely on an objective evaluation of the students’ academic achievements, with the primary goal being to enable members to realise their potential. The initiative is being co-ordinated by Transformation Manager Sam Henkeman and Alumni Officer Nandipha Madadasana, who will act as the University’s Golden Key chapter advisors.

In preparation for the launch, a preliminary information session was held on Cape Town Campus on 26 May 2009 in order to inform shortlisted students about the benefits of accepting the invitation to the Society.

After being welcomed by Madadasana, the students were addressed by Golden Key South Africa’s Johannesburg-based Director Charlene Günter, who explained the purpose of the Society and answered student questions. Henkeman closed the session and the Dean of Students gave thanks to those who had attended.

The Golden Key initiative forms part of a bigger student driven project being developed, which is aimed at creating a sense of belonging, unity and developing a common identity among members of the CPUT community.

To date, the Golden Key Society has over 370 chapters at colleges and universities in seven countries including the USA, South Africa, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand and United Arab Emirates.

In South Africa there are chapters at the University of Cape Town , Stellenbosch University , University of the Free-State, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University , Rhodes University , University of Pretoria , University of Johannesburg and the University of the Witwatersrand .

Governed by an international Board of Directors, the Society offers more than $500,000 annually in scholarships and awards to its members, along with a variety of other opportunities, both in the academic and career fields.

A number of Golden Key chapters are involved in a wide variety of volunteer projects in their local communities such as Habitat for Humanity, Terry Fox Run, Make a Difference Day and various literacy service opportunities.

The Society’s membership stretches beyond academic recognition. Some of the offered benefits include graduate career assistance, scholarships, an online career centre, as well as leadership, community service and networking opportunities.

Golden Key South Africa is also an institutional member of the International Education Association of South Africa (IEASA) and an affiliate member of the South African Graduate Recruiters Association (SAGRA).

By Thando J. Moiloa

Photo: Attending the Golden Key preliminary information session, along with the shortlisted student achievers, were (third from left to sixth from left) Alumni Officer Nandipha Madadasana, Transformation Manager Samuel Henkeman, Charlene Günter of the Golden Key International Honour Society and Dean of Students Cora Njoli-Motale.

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

Full scholarships worth close to a million rand have been awarded to 11 first-year students by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). The delighted students, drawn from the IT, Food and Beverage, Hospitality Management, Tourism and Mechanical Engineering Departments, will now have the privilege of concentrating solely on their studies, without worrying about any financial pressures.

Advancement Department Director Calvin Maseko and fundraiser Khumo Sebola have expressed their gratitude to the NYDA for their generosity and say they hope to strengthen the partnership with the agency in the years to come.

NYDA Senior Manager, Innocentia Mphayo says the agency believes that comprehensive support to a young person is critical to help ensure their years of study are as stress-free as possible.

“So many of our talented young people drop-out due to a lack of funding, a situation that is detrimental both to themselves and to our economy. We hope these comprehensive bursaries give these students the boost they so richly deserve, so that they can become successful in the careers of their choice.”

Mphayo is also urging any CPUT students who might need guidance to take advantage of their services. The NYDA have a full service Youth Advisory Centre in Adderley Street where students are welcome to access reliable and up-to-date information to make informed choices about their futures.

Written by Janyce Weintrob

Tel: +27 21 460 3514
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Universities SA (USAf) has made an appeal to the corporate sector and for private donors to continue supporting students through bursaries and scholarships.

There is a growing concern across the university sector that companies and individual donors who traditionally offered students and universities funding for bursaries are no longer doing so.

It is believed that this change has come into being on the basis of the rollout of what is commonly spoken about as free higher education. This is deeply worrying and may potentially wound the futures of many students who have found their way into one of our 26 public universities and who do not qualify for the new student funding system.

According to USAf there is still an extraordinarily important role for the private sector to continue to support students with bursarsies and scholarships.

Read the full appeal here

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

Studying abroad introduces students to new experiences, perspectives, and cultures, providing an invaluable opportunity for personal and professional growth, and for some, these opportunities can feel out of reach.

However, Ndjate Katambwe has been fortunate as he was recently awarded the MEXT Scholarship 2024. The MEXT is a scholarship given by the Japanese government under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology to international students who wish to study in graduate courses at a Japanese university. Ndjate has now enrolled in a doctorate course at Tohoku University.

Born in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a French-speaking country, Ndjate had to learn English first after he was accepted to study Chemical Engineering at CPUT in 2014. From there he went on to graduate with a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering Summa Cum Laude under the supervision of Prof Tunde Ojumu and Prof Leslie Petrik in 2022.

Reflecting on his successful academic career, Ndjate says: “I really did have a great supporting system from family to friends, colleagues, peers and church. They all play a major role in my academic journey. It keeps the fire burning in me to be surrounded by people who believe in me and push me to strive for greatness and never stop believing in my dreams.”

He continues: “I really am grateful to receive this scholarship because I know that it is not easy to be selected and awarded the scholarship with so many people taking part. I am happy and look forward to this new chapter in my life and academic journey.”

The firstborn of a family of five always watches his hard-working father providing “for us and that is so inspiring to be there for your loved ones”. To do research, the football fanatic was inspired by Petrik. “Oh man, just how dedicated she is to research work and her students. The way she treats other people with compassion, empathy, and kindness.

“She will forever be my greatest inspiration. Firstly, we are human, and then all the others follow.”

The scholarship that he received shows that whenever “we decide to work together we can achieve big and great things”. “It also shows that we are able and have the capacity to go international by seeking more collaborations which exposes students and the university to so many opportunities like the one I received. I am a proud ambassador of CPUT in general and of the Department of Chemical Engineering in particular.”

His research focuses on carbon capture and utilisation; however, he says there is not an official title yet, “but we are looking into direct ocean capture (DOC). Trying to capture CO2 directly from the ocean”.

Predicting the future is not always easy but Ndjate, who likes hiking, would like to have a career as a researcher. “Because this is what really pushed me to come this far to PhD level.”

When he was a lecturer at CPUT he tried to find a balance between his busy schedule and family and keep it in check. “Because research can really consume you and you forget about other priorities in life. Like Jim Rohn once said, ‘When you work, work. When you play, play. Don't play at work. Don't work at play. Make the best use of your time. When you are working pour it on and when you are playing - have a good time, but don't play at work.’ It is so easy to mix the two.”

Hiking helps his mind to relax and think about other things other than work. “I do my best to spend some quality time with friends and family.”

He also revealed that that CPUT had alleviated his financial burden and for that, “I will forever be grateful. The support is immeasurable because, behind every student who graduates, there are thousands of people working behind the scenes. And for that, I extend my gratitude to every single one of them [staff] for the role that they are playing in our journey as students.”

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