2021 Research Report

CPUT demonstrates ‘oneness’ and ‘smartness’ in various ways, including embracing a culture of ethics and integrity. It also seeks kindness and shows compassion (human-heartedness) for the well-being of all in its community – students, staff, stakeholders –as expressed in ‘ubuntu’ as a way of living. In addition, the university embraces restoration as it redresses the country’s legacy issues of inequality, gender-based violence, and any form of discrimination. It is a testimony of ‘ubunye’ (unity), while embracing ‘ukungafani’ (diversity) in all its forms, by being honest, transparent, credible and respectful. CPUT strives to display passion and to demonstrate enthusiasm, devotion, intensity, tenacity and full commitment to everything that it undertakes as a UoT. It delivers uncompromising quality of service, while always searching for better ways to improve its standards. It embraces an ethos of taking accountability and accepting responsibility for all its actions and commitments. Furthermore, it strives to be technologically astute, embracing and taking ownership of and experimenting with the myriad of possibilities that technology offers.

This Research Report bears testimony to the excellent progress that the university is making in research that is innovative, relevant and responsive to society’s needs. For example, CPUT’s Covid-19 response has continued. This included hosting a landmark virtual symposium ‘never let a Crisis go to Waste: CPUT Research, Innovation, Teaching and Learning in the Age of Covid-19’ [page 7], as well as the hybrid 5th International Conference on Events, about reimagining events post pandemic [page 49]. CPUT established its Vaccination Centre this year, which is accredited by the Western Cape Department of Health [page 77]. The HIV/Aids Unit played a key role in the fight against Covid-19, supporting the Division of Student Affairs by facilitating several virtual activities including webinars and discussion groups [pages 103-104]. Numerous beneficial studies are mentioned in the pages that follow, including one by the Applied Microbial & Health Biotechnology Institute (AMHBI) about the supportive role played by rooibos during the pandemic [page 118]. Focus Area 4 emphasises the need for sustainable utilisation of natural resources, especially during the second year of the pandemic [page 151]. Please also see the Message from the Director TT & IL for technology innovations created in response to Covid 19 [pages 17-18].

CPUT’s Vision 2030: One Smart University highlights that the institution is Africa’s leading Smart University of Technology, globally renowned for innovation, with graduates who shape a better world for humanity.

The university’s world class researchers facilitate evolution in its students, inspiring cutting edge knowledge production and innovative advancement.

The institution is incredibly proud of being at the forefront of Africa’s aerospace engineering endeavours. This Research Report reflects CPUT’s world-leading nanosatellite constellation programme as a vivid illustration of how far the university has come in its dedication to basic research as well as innovation and commercialisation of its research outputs for the benefit of society. The envisaged impact of these nanosatellite programmes on national economic imperatives such as the government’s Operational Phakisa cannot be underestimated. The institution’s node of the French South African Institute of Technology (F’SATI) and its African Space Innovation Centre (ASIC) pioneered the development of Africa’s first nanosatellite ZACUBE-1 in 2013, and the second most advanced CubeSat in 2018. During 2021, work advanced on a South African marine domain awareness (MDA) satellite mission towards a constellation of satellites to provide international maritime communication services. ASIC designed and built three nanosatellites this year – MDASat-1a, -1b and -1c – which are scheduled to be launched in January 2022 [pages 66, 68, 131, 133, 134 and 135].

CPUT’s concern for the environment and the upliftment of society feature strongly in this Research Report. A few examples are a beach clean-up by researchers and postgraduates [page 42]; an aquaponics project [page 63]; free eye screenings [page 73]; enhancing solid waste management service delivery in a nearby community [page 85]; employing local technology for access to nature’s renewable energy [page 85]; tackling waste in a nearby town [page 152]; a book on functional fitness for adults with Down syndrome [page 165]; a language activism campaign [page 166]; the Centre for Business Innovation & Incubation’s (BIIC) academic incubator [page 186]; and the establishment of the Centre for Communication Studies (CCS) which strives for human-centred relevance and excellence in research [page 188].

