The CPUT Staff football team has expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the executive management for their support in helping the team participate and secure victory at the University Sports South Africa (USSA) Staff Tournament.

The tournament was held at the University of Limpopo last week and the win brought the team their maiden trophy.

“We wish to pass our heartfelt gratitude to the executive management of CPUT for their support in helping us travel to Limpopo and fly the CPUT flag higher. We also wish to extend our message of appreciation to the following departments for their support: Sports, Arts and Culture, Advancement, and Human Capital. To all the colleagues who kept checking on us while we were away, thanks for the support and we appreciate you for showing us love,” said the team captain, Mvelo Siyaya.

The coach and Secretary General, Arthur Xolani, also extended his words of gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor [VC], Prof Chris Nhlapo, “for all the support he has given to us”. “From the moment we knocked on the door of the VC’s Office, we were welcomed with open arms and kindness and assisted with moral and financial support. I would also like to thank the Advancement Department, Sport, Arts, and Culture, as well as Human Capital for their kind support and contributions. And I will also thank the Marketing and Communication Department, Finance Department, Health, and Safety, and Campus Protection Services for their support and contributions,” said Xolani.

The proud coach said this victory was just the beginning, and “We should aim even higher because the sky is the limit”. He added that football is a team sport that thrives on unity and team spirit, and “we have truly excelled in that regard”. “The team really showed the spirit of oneness. I am deeply proud of all of you. We have made our mark in the history of USSA and CPUT. We will continue to develop other sporting codes and partnerships to ensure that CPUT remains at the top of the university sport.”

In welcoming the team and during the handover of the trophy to the Vice-Chancellor, Nhlapo said: “Whenever we present CPUT we must represent to the best of our ability… I am really impressed by this group of winners. We have to support this winning team… Thank you very much for representing for representing us well. I know that this is just the beginning, there are other sporting codes that are actually coming. But for me, health and wellness come first. It’s very important that all of us we must be sure that we live well, we exercise, we walk, and we actually destress, one of the best ways of destressing is to ensure that we play sport.”

The captain admitted that it was a difficult tournament to participate in, especially considering that it was the team’s first participation in the Staff USSA Tournament, “but our unwavering bond and determination propelled us to success”. “Other universities had great individual players, but we had a great CPUT staff soccer team. Our victory serves as a testament to the power of teamwork, perseverance, and a shared vision of unity.”

To prepare for the tournament they played in the Institution’s Res League and participated in tournaments that were organised for students by the Central Student Representative Council. Such tournaments helped the team to gain fitness and to identify areas of improvement within the team. They also played several friendly matches with the University of the Western Cape, the University of Cape Town, and Stellenbosch University to prepare for this tournament.

“I feel extremely happy to captain this team of winners and the excitement is the same for everyone within the team. This victory is a symbol that together we can achieve greater things. The team holds a larger vision - one of promoting unity and collaboration among staff members through the power of sport. Our goal extends far beyond the confines of the football pitch. We aim to foster a sense of belonging and oneness among colleagues from all corners of the university,” Siyaya enthused.

Any member of the CPUT community who wants to join this exciting team may contact Mzingisi Muluse at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Anele Tyhulu at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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The CPUT men's table tennis team achieved remarkable success at the University Sports South Africa (USSA) Table Tennis Championships, winning two gold medals. After five days of intense competition at the Major Sports Hall on the Bellville Campus, the team showcased outstanding sportsmanship and commitment.

The USSA Table Tennis Championships, held annually, aim to identify South Africa's best student players across various categories. This year's edition saw a total of 12 tertiary institutions competing. CPUT hosted the championships after a successful event the previous year in Bloemfontein. The tournament also serves as a platform for players to be selected for international competitions.

The men's team made it to the medal playoffs in all tournament categories, including singles, doubles, mixed doubles, and team competition. The women's team qualified for three out of the five medal playoffs.

