Open Day 2009 proved to be a huge success, attracting close to 8 000 learners from across the Western Cape

This annual event is the largest student recruitment drive undertaken by the institution.

It provides Grade 10, 11 and 12 learners with the opportunity to obtain first-hand information regarding the more than 70 programmes on offer at CPUT.

This year’s event, which was held in the Major Sports Hall at the Bellville Campus, kicked off on 14 May and ran over three days.

School Liaison Officer and organiser of the Open Day, Grant Barends said: “We had an amazing response to this year’s event.”

Barends said schools turned out in large numbers, with some bringing more than 200 learners to visit the Open Day.

“We also had a large number of individuals visiting the Open Day,” he said.

This year, departments pulled out all the stops in designing and putting together their exhibition stands.

The Faculty of Engineering exhibition stands allowed learners the opportunity to explore engineering equipment and get a behind the scenes view of the latest technological innovations

Engineering lecturer, Vuyani Moni, who manned the Mechanical Engineering stand said: “The learners were impressed with what they saw.”

Departments within the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences also showcased what students could expect if they follow one of the programmes the department has to offer.

Students at the Somatology stand put their skills into practice by providing free treatments, while students at the Dental Sciences stand performed demonstrations on how to manufacture dentures.

The Faculty of Education and Social Sciences promoted teaching while the Faculty of Applied Sciences gave learners the opportunity to view live experiments.

Departments within the Faculty of Business promoted the exciting world of Marketing, Events Managements, Tourism and several other programmes.

Eye-catching displays at the Faculty of Informatics and Design area highlighted the creativity of the staff and students behind the scenes.

Public Relations lecturer, Ayesha Toyer, who coordinated the faculties’ stands, said they enlisted first year Public Relations students to come up with a concept for the various departments.

Information Technology covered the wall of its stand with neon green ciphers, reminiscent of the film “The Matrix"".

The Interior Design stand was transformed into an elegant lounge area, while the Public Relations stand took on a circus theme, providing learners with goodie bags and popcorn.

Visitors to the event were also entertained by Radio Good Hope FM, who broadcasted their shows from CPUT.

School Liaison Officer, Marilyn Cloete, said: “The departments really went out of their way to make their stalls attractive.”

Cloete said CPUT students also “done the institution proud” by promoting the courses.

Stands at the Open day were judged by a panel of independent judges. The Judges looked at creativity, innovation and if they stand represented what the course was about.

The following departments clinched top prizes for their stands.

• First Prize – Interior Design (Faculty of Informatics and Design)
• Second Prize – Public Relations (Faculty of Informatics and Design)
• Third Prize – Emergency Medical Sciences (Faculty of Health and Wellness)

By Candes Keating <

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The Mowbray Campus recently unveiled an exhibition of the history of teacher training colleges in education in the Western Cape. The exhibition was a timeline of teacher training colleges that dated back to the early 1800’s.

In honour of these training colleges Prof Maureen Robinson, Dean of the Education Faculty and Mr John Lewin, a former lecturer at the Faculty of Education, Johannesburg College of Education and English teacher participated in the unveiling of the exhibition.

Mr John Lewin presented the exhibition to members of staff and guests. “The exhibition was an attempt to signify the three R’s - Remembering, Recognising the contribution of those teachers and Recording the past,” said Mr Lewin.

The exhibition consisted of photos and pictures that portrayed teacher education in that era. It demonstrated the role of different themes such as churches during the teacher training college period. The exhibition displayed origins and closures of teacher training colleges, and how the laws of the country viewed it.

“So little was recorded on teacher training colleges. We appeal to the public who may have anything appropriate in their possession, to contribute to the cause,“ said Mr John Lewin. “Mr Lewin captured more than just a chronology of teacher’s colleges but a deeper connectedness that they had with people.

Each time a college closed there were emotional involvements. Where would we be if colleges were not sabotaged? Teachers now have an unclear identity”, said Dr John Volmink, Principal and CEO of the Cornerstone Christian College who rendered the key-note address.

