The Department of Tourism and Events Management has compassionately held a student food drive during the October-November period, aiming to support and uplift students who are facing food insecurity.

This initiative was launched to improve student welfare by providing essential nutritional support. Dr Cynthia Dube, the acting head of the department, highlighted that the food drive was made possible through the generosity of corporate sponsors and individual donors. A total of 29 students received meal packets containing staple foods, such as canned proteins (beans, pilchards, baked beans), carbohydrates (maize meal, rice, pasta), and toiletries. These packages were designed to offer well-balanced meals and essential nourishment for a limited time.

“This approach was designed to ease the burden on students, especially those who are financially disadvantaged or unfunded by their bursaries, which enable them to focus on their academics. This initiative has managed to minimise disruptions caused by hunger,” she noted.

The goals of this food drive initiative are to support students facing financial difficulties by providing essential food parcels; to build partnerships with business sponsors who support student welfare programmes; and to encourage student participation and awareness of mutual aid and food security.

Nobesuthu Magida, a lecturer in Tourism and Events Management and the project coordinator, highlighted the department's commitment to student privacy and dignity. To protect privacy, no identifiable photos were used in documentation. Various communication channels, such as class representatives, campus notice boards, and WhatsApp messages to class groups, were employed to raise student awareness and ensure equitable access to the initiative. “Most importantly, in order to maintain the initiative's inclusivity and respect for each student's circumstances, students were urged to ask for help through a private process. This approach promoted a culture of trust and concern throughout the department and emphasised the importance of student-centred support,” Magida said.

The sponsors included Shoprite, African Bank, Unilever, Diamond Works and individual donors.

For this campaign, the Department sent a WhatsApp message to students, placed food drive posters on notice boards in key campus areas, and promoted it through word-of-mouth by class representatives and the student support team. The Department plans to appeal to new and existing donors, to launch a similar initiative during the 2026 academic year. “The goal is to build on the success of the 2025 Student Food Drive by expanding its reach and sustainability. This upcoming phase will not only focus on aiding during the examination period but will also aim to offer continuous support to students throughout their academic journey at CPUT,” said Dube.

Magida added: “To achieve this, the department plans to strengthen and formalise its partnerships with corporate sponsors like as Shoprite, African Bank, and Unilever, as well as pitching to new industry partners, local businesses, and CPUT alumni. The idea is to create a stable Student Food Drive account that can be used to purchase food vouchers, hygiene packs, and other necessities regularly. This fund will be managed transparently, with clear reporting methods to ensure accountability and donor confidence.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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The Tourism and Events Management, Hospitality and Sport Management Departments of the CPUT Business Faculty, alongside industry players from an international and national level, recently attended INDABA 2009 at the Albert Lithuli Convention Centre in Durban.

The event, which is owned by South African Tourism, ran from 9 to 12 May 2009.

The INDABA 2009 organisers divided the exhibition areas as well as the surrounding parking areas and roads, into the various provinces within South Africa. CPUT was given the opportunity to exhibit all its offerings within the Western Cape tent.

Staff attending the event got to speak to the various industry players, both large and small, informing them about all new developments on offer, from full time, to part time and short courses, which would benefit many of their current employees and contribute to the increase in service offered within the aligned industries.

The event was also a good opportunity for strengthening bonds with many of the organisations where students are sent to complete their experiential training, and due to the increase in student numbers for 2009 many new placements were arranged allowing for 100% placement rate within the Faculty. The event also allowed for meetings and discussions with various industry players with regards to experiential learning, where both parties were given the opportunity to discuss various issues and thereafter improve the placement and training process for all students at the University.

INDABA 2009 was also the venue for the South African 2010 FIFA Organising Committee to launch their international ad campaign for the World Cup.

All attendees got to see the advertisement for the first time in the spectacular opening ceremony attended also by various FIFA delegates, Provincial and National tourism leaders, as well as the organising leader himself, Danny Jordaan.

A breathtaking display of vocal and artistic talent was displayed by the various performers after which all attendees gave loud applause at the proudly South African ad campaign that would go across the world to represent our country, South Africa .

“This INDABA has proven to be an excellent platform for CPUT,” said Luke van Rensberg, Marketing and Functions Co-ordinator for the Cape Town Hotel School Restaurant.

“It encourages industry to become actively involved with the educational side of training and forces involvement with preparing learners to lead the various aspects within Tourism South Africa one day,” he said.

By the Cape Town Hotel School

Photo: Members of the Tourism and Events Management, Hospitality and Sport Management Departments staff the CPUT exhibit at INDABA 2009.

Written by CPUT News
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The 2014 FIFA World Cup may be over, but for a team of global researchers, their work has just begun.

Prof Kamilla Swart from the Tourism and Events Management Department and Brendon Knott from the Sport Management Department, form part of a team of researchers who are studying the economic impact of the soccer event as well as spectator behavior during the tournament.

The CPUT researchers, along with the rest of the research team, spent two weeks in Rio de Janeiro where they fielded surveys among spectators and conducted interviews with representatives of national and local organizers.

The questionnaires were available in Portuguese, English, French, German, Spanish, Korean, Italian, Russian, Arabic and Farsi and more than 6 000 were completed.

The data was collected in match precincts and public viewing areas in five designated host cities, namely Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Porto Allegre and Salvador.

“Given that the 2014 World Cup was hosted by another emerging country, Brazil, this research study has important implications for several stakeholder groups including FIFA and future World Cup host cities and sponsors,” says Prof Kamilla Swart, who in 2010 led a similar study when South Africa hosted this event.

Currently the study is led by Prof Holger Preuss, a sport economist from Johaness Gutenberg-Universtat, Germany who led the 2006 World Cup impact study.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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