Mohamed Ally, a Sports Development Officer, commented on the team's performance, highlighting the growing talent and dedication within the university’s sports programme. "This year's tournament was highly contested, with players displaying exceptional skill and close competition, featuring major upsets and a new wave of emerging talent in both the men's and women's events."

The CPUT team secured two gold medals in the men's team event and men's doubles, along with three silver medals in mixed doubles, women's doubles, and men's singles. The men's team, consisting of Scelo Mkhetho, Ntuthuzelo Lusithi, and Everard Isaacs, won gold in the team event, while Ntuthuzelo and Everard claimed a second gold in the men's doubles.

In the women's division, Anande Kuse and Zizipho Ntlali earned silver in the women's doubles. The mixed doubles pair of Anande and Everard also finished with silver, while Ntuthuzelo took silver in the men's singles final.

As the tournament convenor, Ally expressed satisfaction with the event's execution. "The CPUT community came together once again to demonstrate our excellent organisational skills and hospitality. The volunteer support from other departments and the overall impression CPUT sports made on our guests was fantastic, and we all enjoyed top-quality table tennis."

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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Months of training for the University Sports South Africa (USSA) Cycling Tournament have paid off as cyclists showed off their skills during the Protea Toyota short road stage and time trial.

VIEW: Routes of this years tournament is set in some of the most beautiful areas of the Western Cape. Here cyclists are in Ladyloch, an area on the outskirts of Wellington.

The short road stage saw male and female cyclists take on a challenging route in the Ladyloch area, just outside of Wellington. The circuit format race required male riders to take on a distance of 82 km, while the female riders had to complete three laps, totaling 54.8 km.

The last few hundred meters of the race saw riders sprinting out of the pack in order to claim the top prizes.

Michel Coetze, from North West University crossed the finish line first, clinching her second win for the week. Earlier this week this top cyclist took first place in the Nedbank/ Old Mutual Mountain Bike Challenge. Taking first place in the men's’ race was University of Pretoria student, Kevin Patten.

The time trial saw riders sprint over a 6.4 km distance and this year University of Stellenbosch (US) students dominated this stage, with Timothy Butler clinching the first prize in the male event and Ashleigh Blackwell taking the top spot in the female event.

Today cyclists’ endurance will be tested as they compete in the Drakenstein Long Road Stage. This challenging route will see male cyclists complete a 124 km course.

By Candes Keating

Photographs by Clive Galant

Visit the CPUT Facebook page for more pictures of the event.

Written by CPUT News
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CPUT came out tops at this year's Nedbank/ Old Mutual Mountain Bike Challenge, clinching both first and second places.

The race, which is part of the University Sports South Africa (USSA) Cycling Tournament saw riders from universities across the country compete in the men's and women's mountain bike challenges.

ACHIEVEMENT: The winners of the women's Mountain Bike Challenge.

The race saw riders take on several laps of 6.2 kilometers each through Welvanpas, a mountainous terrain just outside of Wellington. This challenging course tested riders’ technical skills as they negotiated the rugged terrain.

The men's event saw riders complete six laps, totaling 37.8km, while the women completed 4 laps, totaling 25.2km.

First across the finish line in the men's event was CPUT student Charles Key, followed by his team-mate Adrian Louw, while UCT’s Dave Morison took third place.

Michel Coetze from North West University won the women’s event, while Emily Clarke from UCT took second place and Anja van Zyl from Stellenbosch University clinched third place.

Winners of the Nedbank/ Old Mutual Mountain Bike Challenge walked away with sponsored entries to the Ride the Rhino race, which takes place later this year.

The challenge is one of several that students will take on during this week. At the end of the week, the university champions will be crowned.

Meanwhile, in Johannesburg, the CPUT Ruby Team won their first match at the USSA Rugby Tournament. The team played Walter Sisulu University Ibika Campus rugby team, winning the game 75-0.