Professor Robinson is compiling a publication that will remind teachers of their humility and honour the lives of teachers during the era of the teacher training colleges.

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The midyear holidays saw the Cape Town Campus of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology open its doors to 440 dedicated school learners for the annual Association for Educational Transformation (ASSET) Winter School programme.

ASSET is an NGO which provides educational opportunities to scholars from disadvantaged communities in the Western Cape.

The Winter School, which is aimed at offering extra tuition to Grade 11 and 12 learners from fourteen different development schools in the Western Cape focuses on providing extra tuition and preparing learners for the final Matric examinations. Subjects that are offered include Mathematics, Physical Science, Economics, Accounting and Life Skills. According to George Mvalo, Marketing Liaison Officer at the Research and Development department at CPUT, the course has a strong focus on goal setting and conflict resolution.

“One week of school holidays allows children to be productively engaged in worthwhile activity whilst exposing learners to a tertiary institution, which acts as an incentive for further study,” said Mvalo. He added, “The winter School is a highlight in the lives of many of these children and provides an opportunity for them to dream about their future.”

A comment made by one of the learners who attended the school certainly backed up Mvalo’s statement about the school being a “highlight”. “I liked meeting new people and making friends. The teachers were friendly and the accommodation was incredible. I hated the going home time.”

CPUT has been actively involved with ASSET and the Winter School programme for over a decade providing a service to learners in the developing Western Cape region contributing to their growth and development.

By Tyrone Van Heerden, Marketing and Communication Department

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CPUT Libraries is celebrating the success of its Digital Knowledge (DK) site, with the number of academic text downloads registered by the site sailing well past the 10 000 milestone.

The site was launched in September last year as a means for CPUT staff members and students to publish theses, academic papers and other publications to a digital library that could be accessed by both a local and an international audience.

By 11 January 2010, the site reported that users had downloaded academic texts 12 000 times. A report by Google Analytics tracking site visits since the September launch stated that the site had been visited by users from 109 countries, including the US, UK and India.

According to DK’s reporting systems, the most popular CPUT download for the period 11 December 2009 to 11 January 2010 was a dissertation by Patience Aseweh Abor titled “Medical waste management at Tygerberg hospital in the Western Cape, South Africa.” The item was accessed 201 times in the four-week period.

The growing collection of CPUT items hosted by Digital Knowledge is the result of the efforts of Faculty staff members, who have contributed poster presentations, articles, conference proceedings and speeches, and Library staff members who have assisted academic staff, and undertaken the laborious process of scanning documents for the collection.

According to Deborah Becker, who serves as the Digital Knowledge co-ordinator for CPUT Libraries, the University has digitised most of its collection of pre-2005 Peninsula Technikon theses and loaded them into the Digital Knowledge database.

“12 000 downloads emphasises the visibility Digital Knowledge offers and the value of adding items to the collection,” said Becker.

“The library would like to thank staff and students who are contributing to the development of the database.”

The Library is still scanning its collection of Cape Technikon and CPUT theses. Becker, and fellow Library staff member Imraan Baderoen plan to have these texts uploaded by the end of 2010.

Other plans for 2010 include growing the site’s collection of historical photographs and documents and rolling out a means of recording citations in DK,

The Library recently also added a number of e-books to the DK site, which are available for free to staff and students.

The CPUT DK site is hosted by USA-based online publisher Berkeley Electronic Press and is based on the organisation’s Digital Commons platform.

Students and staff members wishing to contribute items to DK can access the site directly at http://dk.cput.ac.za/ or contact Imraan Baderoen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further assistance. For technical enquiries, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Note that to access Digital Knowledge, some users may need to adjust their browser settings.

By Ilana Abratt

Photograph: CPUT Libraries staff members Imraan Baderoen and Deborah Becker are hard at work digitising the University’s collection of dissertations and uploading the texts to Digital Knowledge.

