Two CPUT students will be representing South Africa at the Y20 Summit to be held in Sydney, Australia, next week. 

The Summit will make policy recommendations for G20 leaders.

CPUT SRC President Mbongiseni Mbatha and Surita Venter, an SRC member on the Wellington Campus, will spend four days from 12 – 15 July with other four youth representatives from SA.

 Mbatha, an MTech: Entrepreneurship student and Venter, a third year B Ed student, received the good news from the South African Youth for International Diplomacy (SAYID) after going through a rigorous application process.

Before she came to CPUT, Venter was involved with the youth in Porterville. 

“I have a huge passion for the youth. During my working period I was involved with situations of severe poverty, uneducated and emotionally and physically abused youth. Although SA might seem like a country with little issues, a different world lies behind the scenes. We have a lot of youth struggling to get out of their circumstances. And I would like to raise their situations,” she says.

As part of their role, delegates are expected to engage with other delegates and run consultation workshops to enable them to represent the views of young people in their countries. They will also contribute to pre-summit discussions with delegates.

Mbatha is excited to explore the minds of youth around the world and hear what affects them.

He is passionate about the informal economy, something he is working on in his dissertation titled:  A Comparative Analysis of the success and failures of survivalist entrepreneurs.

In his research he focuses on two major townships in South Africa, Soweto and Khayelitsha. “Most African entrepreneurs are not educated; the challenge is how do you take them and groom them into the formal economy to ensure sustainable development,” he says.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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The Central SRC President defied sickness and student unrests to obtain his degree.

Phathindwe Mncamase, 26, graduated with a BTech degree in Project Management during yesterday afternoon’s graduation ceremony after surviving temporary paralysis.

Early last year Pat, as he is affectionately known among his peers, suffered a sickness which left both his legs paralysed for two months. He says doctors could not diagnose his medical condition and he had to go back to his home to be cured by a traditional healer.

Following a successful tenure as the Bellville Local SRC chairperson, he became the Central SRC President in 2016.

“In 2017, I graduated on record time despite the problems the institution was facing and the time I spent attending numerous meetings trying to find solutions to the #feesmustfall crises.”

In the same year, Pat enrolled for his degree after obtaining his diploma regardless of all the time he lost to meetings of the university’s council and management committees of which he is a member.

“To date, I am proud to say I have travelled thus far without having a fail on my academic transcript.”

He adds that he never forgot why he came to CPUT and to that effect he managed his time to the best of his ability as well as prayed regularly.

“It is fine to participate in extra-mural activities but keep your head up, because you are here to get a qualification and develop yourself.”

He is in the process of enrolling towards a Master’s degree in Business Administration and is also acting as president of the interim SRC.

CPUT requires that SRC candidates should be students who obtain an average of at least 65% and this rule was implemented in the year when Pat was elected as the Bellville Local SRC’s chairperson.

“I am proud to call myself the SRC of 65%, because when I ran for the SRC this requirement applied.”

Written by Kwanele Butana
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Academic success comes in different forms for everyone, and Summa Cum Laude is one of the highest honours to be bestowed on a student.

The Business and Management Sciences faculty celebrated this success with two students today.

Monwabisi Luthuli is a well-known figure at CPUT since he was once a popular SRC president. Luthuli says that while student politics was thrilling, he wasn’t achieving the academic success he knew he could achieve early on in his studies.

“I was very active as a student leader, and that compromised my academics, but then as I matured, I decided to come back to CPUT and completed my diploma, and passed all my subjects with distinction, and then I continued to the Advanced Diploma and also just passed Summa Cum Laude now,” he says.

“It has been an absolute great pleasure returning to CPUT.”

A fellow Advanced Diploma in Marketing classmate, Nkaiseng Mokhele, also received the top honour. She says she has always been a good student and achieved excellent marks because she listened to lecturers.

“Dedication, focusing and doing what the lecturers tell you to do has been my recipe for success. The pandemic was tough for me because I lost loved ones during this time, but I told myself that my goal is to graduate.”