Some other superb examples of CPUT as an anchor of society include:

Sustainable heritage work with lead researcher Prof Kumar Pallav of Civil Engineering and Geomatics. This involves research in heritage material and analysis of heritage buildings in the Cape Peninsula [page 153]. The projects entail working with the South African Heritage Resource Agency (SAHRA) on three heritage sites of international and national importance – Robben Island, Castle of Good Hope and Dal Josfat in Paarl. CPUT is establishing a Centre for Sustainable Heritage in partnership with SAHRA in order to perform research.

Consultancy will be performed to develop various guidelines to protect and restore heritage sites and structures. This includes the characterisation and development of heritage mortar for Robben Island and the Castle of Good Hope (UNESCO Heritage Sites) and a proposal to develop a Primary Heritage Material Card (PHMC) for each of the heritage structures in South Africa. This PHMC will help in the restoration work to be done on these structures. At Dal Josafat, non-destructive testing is performed in order to estimate the old wall’s mechanical properties. Research is expanding towards developing heritage tools for the restoration and preservation of heritage sites in collaboration with the International Heritage Agency of the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.

Affordable diabetic footwear from green and smart materials with lead researchers Prof Asis Patnaik and Mr Shamil Isaacs. This research work is hosted by the Department of Clothing & Textile Technology and the Technology Station: Clothing & Textiles [page 182]. Proper footwear selection is an important part of an overall treatment programme for diabetic patients, but there are no South African manufacturers for such types of footwear products. At the same time, affordability is a key issue for the country’s everyday people. The project’s aim is to develop affordable diabetic footwear from locally available materials. The innovative aspect of this research work is the use of waste materials and pressure sensors in diabetic shoe development, thereby creating new small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs). This project covers the development of new

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

Robben Island

Castle of Good Hope Dal Josfat

products, namely, smart footwear; bursaries for the students; the addition of new manufacturing facilities – non-woven needle-punched pilot line, 3D printer, foot scanner; as well as infrastructure development.

PPE laboratory for research, industry and academic projects with lead researchers Mr Shamil Isaacs and Prof Asis Patnaik. This research work is hosted by the Technology Station: Clothing & Textiles [page 182] and Department of Clothing & Textile Technology. Personal protective equipment (PPE) plays a critical role in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, along with vaccines, sanitising and social distancing. Face masks, surgical gowns, mop caps and shoe covers are some of the various forms of PPE used by the public as well as healthcare workers and medical personnel. A shortage of PPE was a critical problem faced by the country during the early stages of the pandemic, due to challenges faced in certifying PPE materials and a lack of laboratories to test the various forms of these materials. The aim of this project is to support local manufacturing of PPE to assist in South Africa’s Covid-19 response. Since it is a one-of-a-kind lab in the country, it will be used for research and development academic projects.

Development of sustainable, nutrition-sensitive marine aquaculture with lead researcher Prof Maretha Opperman. This project is a collaborative effort between the Functional Foods Research Unit (FFRU) [page 121], the Department of Food Science and Technology, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, the Marine Biodiversity, Exploitation and Conservation (MARBEC University of Montpelier) and the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. The aim of this research is to characterise the nutritional value of aquatic species currently farmed or considered as aquaculture candidate species in South Africa. It seeks to assess the contribution of aquatic species to the nutritional needs of South Africans, and to identify functional ingredients for human consumption and for animal feeds. The target organisms include fish and seaweed species that are currently cultivated commercially in South African marine environments, namely: Abalone (Haliotis midae); Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) and mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis, Chromomytilus meridionalis); dusky cob (Argyrosomus japonicus); yellowtail (Seriola lalandi); sea-grown rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss); as well as the seaweeds Ecklonia maxima, Macrocystis pyrifera, Laminaria pallida, Ulva rigida and Gracilaria gracilis

Nutritional and health status of Cape Town taxi drivers with lead researcher Prof Maretha Opperman of the Functional Foods Research Unit (FFRU) [page 121]. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) pose a significant public health challenge in South Africa. The most common NCDs include obesity, Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). These conditions place a significant burden on the already compromised South African health system. Local taxi drivers are exposed to high stress levels, sedentary lifestyles, regular alcohol consumption, smoking and unhealthy eating habits, which predispose them to NCD development. Taxi drivers are also major consumers of street food (SF), as it is easily accessible and inexpensive at the taxi ranks. Energy dense SF contributes towards to the development of NCDs. At present, limited information is available on the health and nutritional status of local taxi drivers. It is hypothesised that both lifestyle and eating habits predispose this segment of the population to NCD development. This study aims to assess the health and nutritional status of taxi drivers operating in the Cape Town metropole.

