Exams at CPUT officially commenced today.

The majority of students are writing exams at the Wingfield Military Base in Goodwood, while others are writing at venues across South Africa and in Namibia, Zimbabwe, the DRC, and Nigeria.

The examinations will run up until the end of the month.

Exams kicked off smoothly at most venues this morning. Minor issues at some venues have been dealt with and exams should continue trouble-free.

Students who wish to improve their CAM marks for those subjects that do not appear on the current exam time table, will be given the opportunity to do so during the re-assessment period which will commence on Monday, 1 February 2016.

Students are reminded that student cards or ID documents must be produced in order to board buses or gain access to examination venues and to report at the examination venues at least one hour before the commencement of their exam.

Please take note of the following important information:

Timetables and venue information

Updated timetables and additional venue information is available on the CPUT website at http://www.cput.ac.za/students/about/timetables

Transport for residence students

Busses from Cape Town Campus to Goodwood exam venue depart daily from Caledon Road at 7:00 and 12:30.

Busses from Bellville Campus to Goodwood exam venue depart daily from the tennis courts at 7:00 and 12:30.

The bus going to Bellville Campus, IT Centre for computer based exams, departs the eLearning Centre in Cape Town at 7:00 daily.

Computer labs

Some labs have been made available for study purposes.

The labs in the FBMS is open from 8:00-20:00 daily.

The eLearning Centre in Cape Town is open 24 hours a day.

Library hours

All CPUT Libraries are open. During the exam period, all libraries will be following semester hours. At the sites where exams are completed, vacation hours will be followed. View library hours here: http://www.cput.ac.za/library/about/opening-hours

PLEASE NOTE: the official communication channels remain the CPUT website, student email accounts as well as the official CPUT Facebook page and CPUT Student Affairs Facebook page.

Written by CPUT News
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Senior maritime instructor and manager at Survival Centre, Samantha Montes is grateful to be appointed Membership Director of the International Association for Safety and Survival Training (IASST).

“[I am] extremely honoured, for South Africa, the African continent [and this will] help other countries to realise South Africa have something unique to offer in our maritime sector,” says Montes. Besides being a membership director, her mandate includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Promote the Association internationally
• Chairperson of the IASST discussion group
• Participate in or chair other sub-committees
• Disseminate and collate election ballots for the position of directors.

“As Dissemination was our portfolio for the Erasmus Plus EURO-ZA capacity building in maritime education, I feel this has given me the tools to achieve this mandate.”

Reflecting on her career journey, the Eastern Cape-born “quirky” maritime instructor says it all started on a school trip to Cape Town in Standard 7 (Grade 9). She visited the Zonnebloem Campus of the then Cape Technikon.

“I saw one line in the course prospectus that said, ‘Maritime Studies’ and [I]decided this was my career choice.”

After completing her schooling in King Williams Town, Montes relocated to Cape Town to study Maritime Studies at the Cape Technikon, now known as CPUT’s Granger Bay campus.

She joined her first vessel as a navigation cadet in January 2000. Her long sea career has seen her work on various ship types and within many maritime sectors.

In 2015, Montes received a call from her alma mater, CPUT, and was offered a post ashore. Since August 2015, she has been a Senior Maritime Instructor at Survival Centre. An opportunity to return to sea for a short stint presented itself in 2019 when Montes was asked to sail as a training officer aboard the SA Agulhas for a historic voyage of venturing to Antarctica with 20 female cadet officers for three months.

Reflecting on her glittering career, Montes said she had to show up and be present. “Opportunities are not going to seek you out. But if you’re in the room, people take notice of you. Perseverance and resilience. Change the narrative by being involved.”

She also attributed her success to her “never give up” attitude. Some of the highlights in her career include visits to all seven continents. “To be exposed to many different cultures and work with many nationalities. The challenges often are not unique to maritime, but how you address those challenges sets you apart and leads to success.” Her message to the younger generation is: “Don’t be scared to ask questions. Throughout my career, I asked questions. I would rather be seen as foolish for asking simple questions to be sure not to mess up and look incompetent. Although, now, I seem to be the one who answers the questions.” She loves her job and the unique challenges it brings her every day. “I am a problem-solver, so this industry provides ample opportunity to practise this skill.”

When she is not at work, Montes spends time with her two ginger cats, which require much attention. “Cats are the masters of relaxing, so I learn from them. I read and enjoy chatting with friends all over the globe.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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The Department of Maritime Studies recently hosted Prof Benedict Knud, a Hochschule Wismar, University of Applied Sciences (HSW) representative, for the Erasmus Plus Euro-ZA Capacity building project in the field of Maritime education.