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From biscuits to peanut butter and cereal, researchers at the Functional Foods Research Unit have come up with a unique product range to ensure children get the right dose of micronutrients such as minerals, Vitamin A and E.

The development of the product range stems from the Nutri-Caro E patent, a unique formula that contains a blend of carotenes, minerals, and Vitamin E, which was developed by Prof Spinney Benade and Dr Maretha Opperman.

Benade says their research activities are all “need driven” and when a clinical trial they conducted in the Eastern Cape revealed a high rate of Vitamin E deficiency in children, the unit set about to address this problem.

“Vitamin E is crucial for the neurological development of children. So we had to do something to help these children at an early stage, otherwise their development will be affected,” says Benade.

The researchers developed a biscuit using their unique formula and over a period of six months pre-schoolers in an Eastern Cape community consumed two biscuits a day.

At the start of the clinical trial, tests revealed that 71% of the participants had a vitamin E deficiency. However, after six months of daily eating the biscuit, Benade says the vitamin E deficiency dropped to 6%.

When consumption stopped, the vitamin E as well as vitamin A deficiencies tended to return.

Benade says the biscuits have been well received by the participants.

“We produce targeted products that are backed up with scientific research,” he says.

Opperman says apart from the biscuit, they also developed a peanut butter spread, infant cereal and a pre-mix that can be added as an ingredient to recipes.

Opperman says the products have been developed specifically for the non-profit sector, who is involved in various communities and school feeding schemes.

The products have already been rolled out in the Western Cape and have been well received.

*For more information on the Functional Food Research Unit see: http://www.cput.ac.za/academic/faculties/appliedsciences/research/ffru

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

University management, along with the universities across the Western Cape, made a decision on June 7 to close campuses as a result of the severe weather warnings issued. 

Today (June 8) all university activities, including scheduled exams, continue as usual. Please discuss any concerns or queries directly with your lecturers or Head of Department.

Many Thanks

Marketing and Communication Department

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The Western Cape could soon become the manufacturing hub of evacuated tube solar water heaters.

These devices are the newest form of solar water heaters and are globally becoming the number one choice for those in the market for cost-effective heating alternatives.

CPUT along with Trihelix International Business Developers in China, which comprises of Trihelix Company Ltd, Himin Solar Co and Shanduka Energy, are collaborating on Project Sunshine, an initiative that could see the development of a solar water heater manufacturing plant in the Western Cape.

CPUT has been tasked with research and development of the devices and has already set up a testing facility at the Mechanical Engineering Building that is managed by lecturer Fareed Ismail along with several postgraduate and undergraduate engineering students.

“We don’t know how these devices will work in our climate and are currently conducting tests to determine the viability of the evacuated tube solar water heaters in a South African climate,” says Ismail.

The devices are made up of a several panels and interlocking tubes that are designed to trap the sun’s radiation and heat water that is pushed through the tubes. The heated water is collected in a low or high-pressure geyser.

Operational Manager at Trihelix, Cedrick Hendriks, says Project Sunshine holds huge benefits for the local community with up to 300 new job opportunities at the plant as well as a further 4 000 in related sector.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

CPUT is the largest university in the Western Cape, with campuses and service points located across the province.

The Boland region is home to the picturesque Wellington Campus where a range of courses in the faculties of Applied Sciences, Business as well as Education and Social Sciences is offered.

This campus is renowned for its vibrant student community that is active in an array of community engagement programmes, which range from tutoring learners at rural schools to facilitating sport and art programmes in impoverished communities in the region.

The campus also houses the internationally recognised Centre for Multigrade Education that was established in 2009. The centre is the only of its kind in Africa that focuses on the development of frameworks and policies for quality instruction and learning in multigrade education.

Students at the campus also have access to state-of-the-art facilities, such as an experimental wine cellar that is used as a training facility for students following the National Diploma in Agriculture – Viticulture and Oenology, and a wide range of sporting facilities.