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

Non-woven manufacturing pilot line

Equipment in the PPE laboratory

Solar desalination system with lead researcher Dr Velaphi Msomi of the Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering Department [page 137]. Solar desalination or thermal desalination or distillation involves a phase changing process from liquid to vapour and from vapour back to liquid as a distillate free from contaminants. This desalination system consists of two series-connected evacuated tube solar collectors, used to supply thermal energy to a condensing tower. The evaporator at the base of the condensing tower receives thermal energy in the form of a mixture of hot raw water and vapour. The separation of this water vapour mixture occurs in the evaporator with the lightweight vapour ascending to the stages through vapour make-up tubes. The denser raw water is recirculated for reheating the solar collectors, and the cycle repeats. The lightweight vapour condenses upon entering stages and is collected as a distillate. This water from solar desalination construction is a decentralised, small-scale, off-electricity grid system, suitable for small households in remote and water scarce areas. The system is capable of purifying raw water from various sources, such as rivers, dams, lakes, boreholes, surface rainwater and seawater.

Friction stir technology with lead researcher Dr Velaphi Msomi of the Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering Department [page 137]. Friction stir technology is a recently discovered contact process. It uses heat generated by friction to fuse two different

materials, joining them without melting them. Key benefits include no consumables being used in the process and improved aesthetics of the finished parts. When this technology is used to join materials, it is usually called friction stir welding (FSW). Friction stir technology can also be used to modify the microstructure of metals, and this process is called friction stir processing (FSP). This FSP technique can be used to produce new materials and components called metal hybrid composites. FSP can also be used for additive manufacturing to produce high quality components. Various projects currently being conducted by postgraduate students investigate the use of waste in producing new materials that can be used in various applications such as marine structures, automotive applications, among others.

In conclusion, CPUT is honoured to serve as an anchor of society with a community focus and global influence. During 2021, the university continued to make valuable contributions to research that is innovative, relevant and responsive, with a local impact and far-reaching implications. Beyond its research function, the institution views its role in society as an agent for positive change, empowerment and upliftment on micro and macro levels. This Research Report highlights studies conducted over the past year which illustrate just how integral CPUT is within the context of its surrounding communities, nation, continent and world.

AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

Characterising the nutritional value of aquatic species

Solar desalination to purify raw water

Prof Chris Nhlapo

The year 2021 holds significance for CPUT in that it marks the first year of the implementation of our new Vision 2030. The university has embarked upon a bold drive to deliver on its mandate to become ‘One Smart CPUT’, where human-centeredness is the cornerstone of advancing technological development and innovation.

Despite the relentless pressures brought about by Covid-19, the members of our institution have come together to demonstrate that we can do better by doing ‘smarter’, despite our difficulties. Our researchers have continued to cement CPUT as an anchor university, undertaking research that is relevant and innovative in order to benefit society.

The research of our staff, fellows and postgraduate students takes place within an environment where the CPUT community is uncompromisingly against any form of gender-based violence, and where the contribution of each staff member, fellow and student is appreciated and celebrated according to the inherent pillars and aspirations of ‘ubuntu’.