By Candes Keating

Photographs:  Clive Galant

Written by CPUT News
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CPUT teams played well in the recent University Sports South Africa (USSA) Games with the netball team being crowned this year’s champions for the B Division and the rugby boys finishing third.

The ladies were unbeaten in the eight games they played during the tournament and their Goal Attacker Merita Steenkamp was selected onto the USSA Netball Dream Team 2019. Merita, a third- year BEd Senior Phase and FET student, is a versatile attacking player who showed consistency in scoring as well as support in attack throughout the tournament.

“The Dream Team is a selection of players identified by the tournament selectors as the best players in each position at the tournament [but] they do not play in any further competition as a dream team,” said Sport Development Officer, Mohammed Ally. “For CPUT to have any representation on the Dream Team is a huge honour as it shows that our players are among the best student Netball players in the country.”

Having won the B section last year, this was the rugby 15s team’s debut in the A2 section of the USSA tournament held recently at Stellenbosch University.

The CPUT boys were underdogs as they would come up against teams that play in the Varsity Cup Competition, but in the same breath every team would be looking to put one past the newly-crowned Varsity Shield Champs.

The team won 45 – 10 against Varsity College in the opening match and went on to lose 5 – 34 to Central University of Technology before ending the tournament on a high with a 45 – 36 win against the North West University (Vaal).

The Ladies’ Basketball team ended 7th in the tournament and therefore qualified for Varsity Sports in 2020.

Written by Kwanele Butana

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A former Tourism Management student, who plays for a National First Division soccer team, says Varsity Football played a huge role towards him becoming a professional football player.

Bizana Pondo Chiefs player, Bravo Maseti, played in the CPUT first team which made it to the national finals of the University Sports South Africa (USSA) tournament in 2012 and 2014. In 2014 he was the team captain under coach Phila Mabesi.  

Maseti was born in Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape but grew up in Plettenberg Bay.

He says that Varsity Football afforded him an opportunity to play competitive soccer. “We used to play USSA qualifications with other Varsities in the province. When you qualified for [the] USSA national tournament, you play [in] a national tournament which is more competitive and organised.”

The soccer star adds that playing in the national finals of the tournament is where players have to prove that they belong in a professional set-up as the tournament is very tough.

He says he has vivid memories of when he played in the USSA national finals in 2012 at the University of the Western Cape where the CPUT team managed to qualify for the Varsity Cup.

“And in 2014 when we were coached by Phila Mabesi and I was the captain of the team, we managed to qualify for the USSA nationals which where hosted by the Durban University of Technology. I was also selected for a national team.”

He currently plays for Bizana Pondo Chiefs which at the beginning of the 2020/2021 season was promoted to the GladAfrica Championship, the second tier of South African soccer.

Besides playing soccer, Maseti runs coaching clinics and is studying towards a coaching qualification. He is also a personal trainer.

“It is the talent in me that motivated me to play soccer. A talent that I was given by God and I use it to praise Him.”

He adds that the challenges of playing the sport include being nervous before the commencement of games and stressing over the opponents’ match tactics.

Maseti sees himself coaching a team in the next five years, whether in the GladAfrica Championship or the Premier Soccer League, the topflight of national soccer.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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CPUT Table Tennis coach, Mfundo Marasi, was recently elected as the chairperson of University Sports South Africa (USSA) Table Tennis.

Marasi, who hails from Ezibeleni, Komani, in the Eastern Cape, said he felt humbled and honoured to be nominated for the position and to be representing CPUT at national level.

“I won my first gold medal in 1999 at the SASSU (SA Student Sports Union) Games and ever since then I've been a coach/manager/mentor for CPUT Table Tennis on a voluntary basis until I was formally appointed last year.”

His role as USSA table tennis chairperson will be to lead and manage all table tennis activities at university level.

Marasi said the role would also include ensuring that the status of table tennis is elevated from being a recreational sport to being a competitive sport that produces champions to represent the country at national, continental and international level.

Furthermore, his role would be to assemble, manage and prepare a team that will represent South Africa at the World Student Games in 2023.