To pass Summa Cum Laude, a student must pass all their subjects with distinction on the first try.

Luthuli and Mokhele were part of a cohort of 431 students who graduated during the afternoon ceremony at CPUT’s Bellville campus today.

Written by Lauren Kansley

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Liaises with the media and writes press releases about interesting developments at CPUT.

Teamwork between the Division of Student Affairs and the Student Representative Council (SRC) culminated to the first ever Institutional Student Parliament (ISP) at CPUT.

The milestone launch of the CPUT Institutional Student Parliament, under the theme: Promoting Transparency and Accountability in Student Governance. was recently held at Bellville Campus. The establishment of ISP reaffirms the University's position on inculcating and institutionalising an ethos of transparency, fairness and accountability in both student governance and institutional governance.

Njabulo Maphumulo, Deputy Dean of Student Affairs, said it’s important to note that the ISP was not a body that will replace the SRC and its work, nor is it a creation of an extension of the SRC, “as it has its sole mandate that is to instil and preserve the principles of sound governance, accountability, transparency and efficient service delivery for the benefit and betterment of the greater CPUT community”.

“The objective of the ISP is to promote good governance, responsible citizenship, and ethical leadership at all levels. This milestone initiative demonstrates the University’s commitment to co-governance and interest in leadership development.” The ISP composition consists of the Central and Local Student Representative Council Members, delegates from the political, religious social and civil structures, delegates from the international student and differently abled communities and academic faculty representatives. The interim membership of the parliament amounts to 40 delegates among them, the executives such as the speaker, deputy speaker, secretary and campuses conveners.

Speaking at the launch, Vice-Chancellor, Prof Chris Nhlapo, said: “After years of hard work, grit and sheer determination, our dream came true. A dream that has been unnecessarily deferred or perhaps for far too long... We are brave, curious determined to overcome the odds… It can be done. Nhlapo added that the student parliament will hold the SRC accountable and transparent. “[It serves as an advisory body to the SRC on policy matters, propel CPUT to majestic heights of knowledge vanguard, consciousness, and brotherhood/sisterhood.

“[ISP] keeps the SRC and its substructures accountable, transparent and rooted in the principles and values enshrined in the SRC constitution.”

In his keynote Address: Promoting Transparency and Accountability in Student Governance, Chairperson, Student Services Committee of Council and Council Member, Dr William Mapena, said the aim of the university accountability process should be to guarantee universities maintain the principles and ethical practices that protect the university population. He said the University students' involvement in student governance is an essential prerequisite for constructing a contemporary higher education community and undoubtedly, students play a crucial role in governance as participants. “To maintain their reputation and trustworthiness, student leaders are expected to act responsibly, transparently, and with integrity in the eyes of their constituency. The qualities of student leadership should include vision, respect for the law, transparent management, ethical values, and a sense of social responsibility.”

SRC president, Sinelizwi Notshikila, said the ISP will provide a structured platform for student representatives from different student formations, societies, and various faculties to come together raise and address concerns, shape ways forward and advocate for students interests effectively. “It signifies commitment to democratic principles within our university. The ISP will encourage the active participation in governance, fostering a sense of responsibility and ownership among students towards their academic and social environment.”

The interim selection process consists of the election of delegates by various affiliated student societies and SRC substructures.

The swearing-in of MPs and election of the executive is scheduled for 17 May 2024, which will be followed by a series of training and capacity development sessions in partnership with the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. The interim parliament will be focusing on the foundations of student parliament establishment through the development of rules, regulations and policies governing the body. The ordinary seating will alternate between Chambers of the CPUT Council, City of Cape Town Council and Provincial Legislature.

Maphumulo said: “The launch of the ISP concept was a massive success and significant to our efforts towards ethical leadership, good governance and responsible citizenship.” The launch was attended by the previous SRC presidents with their messages of support. “The student parliament project has long been on the agenda of the University, and this was confirmed through their messages of support as they pledged their support,” said Maphumulo.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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