Education and Social Sciences student Mario Isaacs was recently awarded a laptop computer from educational finance organisation Eduloan, in recognition of his sterling academic record and positive approach to his studies.

Eduloan CEO Johan Wasserfall handed over the laptop at a small ceremony on Bellville Campus on 10 March 2010. The ceremony was also attended by Dean of Student Cora Njoli-Motale, Director of Finance Vernon van der Linde as well as Vincent Landey, Head of the Further Education and Training Department on Wellington Campus.

Isaacs, who obtained cum laude results during all years of his degree, intends to teach computer application technology. He said the new computer would therefore be extremely useful during his internship.

“If you work hard, anything is possible,” he said.

According to Landey, Isaacs holds, as his personal philosophy, the concept: “If you want to be the best, you must do more than the rest.”

Issaacs and Landey both thanked Eduloan for their longstanding support of CPUT students and for the contribution the organisation is making to education.

Eduloan has financed R2 billion in loans to approximately 500 000 South African students since it was founded in 1996.

The organisation is currently embarking on an initiative in which each of its partner institutions has been given to opportunity to bestow a laptop on the student that the university considers to be most deserving of the prize.

Selected students at the University of Pretoria, Central University of Technology and Walter Sisulu University received laptops from Eduloan earlier this year.

Written by CPUT News

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CPUT plays a leading role in developing handball in the Western Cape and this July had the opportunity to host the University Sports South Africa Handball Tournament. 

The week-long event took place at the Bellville Campus and saw teams from Walter Sisulu University (WSU),University of Fort Hare (UFH), University of Venda (UniVen) and CPUT compete for top honours.

The tournament was filled with excitement and this year’s highlight was the final match, which saw CPUT men’s team go up against their counterparts from the UFH.

At halftime the CPUT team was trailing the eventual winners by a goal as the score read 9 – 10. But in the second half the hosts came back rejuvenated and were scoring goals and dictating the terms of the match.

The turning point of the match came when the hosts were leading 16 – 15 and one of their players was issued with a red card for dissent. UFH then took advantage of the one man difference between the two teams and piled the pressure on CPUT. 

CPUT men’s team were crowned runners-up, while the CPUT ladies’ team clinched fourth place at the tournament.

The result of the final matches were as follows:

•     CPUT men 17 – 18 UFH
•       CPUT women 9 – 12 UniVen

Written by Kwanele Butana
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Defending champions FNB CPUT will go head to head with FNB WSU (Walter Sisulu University) in what promises to be an epic Varsity Shield final.

The final battle is scheduled to take place at 7 pm at Tuks Stadium on Sunday, 9 May and will be broadcast on Supersport channel 211.

The Tekkies, as the FNB CPUT is affectionately known, have been impressive this season and are second on the log. The team won all but one of their matches, losing only against their final opponent, FNB WSU in round 6.

The team performed as follows in the first six rounds:

• Round 1: FNB CPUT 36 – FNB UFH 20
• Round 2: FNB CPUT 68 – FNB Rhodes 8
• Round 3: FNB CPUT 109 – FNB DUT 6
• Round 4: FNB CPUT 54 – FNB TUT 20
• Round 5: FNB CPUT 53 – FNB UKZN 12
• Round 6: FNB CPUT 5 – FNB WSU 39

There will be no promotion or relegation after the 2021 season. Instead, the bottom two teams on the combined 2021-2022 FNB Varsity Cup log will be relegated to the FNB Varsity Shield, while the last-placed team on the combined 2021-2022 FNB Varsity Shield log will fall out of the tournament.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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FNB CPUT claimed victory last night after beating FNB WSU in a nail-biting Varsity Shield final at Tuks Stadium.

Winger Nathan Nkutu scored a late extra-time try to secure the win for the defending champions.  

Walter Sisulu University (WSU) had fought back from 23-6 down midway through the second half to draw level after 66 minutes. FNB WSU captain Litha Nkula then missed two late penalty goal attempts to win it, with the game going into extra time.

Nkula was on target with a penalty in the first half of extra time but it was Nkutu who snatched victory for FNB CPUT with a 99th-minute try.

It took five minutes of this match for the defending champions to show off their attacking prowess as they faked a driving maul to send the pass out wide to wing Asisipho Malotana, who threw off a tackle to touch down. Flyhalf Feghon-Leigh Snyders missed the extras but did add a penalty six minutes later to make it a two-score game. 

CPUT Tekkies were dealt a blow when hooker Siyasanga Ngubelanga was shown a yellow card for repeated team infringements, but their defence proved solid as a rock as WSU All Blacks could only land two penalties via the boot of Nkula.

Lock Ameer Hendricks then scored FNB CPUT's second try from a charged down kick as they took a 15-6 lead into the break.

Snyders upped the ante for the CPUT Tekkies in the second half, crossing for a brilliant five-pointer before knocking over a clutch drop goal minutes later.

