Cape Peninsula University of Technology

CPUT is expecting about 34 968 students to register for the 2023 academic year when the registration process commences as early as 30 January.

The Institution expects about 8 721 new students (undergraduates) and 25 910 returning students who consist of undergraduates and postgraduates. The timelines have been outlined in the 2023 registration booklet and may vary within faculties. The registration booklet is downloadable from the following link: Registration - CPUT.

Admissions and Registrations Centre Manager, Sonja Swanich, says the students can register from anywhere and do not have to report to campus. Swanich says all registration will be conducted online only unless otherwise indicated in the 2023 registration booklet, which is downloadable from the CPUT website link.

She says the students who have applied and meet the entrance requirements and have been fully accepted are allowed to register, “unless there is a restriction on their record prohibiting them from doing so – please refer to the 2023 registration booklet obtainable from the CPUT website”.

“CPUT is facing load shedding challenges, but the registration team is working very hard to ensure that all students receive the best service regardless of this challenge. Students are also reminded that they can apply and register from anywhere and do not have to report to campus,” Swanich says in her message to the prospective CPUT students and returning students.

She adds that she expects faculties to meet their enrolment targets. Furthermore, Swanich says the late applications are to follow the process as outlined in the late application guideline that will be announced on the CPUT website link Late Applications - CPUT.

The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), the world’s largest anti-fraud organization and leading provider of anti-fraud training and education, is pleased to award Rueben Chibvongodze, of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) credential. In order to become a CFE, Chibvongodze has met a stringent set of criteria and passed a rigorous exam administered by the ACFE.

Chibvongodze has successfully met the ACFE’s character, experience, and education requirements for the CFE credential, and has demonstrated knowledge in four areas critical to the fight against fraud: Fraudulent Financial Transactions, Fraud Prevention and Deterrence, Legal Elements of Fraud and Fraud Investigation.

Chibvongodze joins the ranks of business and government professionals worldwide who have also earned the CFE certification. Chibvongodze is currently Enterprise Risk Manager for the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.

CFEs have the ability to: examine data and records to detect and trace fraudulent transactions; interview suspects to obtain information and confessions; write investigation reports; advise clients as to their findings; testify at trial; understand the law as it relates to fraud and fraud investigations; and identify the underlying factors that motivate individuals to commit fraud. CFEs on six continents have investigated millions of suspected cases of civil and criminal fraud. 

Globally preferred by employers, the CFE credential denotes proven expertise in fraud prevention, detection, deterrence and investigation.

About the ACFE
The ACFE is the world’s largest anti-fraud organization and premier provider of anti-fraud training and education. Together with nearly 90,000 members, the ACFE is reducing business fraud worldwide and inspiring public confidence in the integrity and objectivity within the profession. For more information about the ACFE visit ACFE.com.

Staff members from the Department of Biomedical Sciences were recently invited onboard the Statsraad Lehmkuhl where they shared their experiences of a collaboration with the Western Norway University of Applied Science (HVL).

The department’s collaboration with HVL dates back to 2008 when a memorandum of understanding was signed which allows students from CPUT to spend three months in Norway doing a clinical placement and Norwegian students to come to Cape Town to do a combination of a clinical placement and mini research project,” said Assoc Prof Glenda Davison, head of the Department.

In 2016, Prof Tandi Matsha, the former head of the department, together with colleagues from HVL applied for the UTFORSK grant which enabled the two universities to expand their collaboration and explore platforms for joint research projects.

This resulted in a joint publication which was the first study examining the incidence of HNF1A and GCK Mature Onset Diabetes of the young (MODY) variants in a South African population.

Davison continued the collaboration and except for 2021, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, CPUT continued to host exchange students.

“To date, the two universities have had a 15-year relationship in which 28 Norwegian students and 14 South Africans have benefited from this international exchange,” said Davison.

During the recent event onboard the Statsraad Lehmkuhl staff from the Department shared their experiences. This included, Davison who conducted a presentation, Dr Yvonne Prince who has been instrumental in welcoming the Norwegian students and ensuring that all the arrangements and clinical placements for the exchange run smoothly as well as senior lecturer Dr Stanton Hector. Dr Shanel Raghubeer and Dr Saarah Davids also attended and are researchers in the SAMRC/CPUT Cardiometabolic Health Research unit and have supervised the Norwegian students in their research.

The Statsraad Lehmkuhl is a training ship which was built in 1914 and is currently doing a circumnavigation of the world to raise awareness about the role of the oceans in sustainable development. Part of the visit to Cape Town was to explore North-South collaborations and how the world can work together to achieve the 17 sustainable development goals.

“Being on board this beautiful ship was a very special experience. It was uplifting to meet academics from other universities around South Africa as well as Norway who were all working together to make a difference not only in research but also in both tertiary education and schools. For me, the most important message was that if the world works together and shares skills and ideas, we can achieve anything. Overall, the visit was a positive experience and we left motivated to continue and expand our collaboration with HVL,” said Davison.

The Head of the Centre for Business Innovation and Incubation (BIIC), Prof Michael Twum-Darko, was the guest of the British Council at the Commercialisation and Entrepreneurial Institutions Leaders’ (CEIL) Summit 2022 in Mombasa, Kenya.

The intensive two-day summit brought together entrepreneurial driven universities in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia, Zambia, and Tanzania as well as leading Kenyan government, international organisations and institutions involved in commercialisation of universities’ research, incubation centres and venture capitalists interested in funding innovative projects from universities in Africa.