“Our role at university level is to nurture and develop table tennis to be a sport of choice and [for it to be] treated on the same level as popular sports like football, rugby, soccer and netball. My role is to develop a sport-orientated university community that shows interest in table tennis and balance their time wisely with their academic commitment. We encourage more women participation and involvement in the sport.”

He said strong bonds needed to be formed with local table tennis clubs and federations and good relationships had to be established with the South African Table Tennis Board (SATTB).

“Table Tennis is a great sport that helps and contributes to one's health. It should be played at school, at work, in churches and at all recreational facilities. Creating a healthy sporting nation, will help decrease the level of crime, take kids out of drugs, decrease the high teenage pregnancy rate and also helps kids at school with a healthy body and mind. Only then, academic excellency will be guaranteed.”

Marasi is a father of two daughters, Kamo and Uzuko and describes himself as a change agent.

“I’m a mentor, leader, an optimist by birth, a traditional healer, who is proud of his Xhosa culture. I'm a multi-talented child of God who plays and manages the following sports: rugby, football, athletics, hiking, table tennis and karate. I'm an international volunteer who prides himself about encouraging and promoting the spirit of giving back to my community without expectations.” He said he would give his all to his new role.

“Many thanks and appreciation to Mr Siyabulela Mkhwalo and Mr Mohamed Ally for their support thus far and ensuring CPUT management endorsed and supported my nomination He said he would give his best to represent my CPUT and serve all institutions with humility, pride and distinction.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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It's a significant period for the CPUT Boxing Team, ranked number four by the University Sports South Africa (USSA).

The team put in “blood, sweat, and tears” in preparation to take on boxers from universities across the country at the University of Mpumalanga at the end of April.

“We have already started with our programme and participated in two tournaments already – one in Durbanville on 26 February and another in Dunoon on 5 March.  On the 12th of March, we will be fighting in Khayelitsha,” said Mvemve Mdingi, the team manager.

Mdingi, also the Faculty of Education Senior Phase Lecturer and Further Education and Training write-out Co-ordinator, said they welcome every student interested in becoming a world champion one day and accept both starters and experienced boxers.

“We would like to welcome all students, both males and females, to join our sport of boxing. Boxing is one of the sporting codes that encourages discipline and self-determination. It is good for self-defence and fitness. Let us help you learn how to be a champion. This year, we have a very busy calendar, and our boxers participate in district, provincial, and national SANABO [South African National Boxing Organisation] championships. Some of our boxers have been selected to participate in the Western Cape Open Boxing Champions League from 21 March 2022 until 17 December 2022.” 

The team trains from Monday to Friday from 17:00 to 19:00 at the Bellville campus Stadium Club House.

The team performed very well in the USSA 2021 games held in December in Richards Bay, coming home with nine medals, one gold, five silver and three bronze. Lumka Mswelanto received the medal for Best Female Coach of the Tournament, while Aphiwe Ntluzwana was elected as USSA's national executive.

Mdingi boasted that a B Ed (Intermediate Phase Teaching) student, Likho Nxele competed in the SANABO National Youth and Elite Championships and received a gold medal.  “She then went on to represent South Africa in the international African Union Sports Council Region 5 Games held in Lesotho, where she received a silver medal.”

AUSC is composed of 10 African Countries in the SADC region.  Mdingi added: “There is a great potential that she will be going to England to compete in the Commonwealth Games in July this year. Mdingi expressed his gratitude for the support given to boxing by the Head of the Sports Department, Siyabulela Mkhwalo.

“CPUT has great potential and talent, and once the COVID-19 pandemic lets go of us, a lot can be achieved. The plan is to grow boxing into other campuses like Mowbray and District Six in 2022 to increase competition,” Mdingi continued.

“Boxing is one of the best sports in helping anger management which is one of the reasons that we have lots of people in prisons. Boxing also teaches students the importance of practising and preparing to achieve goals.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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