Maps and contact details for the Wellington Campus

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

Home to more than 30,000 students, CPUT is the largest university of technology in the region and has several campuses and satellite sites, stretching from the Cape Town city centre to as far as George in the Southern Cape.

Each campus boasts unique characteristics and functions.

Bellville Campus

This campus is the administrative hub of the institution and is home to the following:

• The world renowned French South African Institute of Technology, which produced and launched Africa’s first nanosatellite.
• The Electrical Engineering Building, which is CPUT’s largest teaching and research facility.

Cape Town Campus

The city’s most popular landmark, Table Mountain, is a backdrop to this campus. It accommodates the following:

• The university’s largest faculty, the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences.
• The Faculty of Informatics and Design.
• A select number of courses offered by the Faculties of Applied Sciences and Health and Wellness Sciences are offered on the campus.

Wellington Campus

This campus is situated in the centre of the Boland town and has become known for:

• Producing teachers trained in the Afrikaans medium.
• Training the next generation of leaders in the agriculture sector.

Mowbray Campus

The Faculty of Education recently expanded is facilities with building work completed last year. This campus is renowned for:

• Annually producing the largest number of teaching graduates in the Western Cape.
• The state-of-the-art Human Performance Laboratory and the Centre for International Teacher Education.

Athlone Campus, Worcester and George satellite campuses

• These three campuses produce nursing staff for the country’s health sector.

Granger Bay Campus

The stylish Hotel School Restaurant is the main attraction of this campus, which overlooks Robben Island. It also houses the following:

• The renowned Cape Town Hotel School.
• The Maritime Engineering Department and the Survival Centre.

Groote Schuur and Tygerberg Hospital

• The Department of Medical Imaging and Therapeutic Sciences is located on the premises of Groote Schuur Hospital in Observatory.
• The Dental Sciences Department is based at the Tygerberg Hospital and gives students the opportunity to work directly with patients and medical staff.

Roeland Street Building

• Students and staff from Journalism, Photography, Public Relations and Multimedia call this campus home.

Media City

• Media City is based on the Foreshore and accommodates students and staff of the Architecture, Town and Regional Planning, and Interior Design schools.

For campus contact details see: http://www.cput.ac.za/about-cput/cput-at-a-glance/contact-details

Written by Ilse Fredericks

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A Complicated pregnancy and a son who was born prematurely at 30 weeks, weighing only 739g, couldn’t deter CPUT alumna Christynn Jacobs’ plan of becoming the first black female jam manufacturer in South Africa and building a legacy for “our children and the generations to come”.

The Hermanus-born businesswoman grew up in a beautiful, small fishing village called Hawston, where she attended the local primary school. She matriculated at Hermanus High School in 2003. In 2004, Jacobs enrolled for a Bachelor’s degree in Science at Stellenbosch University, but she dropped out as “I was still unsure of what career path I wanted to follow”. She took a gap year before deciding to pursue a career in food, so she enrolled at CPUT in 2006, where she completed her BTech in Food Technology in 2009.

After her studies, Jacobs worked very hard at building a successful career.  “I worked in the food industry for about 10 years. I focussed on gaining as much experience as possible to ultimately work for myself, which meant making sacrifices and working hard, long and after hours. I managed to build a very comfortable life and decided to risk it all to start my own business.”

Her humble beginnings in Hawston, which is a very close-knit community, and where people look out for each other has nurtured Jacobs to “stay humble and always remember where I come from”.

 “I was very fortunate to grow up in a large, loving family that was always supportive.  I learned a lot from them.  People are very dear to my heart, so I need to give back to my community,” she enthuses.