The WSU All Blacks finally secured their first try just after the second strategy break when wing Sakhele Ngeno raced over the chalk so quickly that he had trouble stopping to actually score. Nkula had no issues in converting. 

FNB CPUT lost Mputa to a yellow card in the 62nd minute and FNB WSU did not need to RSVP to the party as Nkula slotted his third penalty before scrumhalf Eric Mcaphukana dotted down from a dominant 5m scrum. Nkula's conversion levelled the scores to ensure a spicy hot final 10 minutes. 

After a disallowed try to Nkula – who was penalised for kicking the ball out of an FNB WSU player's hands – and Nkula's two late penalty misses, the final was forced into two, 10-minute extra-time halves.

Nkula slotted a penalty within three minutes, but it was Nkutu who would determine the defending champions' fortune, racing into the right-hand corner to score the match-winner. 

Snyders added the conversion as the CPUT Tekkies successfully defended their 2019 title after last year's tournament was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

FNB CPUT’s Sesona Macala won the 2021 FNB Varsity Shield Overall Player That Rocks award.

 FNB CPUT hooker Siyasanga Ngubelanga won the FNB Forward That Rocks award. Ngubelanga scored six tries in this year’s FNB Varsity Shield, including four against the FNB DUT Rhinos and two against the FNB TUT Vikings.

• FNB Player That Rocks: Nathan Nkutu (FNB CPUT)
  FNB CPUT – Tries: Asisipho Malotana, Mogamat Ameer Hendricks, Feghon-Leigh Snyders, Nathan Nkutu. Conversions: Snyders (2). Penalty: Snyders. Drop goal: Snyders.
  FNB WSU All Blacks – Tries: Sakhele Ngeno, Eric Mcaphukana. Conversions: Litha Nkula (2). Penalties: Nkula (4).

Written by CPUT News

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The new Dean of the Faculty of Education, Prof Andile Mji, believes that teaching and learning with technology and empowering the next generation of Educators in South Africa will be the Faculty’s contribution towards accomplishing CPUT’s vision.

“I see CPUT as one of the great Universities of Technology in the country,” said Mji. “The vision of being Africa’s leading Smart University of Technology, globally renowned for innovation, with graduates that shape a better world for humanity, attracted me to the university.”

Mji, who joined CPUT during this University term, has spent several years in higher education (HE), having worked at the University of Transkei (now Walter Sisulu University), University of South Africa (Unisa) and Tshwane University of Technology (TUT).

Mji added that he found that everyone at CPUT had been very welcoming. “Some colleagues from different environments within the university have wished me well,” he continued. “I noticed in all their well wishes and welcoming statements that they said welcome to the CPUT family. So, my first impression is being acknowledged as a family member.

He believes that his experience in HE means that he is familiar with and thoroughly knows the South African HE landscape.

“I am a Mathematics Education Professor with extensive publications and supervision in the area, he added. “I have worked at the management level as an Assistant Dean for 16 years at TUT. In addition, l possess an MBA from Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland. I suppose then my contribution will be in focused leadership meant to take the Faculty of Education (and the University) to greater heights by ensuring that we excel in our core business of teaching and learning, research as well as community service.

He joined TUT in 2005 as a professor at Unisa, where his last designation was associate professor. “At TUT, I worked as an assistant dean all my years.”

The Business Incubation Web Association (BIWA) recently held its inaugural Annual International Conference on Business and Innovation at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha.

The conference, chaired by Dr Thobekani Lose, Chairperson of BIWA and CPUT alumnus marked a significant milestone in the association’s mission to foster entrepreneurship, incubation, and innovation across South Africa. BIWA represents a collaborative initiative between Nelson Mandela University, Walter Sisulu University, and CPUT. The three institutions formalised their partnership with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in 2023, which led to the creation of BIWA. The Executive Director in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Driekie Hay-Swemmer said: “This partnership underscores the shared commitment to driving entrepreneurial and innovative advancements aimed at socio-economic growth.”

CPUT had a strong presence at the event, with representatives who included Hay-Swemmer, Prof Dina Burger, Director: Directorate Research Development, and Acting Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships. Additionally, some staff members from the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences were in attendance, such as Head of the Department of Entrepreneurship, Chris Cupido and Andiswa Mrasi, Manager of the Unit for Strategic Initiatives and Projects. Sivuyise Mbedla founder of OnlyFriends Entertainment, and a member of CPUT’s Business Innovation and Incubation Centre (BIIC), was also among the notable speakers.

The conference featured in-depth discussions, by addressing critical topics surrounding entrepreneurship's role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals. Key focus areas included tackling poverty, reducing inequality, and promoting economic growth. The sessions further explored how entrepreneurship can stimulate industry innovation, infrastructure development, and address the challenge of unemployment.

“CPUT’s Faculty of Business and Management Sciences is proud to have contributed to the success of this historic event. The University reaffirms its commitment to fostering entrepreneurship, innovation, and strategic partnerships as key drivers of sustainable socio-economic development,” Mrasi noted.

Written by CPUT News
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