Samantha Montes, Department of Maritime Studies: Senior Maritime Instructor, Survival Centre, says the primary goal of the Erasmus+ capacity building project in Maritime Education and Training (MET) that is currently taking place between the six participating maritime universities is to develop systems processes to aid the development of Maritime Education and Training. “The objective is to develop a clear mapping of the focus areas that each institution needs to modify to have a recognised curriculum amongst the six institutions,” Montes explains.

Knud delivered three guest lecturing sessions at the Granger Bay campus. ​

The three lectures were on:

• Life & Study - global tendencies and individual aspects for beginner students" (referring to a sample of the EURO ZA project).
• Life & Study - Global Picture and the Role of Simulation in Maritime Studies and Ship Operation" – From Wooden Ship Models to Fast Time Simulation Systems - (referring to a sample of EURO ZA project)
• The role of Simulation in Maritime studies and ship operation - Demonstration of Fast Time Simulation SAMMON and ARROW tool" (referring to a sample of EURO ZA project).

Knud says the reason specifically for the meetings is “our partnership in the EURO ZA project where three universities from Europe and three from South Africa (CPUT, Durban University of Technology and Nelson Mandela University) are working together to improve the maritime education and training – exchanging information about their curricula and equipment and contributing with lectures. “Therefore, I delivered three presentations here at CPUT to students and lecturers,” he remarks.

Reflecting on his visit, Knud says: Cape Town is a beautiful city – even under Covid-19 impact. And the lectures and meetings were perfectly organised. So, it has been great…”

“They manage the campus and the Maritime Education & Training so well, even under difficult conditions in South Africa with less money than in Europe. And most of all, the friendliness of the people and to even feel the joy of life even under complicated conditions due to Covid-19.”

Montes adds that the project comprises six partner universities from Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom and South Africa. “The benefit to CPUT Department of Maritime Studies is the introduction to simulation as a research tool with special reference to:  

• Ship’s dynamic for efficient manoeuvres (this is using the SAMMON planning software tool)
• Avoiding dangerous rolling and other wave effects in heavy weather (this is using the ARROW software tool).”

She says Prof Knud has a very engaging YouTube channel that is highly informative and offers case studies of maritime casualties and routine ship handling.  “To see one of his lectures in person was most beneficial to the students because it allowed them to engage directly with him and his experience. As an experienced seafarer, I found the philosophical approach to simulation most intriguing; this is a concept I had not considered previously.”

Montes enjoyed that the two disciplines of studies in the department (Marine Engineering and Nautical Science) were exposed to the same lectures and that they understood that their actions onboard a ship could not be seen as not impacting other areas of seafaring.  “For every action, there is a reaction. This also illustrates the need for effective communication and teamwork (Engine Room Management, Bridge Team Management).”

She was also impressed by the “depth of knowledge and that the ideas were unique” and how Knud “developed the software and the concepts”.  In his message to the CPUT community, Knud says: “I do wish you all the best for the future – overcoming the drawbacks due to Covid-19 constraints and the respective problems in shipping currently existing.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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To address concerns about how and where to access bursaries and graduate placement programmes, GradStar has created the GradStar app, where recruiters from top companies in South Africa can search for graduates and students to earmark them for current and future programmes.

To this end, students are encouraged to do the following:

• Download the GradStar App on their mobile devices and register (this allows recruiters to see what the students are studying and match them to the correct programmes).
• Enter the DHL GradStar Awards (this process will assist with various workshops and work-readiness assessments and the eventual recognition of the Top 100 students in the country).

“We look forward to welcoming every student and graduate to the GradStar Community, which serves the best interest of our youth, and which is why it is free to all students and graduates,”. Read a statement from the GradStar Team.

After receiving over 8000 entries from students nationwide in 2021, the Gradstar Team selected a CPUT student as a runner-up of the Top Ten Most Employable Students in South Africa.

Third-year Bachelor of Geomatics student in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, Simphiwe Ngubane, was selected as a runner-up of the ‘Ten of the Finest’ in the GradStar Awards.

Simphiwe said he was incredibly honoured and privileged by the achievement.

Now in its sixth year, the DHL GradStar Awards recognise the most employable full-time students in the country and is the only programme where thousands of students enter to be recognised by the top employers in the land.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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Vice-Chancellor Prof Chris Nhlapo recently hosted Dr Moncef Meddeb and Vincent Perrier, a delegation from the Embassy of France in South Africa, at the Cape Town Hotel School.

Nhlapo said the purpose of the visit was to strengthen CPUT’s current collaboration partnerships with the French, “taking the lessons learnt from the successful F’SATI (French South African Institute of Technology) and expanding to the North and West of France”.  The Vice-Chancellor said: “We want to strengthen staff and student exchanges… How CPUT will participate in the one-week in-person event in France dedicated to promoting the South African higher education and research landscapes.”