The hardworking, tenacious 35-year-old entrepreneur who sets very high standards for herself and others and her husband, Nigel, also her business partner, registered their Jacobs Jam Company in 2019.  Shortly after, the couple learned that they were expecting their firstborn child. During this time, they were busy setting up the business, which included writing the business plan, sourcing finance, developing products, sourcing and designing the equipment and processes, etc. “I had a complicated pregnancy, and our son was born prematurely at 30 weeks, weighing only 739 grams. He was in the Intensive Care Unit for 72 days. This meant the family room at the hospital became our office and boardroom. It was a very challenging time, but we managed to push through and make it work.”

Their “very first commercial production run was on 6 November 2020, and almost exactly a year later, on the 26th of November 2021, we obtained the titles of Entrepreneurs of the Year 2021, Best Emerging Business and Best Overall Business at the Western Cape Entrepreneurial Awards. This was an extremely proud moment”.

“Starting this business has given me independence and the creative freedom to apply my skills and knowledge to make decisions crucial to the business's success. I get to work in the field, and that is my passion. Most importantly, I wanted to be more flexible and spend more time with my family. By starting this business, I’ve achieved that, and there’s nothing more rewarding,” Jacobs continues.

“It is important to work hard to make a comfortable living, but working yourself to death and not enjoying the fruits of your labour is pointless.” 

Up until now their business focus has been on manufacturing jam and mainly for the Western Cape, however they would like to grow the business, expand into other regions, and increase their product lines.  “I’m currently working on developing other products, such as juices, sauces and bompies (ice lollies), which will launch later this year. The fundamentals, mentorship, and support that I received not only from the university but also from my partner Nigel, who is also an alumnus of CPUT, is pivotal.  It enabled us to start a business from scratch and make it the success it is today.”

She attributes her success to hard work, perseverance and sacrifice. “For me, it’s essential to build a solid foundation for my children and give them opportunities I didn’t necessarily have.

“The next mega food group must still be born, and we’re determined to be it.”  The couple has worked for big companies and climbed the corporate ladder to the top. “I, being a food technologist, and his background as a fast-moving consumer goods marketer is a rare find. It just made sense to combine our expertise and knowledge of the industry to start our own business within the food industry.”

Reflecting on juggling work and family, Jacobs says: “We’re always jamming at Jacobs household. When I am not at work, I spend quality time with my family, whether doing activities at home or going out and enjoying what our beautiful region offers.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

A delegation from Indiana State University recently visited CPUT as part of a study group tour of four South African universities.

The objective of the visit was to learn about South African history and culture and to understand the different institutional cultures, according to Dr Tasmeera Singh, Manager of international Relations in the Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships Directorate.

They visited three universities in the Western Cape and the University of Pretoria in Gauteng.

Prof Hanlie Dippenaar, Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Education, said the visit also served to introduce the Faculty to their colleagues from Indiana State University, and to explore possible collaboration between the two institutions.

“Such collaboration can enrich the educational experiences of staff and students by offering diverse perspectives and cultural insights to students and Faculty alike. We as a Faculty are interested in exploring joint projects and initiatives, fostering innovation and addressing complex global challenges through collective efforts. “Ultimately, such opportunities cultivate a network of international scholars, graduates, and professionals, promoting cross-cultural understanding and contributing to the goal of internationalisation, which is a priority in the Faculty of Education.”

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In an effort to enhance a relationship between traditional healers, small scale farmers and CPUT, the Department of Horticultural Sciences recently held a training workshop for these stakeholders.

The workshop was also held to conserve endangered and extinct medicinal plants and promote the organic cultivation of these plants by traditional healers and small-scale farmers,

Professor in Horticultural Science, Learnmore Kambizi said the workshop on Training on Medicinal Plants Cultivation was a huge success. The response from the community members was overwhelming. “We envisaged training a total of 30 traditional healers and small-scale farmers, but the workshop was over-subscribed with some [interested individuals] being turned down. The active participation by PhD students is worth noting,” said Kambizi. He added that during the discussion session after practical demonstrations, there was a huge request by the community for “our department to offer a short course on medicinal plant cultivation. Academics who attended the workshop included Prof Felix Nchu and Dr John October, the head of department.