Twum-Darko showcased the BIIC’s British Council sponsored “Inclusive Industry-linked Technopreneurship Development Infrastructure for graduate employability as a sustainable model to create the culture of research commercialisation-based industry-linked partnership to turn CPUT campus to an engine room for disruptive start-ups”.

“The model which was well received by delegates has attracted interest for collaboration and partnership. The showcase included students’ projects being worked at the Centre by the students and the technology companies as partners to improve on the concepts and designs of the students to create spin-off enterprises,” said Twum-Darko.

He is working with the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) to create a legal framework that will allow technology companies to partner with the Centre and collaborate with students and researchers to use technology to address many of the social projects. “Ongoing projects with students and a technology company are in the area of automated off-the-shelf drug dispensing machine, automated court maintenance procedures, internet of needs, Grocify to improve food security, cryptocurrency to offer affordable loans to the needy, personal health tracking system and eVillage for the acceleration of township economy.”

CPUT recently welcomed Dr Kotani Motoko, Science and Technology Co-Advisor to Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Executive Vice President for Research of Tohoku University, to the Bellville Campus.

CPUT implements the Carbon Removal and Environmental Remediation (CRER) Project with Tohoku University, under the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) scheme.

SATREPS is a Japanese initiative that is implemented by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) in partnership with the Republic of South Africa through the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI).

The event, which took place at the Chemical Engineering building, was also attended by Ghaleeb Jeppie, Minister-Counsellor: Science, Innovation and Education, Embassy of the Republic of South Africa to Japan and Sizo Zwane, Assistant Director: Development Partnerships in the DSI.

Prof Veruscha Fester, Assistant Dean: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, welcomed the guests. Dr David Phaho, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, expressed his appreciation and said the project was a “high priority” for the institution. Prof Manimagalay Chetty, the Head of Chemical Engineering reiterated that her department is excited to host this national project.

The Department of Chemical Engineering’s Prof Tunde Ojumu, who is the Project Principal Investigator and Manager, conducted a presentation on the project, including progress on the project and planned activities.

According to Ojumu the project focuses on recycling and capturing of carbon dioxide from flue gas of some industries in concrete, demolished concrete, and cement wastes. The products obtained from this process will find applications in cement industries and thereby reduce their dependence on limestone, the other product may be applied in wastewater and acid mine drainage treatment, soil remediation and may also be suitable for mine backfilling. He also remarked that the industrial partners are keen to see the application of the result of this project in their processes.

The guests were taken on a tour to the laboratory where equipment procured as part of the R60 million project will be installed.

It shall forever be known that the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) function at CPUT was acknowledged by the Institute of Risk Management SA (IRMSA) as they were runners up to Unisa at the 2022 IRMSA Annual Awards in the category of Education.

In a letter signed by IRMSA’s president, Thabile Nyaba and Chief Executive Officer Mokgaetji Pat Semenya, it is stated that the initiatives outlined in CPUT’s nomination were highly commended and CPUT should be proud of these achievements. “Please accept our warmest congratulations on your organisation being a finalist and our thanks for the outstanding contribution to elevating risk management.”

The IRMSA is the professional body for risk management professionals and is registered with the South African Qualifications Authority. IRMSA’s purpose is to advance the risk management profession through sharing leading next practices to assist organisations in achieving their strategic, tactical and operational objectives. The IRMSA Industry Awards are an annual initiative designed to nominate and celebrate organisations (institutions) that have excelled in the risk management profession. Enterprise Risk Manager at CPUT, Rueben Chibvongodze, says the awards ceremony is thus aimed at encouraging leading practices and bolstering networking opportunities across a melange of industries.

Chibvongodze says the IRMSA Awards initiative is presided over by the IRMSA Nominations Committee, “which provides a rigorous structure and platform for an objective, auditable, and independent nominations process”.

Reflecting on this milestone, he says: “CPUT has invested immensely in risk management over the past two and half years. The Vice Chancellor and Principal, Prof Chris Nhlapo, has always provided guidance, support, acknowledgement, and inspiration to progressively improve ERM at CPUT, including support from all executives and members of the Management Committee (ManCom).”

Chibvongodze says the ERM function reports to the Executive Director in the Office of the Vice- Chancellor, Prof Driekie Hay-Swemmer, who was in fact the nominee on behalf of CPUT for this “prestigious recognition at a national level”. “The Enterprise Risk Manager reports administratively (operationally) to the Office of the VC, and functionally to the Chairperson of the Audit and Risk Oversight Committee (AROC) of Council. Moreover, the Enterprise Risk Manager is also a part of the following Council Committees, thus, Quality Assurance and Risk Management Committee (QARM) chaired by the VC, AROC, Information Technology Governance Committee (ITGC), Finance Committee (FinCom), Investments subcommittee of FinCom, Governance and Ethics Committee (GEC), and the Skills Development Committee,” says Chibvongodze.

He continues: “I am privileged and honoured that CPUT’s ERM Initiative is a finalist for the year 2022 in the Education Category. This means that IRMSA has evaluated CPUT’s ERM framework and methodology, principles and process and rated it as one of the top and leading performing institutions from an ERM governance and management perspective. In another light, CPUT’s institutional governance and combined assurance arrangements are acknowledged as being leading and exemplary.”

Chibvongodze dedicated this achievement to God “for His insight and wisdom for enabling CPUT’s ERM function to facilitate and lead the development and implementation of integrated (institutional) risk management at the University”. “The fact that CPUT is a finalist for 2022 is in fact evidence that the University is acknowledged at a national level and throughout the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region as a leading light in the ERM (risk) space.”