The Embassy of France in South Africa is organising the efforts with all French and South African stakeholders to arrange a one-week in-person event in France devoted to advancing the South African higher education and research landscapes between all involved Higher Education Institutions in France.  “The participation of the South African universities is key for a successful week and to achieve the objective of expanding the bilateral scientific and academic cooperation. All South African universities are invited to express their interests and participate in this week-long event in France, to be held between 27 June 2022 and 2 July 2022,” the French Embassy statement read.

The event will include presentations and discussions to showcase the South African academic landscape and current partnerships and “discuss the existing instruments and some relevant ideas and avenues for future partnerships. All French Higher Education Institutions are invited to attend and contribute to the discussions”.

During the event at the hotel school, Prof Veruscha Fester, Assistant Dean: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, Dr Bongani Ncube and Prof Oscar Philander gave presentations and gave an overview of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment. Meanwhile, Prof Joseph Kioko, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences, with Prof Jessy Van Wyk, Dr Sune Henning, and Prof Maretha Opperman, provided presentations and an overview of the Faculty of Applied Sciences.

Reflecting on the outcomes of the event, Nhlapo said: “It was an excellent meeting with great ideas and possibilities being that of including Applied Sciences (Agrifood Technology Station, Chocolate making etc) and Water Research, especially the newly acquired Research Chair by Dr Ncube from Engineering,” he continued.

“As we normally say, ‘collaborate or collapse, we believe in collapsing the boundaries to collaboration’. It means increasing our footprint in France and consolidating the successful partnership we already have with the French. It also means strengthening and monitoring our current programme with the French.”

After a closed meeting, Nhlapo also revealed some of his agreements with the delegation: "We agreed on several initiatives to strengthen and sustain our relations. We agreed on staff and student exchanges. We also agreed with them assisting us in our recruitment drive for a Research Chair in Nano-Satellite”.

Nhlapo also revealed that the University aims to expand the hotel school, “They [French] are also known for the art of French Gastronomy”. “Ferrandi, at the heart of Paris, is known worldwide in culinary arts and hospitality management. It is, therefore, our intention to strengthen this area for our Hotel School.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

A new short course focused on Point of Care Testing (POCT) will be offered by the Department of Biomedical Sciences from next month.

The practical-based course believed to be the first of its kind in Africa, was designed at CPUT and will ensure that POCT operators have the necessary background and practical skills to produce a reliable result that meets all international standards.

POCT refers to testing carried out where the patient is or near the patient, and the results are available quickly. POC tests can be done for Covid-19, diabetes, anaemia and several other conditions.

The course will be taught by the Department’s Terry van Jaarsveld, who has many years of experience in operating POCT services in the Middle East and South Africa, and Stellenbosch University’s Prof Rajiv Erasmus, who has been part of international committees to oversee the quality of Point of Care Testing.

“As simple as it may be, health providers must ensure that the results are reliable and accurate and compare well with those obtained from an accredited medical laboratory. This means that all processes involved must be carefully planned, and operators need to be trained and certified and proven capable of carrying out this testing,” they said.

 In South Africa, point-of-care testing is conducted in clinics, emergency departments, pharmacies, ambulances, wards, and outpatient departments.

“Implementation of a high standard of quality POCT service must be well-planned and comprise of systematic processes, commencing with simple, but quality sample collection at the testing site, easy-to-use testing formats, and straight-forward interpretation of results.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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“Make your well-being a priority and feed your body healthy food as this is your first wealth.”

This is the message from Department of Biotechnology and Consumer Science lecturer Theloshni Govender, who offers wellness tips, which serve as an educational tool to assist students in making informed and healthier food choices.  “There are many opportunities for students to make an informed healthier decision when it comes to food choices. The wellness tips provided is a start in the right direction,” Govender explains.

She offers the following tips:

• Make fruit and vegetables part of every meal.
• Try a new fruit and vegetable weekly.
• Focus on whole foods and reduce convenience foods
• Reduce portion sizes by using a smaller plate during mealtime.
• Drink at least six glasses of water daily.
• Have a vegan or vegetarian meal at least twice a week.
• Include more sustainable fish in your meal.
• Consume legumes and lentils at least three times a week.
• Have your favourite meals in moderation.
• Limit salt and sugary foods.
• Use herbs and spices to add flavour to your food.
• Plan your meals weekly, as this will eliminate your indulging in unhealthy foods.
• Prioritise sleep - at least eight hours a day.
• Exercise for 30 minutes a day.