Kambizi also revealed that he agreed to start working on crafting the short course. “Our department is very committed to work with our communities. In fact, the recent workshop was a follow-up to some that we have conducted previously.”

PhD candidate, Sibusiso Xego, added that the workshop was also part of her project under the supervision of Kambizi and Nchu. The workshop was also a follow-up training session, providing practical demonstrations on techniques to cultivate medicinal plants. The facilitators included Pumla Staffa and Sinovuyo Ncuku.

Xego distributed questionnaires to gather information about the use of medicinal plants in the Western Cape, including the most commonly used plants and the feasibility of cultivating them. The workshop provided practical demonstrations on techniques to cultivate medicinal plants.

“As a token of appreciation, all participants received plant material to start cultivating in their home spaces…” Xego said the workshop demonstrated a “strong interest and need for this partnership”.

The training workshop was also attended by Chief Vulikhaya Sihluku and Dr Mavuso, Gqola, both from the Traditional Healers Organisation. The workshop featured a diverse age range among the attendees, spanning from 16-year-olds to individuals over 60, representing various races and cultures.

The outcomes of the workshop include:

• Four new medicinal plant gardens will be established in different areas of the Western Cape.
• Traditional healers will have access to commonly used medicinal plants.
• Traditional healers' planting and cultivation skills will be enhanced.
• A relationship between CPUT, small-scale farmers and traditional healers will be initiated.
• Research collaborations will be initiated to conserve medicinal plants.
• These initiatives will help reduce the overharvesting of wild stocks of medicinal plants.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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Bellville Campus was abuzz with excitement when about 200 learners from across the Western Cape participated in the first provincial Coding and Robotic Hackathon.

The theme for the event centred around Building a Smart Home for Mrs Sarah Jacobs, an elderly woman who faces daily challenges due to her health conditions. Western Cape Education Department (WCED) Chief Education Specialist Ebrahim Peck said: "You, young innovators are tasked with designing solutions to make her life easier and safer.”

Peck continued: “By designing a smart home for Mrs Jacobs, you are contributing to creating more inclusive and accessible living spaces for everyone. It’s a small step towards a bigger change.”

The Grade 3 and 4 learners tackled unplugged challenges while Grade 7 to 9 learners tackled prototyping smart home solutions. In this high-energy event, learners ideated and formed teams to tackle specific challenges within a constrained timeframe. Partakers leaped into real-world problems, applying their skills to develop innovative solutions. Students from the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment adjudicated the innovative projects, giving learners the opportunity for exceptional exposure.

Deputy Chief Education Specialist: Coding and Robotics Intermediate Phase: WCED, Ashric Don, said the hackathon had been WCED’s dream since last year to bring the children together in one place to solve real problems. Don said the learners had undergone training before the event.

On the event day, the learners presented their final products to the audience. Peck said the event was about innovation, creativity and collaboration. “This hackathon isn’t just another competition; it’s a chance to solve real-world problems using technology, creativity, and teamwork.”

Don also thanked CPUT for opening its doors to learners, and for exposing learners to a university environment. “We wanted a university to host it, and there is a two-fold effect, because many of our learners have never seen a university and we wanted that experience to be part of the day. They come to the university, walk around this department, see what Engineering is all about, and work with Engineering students who are part of the judges. That is another part of this event being hosted at CPUT.”

He added: “I am grateful to CPUT’s leaders for opening the doors for us, Dr Marco Adonis, Prof Suresh Ramsuroop: Dean: Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment and [CPUT] Education Faculty. I am hopeful that we can take this partnership for further competitions.

Peck encouraged the learners to “take a dive in with enthusiasm”. “Take risks, be bold in your ideas, and most importantly, have fun. Remember this is a day for exploration and innovation. To our parents, teachers and guests, thank you for supporting these incredible learners. Your encouragement and guidance are invaluable”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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