On Monday, 16 November, 165 beds and mattresses were distributed to various organisations, spread across the province. The work of the SLCEU involves the formation of partnerships between all sectors of government, the community, university staff and students, to respond to societal challenges in communities through meaningful projects. Theresa Burns from the SLCEU coordinated the activities on site to ensure that the project was administered according to institutional requirements.
A range of organisations received beds and mattresses, including organisations providing services to the elderly, the homeless, orphans and to those recovering from substance abuse and gender-based violence.
Phillip Chibvuri, Residence Finance Specialist in the Business Unit, said: “We remain determined to see through this on-going project of making our living and learning spaces more conducive for baking the best graduates we can with the resources and initiatives we can explore. We are now close to 70% completion in replacing all CPUT owned beds and mattresses across all our campuses. This replacement project paves the way for a wide range of possibilities and other complimentary projects to come in our bid to ensure our clients, our future graduates, get the best experience with our brand as we continue to ‘create futures’”.
One of the highlights of the project was when Resident Student Assistant, Khumbulani Chimusaro, a Civil Engineering student, mobilised a group of student volunteers from the residences to assist community members to load the beds and mattresses onto the trucks at the Bellville campus.
“The leadership, kindness and respect displayed by the students was heart- warming and impressed the community organisations,” said Jacqui Scheepers, SLCEU Manager, adding that “it gave much hope for the future of the country”.
CPUT’s Student Ubuntu Ambassador, Ntombozuko Bota, from The Hope Foundation, a student-led organisation, assisted with identifying organisations and Masters in Energy student, Muster Madavha, coordinated some of the logistics on site and volunteered to help organisations load the trucks on arrival. Another student-led organisation that participated was Umsimbithi Foundation.
The Community Policing Forum (CPF), Langebaan, were amongst the organisations who partnered with CPUT. The CPF’s Debbie and Peter Liebenberg conveyed their thanks to CPUT “for making a difference to 50 of our community members who received much-needed beds and mattresses in Sea Breeze Park on Thursday, 19 November 2020, where beds were distributed in 15 minutes and brought comfort to so many community members”.
The Breede Valley Municipality also conveyed its thanks stating that: “It could not have come at a more appropriate time as our shelter was in need of beds”.
Project partner, Lovetta Bolters from Camissa Solutions, expressed her gratitude for the role that CPUT plays in ‘not just talking about giving back but acting on their commitment to their communities’.
“We are looking forward to building our footprint to include more projects in rural and remote areas in the province. In order to contribute positively to the upliftment of our communities, we all need to practice the spirit of Ubuntu, especially during these uncertain times. It will be an absolute pleasure to continue this journey of meaningful engagement with our communities,” said Scheepers. The project will continue in December with many more organisations already lined up to receive beds and mattresses from CPUT.