Govender adds that obesity is a global pandemic and a public health problem in South Africa, which is illustrated by the national health survey results, which show an increase in obesity in young adults.  “The main drivers for the increase in obesity include poor eating habits, the marketing of processed foods which are high in fat, and sugar-rich beverages, insufficient physical activity and buying unhealthy food.”

She says according to the World Health Organisation, obesity greatly increases the risk of developing chronic diseases, such as type two diabetes, high blood pressure and some cancers. “Also, there are recent studies which showed that the obese COVID-19 patients get more complications and they take longer to recover.”

Her favourite quote is by Heather Morgan: “Every time you eat or drink, you are either feeding disease or fighting it” For more wellness tips, please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

CPUT recently hosted a German and Namibian delegation for a series of strategic workshops. These workshops were aligned with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Community Engagement in the Southern Africa Region (CESAR) project, which contextualises the following fields of action: Teaching, Research and Management. Social Entrepreneurship initiatives are explored through project partnerships with industry and communities as linked to the following three United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation
• SDG 7 Affordable and clean energy
• SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities

International partnerships are becoming increasingly critical as a means to address global issues posed by the SDGs. Therefore, the CESAR project seeks to address challenges experienced by communities in Namibia, South Africa and Germany through collaborative partnerships as aligned to SDG 17 which focuses on partnerships for the achievement of all the goals.  Support for local communities takes priority within the Southern African context through the exchange of ideas, knowledge sharing, skills development, and practical and experiential community engagement projects in communities.

A trans-disciplinary team, comprised of staff from the Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST) and Flensburg University of Applied Science (FUAS), were selected to engage in capacity-building workshops and knowledge exchange activities through teaching, research and management. Prof Dr Kay Pfaffenberger, Director at the Centre for Business and Technology in Africa, (FUAS), is the overall DAAD CESAR project leader. Pfaffenberger alluded to the critical need for partnerships to address global environmental issues and was extremely impressed by the effective and efficient efforts of the project team during the workshop and expressed his sincere appreciation to the CPUT hosts. At NUST, the project is led by, Dr Laudika Kandjinga and at CPUT the project resides within the Service-Learning and Civic Engagement (SLCE) Units, led by Jacqui Scheepers.

“CESAR contributes to strengthening community partnerships and collective problem-solving. The partnership provides opportunities to engage community and industry partners and the various spheres of government to find innovative impactful solutions towards improvement in communities. CESAR seeks to lay a firm foundation for the development of a Centre for Community Engagement at the NUST which can monitor envisaged projects. A SDG Engaged Research Forum will provide further support for collaborative research projects even after the runtime of the project. The responsibility for project continuation will lie with the respective universities and their respective partners post project,“ said Scheepers, Manager: SLCE.

At the workshops, the team members took turns in facilitating and presenting on the various aspects and topics which strengthened the participation and inclusion of all institutions in the programme.

“This was surely a beautiful experience ... beautiful because of the trans-disciplinary project team working towards one goal and that being to contribute and impact our communities at large. It afforded me opportunities to engage with individuals from Germany as well as Namibia, to share ideas and contextualise aspects related to the project. Further to this, it also aligned and added to my international project management portfolio which links to my current postgraduate studies in project management. Working in silos is something of the past and the need for national and international partnerships must be encouraged for the growth of our University“,  said David Haarhoff, CESAR project support and researcher, CPUT.  Haarhoff works closely with Martin Kuhn, Scientific Assistant, FUAS and Theresa Burns, SL Administrator, CPUT.

During the strategic planning workshops, the delegation critically addressed challenges and opportunities in line with the project deliverables. The delegates also visited a community site, the Ulwazi ‘Knowledge“ Educare Centre, in Delft. The centre provides preschool education for children up to six (6) years of age. The educare was built with 1 700 old car tyres, 6 000 eco-bricks and 2 000 glass bottles. Both delegations were extremely impressed by the architecture and creativity of the building with sustainability and alternative construction methods being high on the agenda. The SLCE Units arranged for Gift of the Givers to bring grocery items for the children’s meals, snacks and care items for the young children. The principal and staff expressed their appreciation to Gift of the Givers, CPUT, and the international delegation.

The project spans over three years, ending in a comprehensive report in 2027. From 22 – 24 July 2024 the three DAAD CESAR project leaders from FUAS, NUST and CPUT will represent the project at the DAAD Project Leader Conference “Educating tomorrow's leaders to pioneer sustainable development – the role of academia” in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

At present, DAAD is funding 103 partnership projects that connect German universities with relevant partner institutions in developing countries in Africa. 

Further project planning session are scheduled to take place in September 2024 at NUST and in November 2024 the delegation will be back at CPUT. These project planning workshops will ensure that the desired project deliverables are achieved.

Written by CPUT News
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