During 2021, we have celebrated many research highlights and achievements. While I invite each reader to peruse this report to see for yourself the tremendous progress we have made, please also allow me to mention a few highlights, such as the implementation of our revised six research focus areas (RFAs) namely:

• Bioeconomy & Biotechnology

FOREWORD

BY THE VICECHANCELLOR

• Space Science, Engineering & Technology

• Smart Energy

• The Environment, Climate Change & Sustainability

• Human, Health & Social Dynamics

• The Digital Society

We are very proud of our highly talented and established Research Chairs, who are responsible for providing research leadership and mentorship, while undertaking cutting-edge research within the broad scope of our RFAs. Our admirable research groups, research centres and research institutes, together with our

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

Our researchers have continued to cement CPUT as an anchor university, undertaking research that is relevant and innovative in order to benefit society.

acclaimed technology stations, are all working together to further ensure transdisciplinary research across the RFAs.

During 2021, all our faculties continued making positive strides in improved research outputs, for instance in one faculty, the outputs went from 25 units in 2019 to 73 units in 2020. There is evidence of increased accredited and registered postgraduate qualifications aligned with the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework, to prepare students for a new and innovative world of work, and to contribute to the production of Modes 2 and 3 knowledge. In the Faculty of Applied Sciences, for instance, two doctoral graduates pioneered the newly introduced qualifications Doctor of Food Science and Technology and Doctor of Horticulture respectively. The university is also making excellent progress towards its goal of doubling its number of postgraduate students by 2030.

We have improved the number of NRF-rated researchers across all faculties and entities, and an increased number of staff obtained their doctoral qualifications. Our staff were also acknowledged for research excellence internally through our annual Research Excellence Awards, as well as externally for their research achievements. For instance, one of our staff was nominated for the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) Awards in two categories namely, the TW Kambule NSTF Award: Research, and the Communication Award.

Our African Space Innovation Centre (ASIC) was featured on international news channel CNN in February, highlighting the centre’s technology developments, and its research and innovation work in space science and engineering. This centre pioneered the development of Africa’s first nanosatellite ZACUBE-1 in 2013, and the second most advanced South African CubeSat in 2018. In 2021, the centre advanced its work on the South African Marine Domain Awareness satellite mission, in support of Operation Phakisa, towards a constellation of satellites to provide international maritime communication services. ASIC also designed and built three nanosatellites – MDASat1a, -1b and -1c – which are scheduled to be launched in January 2022. There are many more research accolades for our staff, fellows and students, and I invite all the readers of this report to celebrate with us the many successes we have enjoyed during 2021.

Our grant income also shows an upward trend, and we are particularly proud of the Faculty of Business & Management Sciences, whose Centre for Business Innovation & Incubation (BIIC) is the recipient of a R45 million grant for their project ‘The Next Big Thing’, for mentoring and coaching 2 000 youth to become entrepreneurs. The French–South African Institute of Technology (F’SATI) secured a 3-year NRF Special Grant award for postgraduate student bursaries to the value of R7.5 million from 2021 to 2023.

The achievements of our researchers are made possible through numerous developmental interventions, and I am pleased to mention that our staff actively take up these opportunities to the benefit of their research careers, for example the University Capacity Development Grant (UCDG), the Black Academic Advancement Programme, the New Generation of Academics Programme (nGap), the Nurturing Emerging Scholars Programme (NESP), the DHET Future Professors Programme, the University Staff and Junior Research Fellows Programme, to mention a few. We also offer a wide range of support programmes for early career, established and leading researchers, as well as for our postgraduate students and supervisors, with a specific focus on a mentoring approach. The effectiveness of these programmes can be witnessed in our improved research outputs, our increased supervision capacity, improved grant funding and postgraduate student throughput.

An area of specific strategic importance is our office of Technology Transfer and Industrial Linkage (TT and IL), responsible for driving and facilitating innovation and contributing to regional and national economic development. A noteworthy acknowledgement in this area is that the director, Dr Revel Iyer, has been appointed to the Board of the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA).

One of the key drivers of Vision 2030 is to situate CPUT as a key partner locally, regionally and globally. This is important as we believe we have research excellence to contribute to the achievements of our partners, and we envisage that collaboration at home and abroad will contribute to the reach and impact of our research endeavours. We are a university in Africa, and we continue to strengthen our reach within the continent through various strategic partnerships.

When reading this report, I feel the need to also congratulate and thank all staff, fellows and administrative support staff working so hard to level up on the aspirations set out in Vision 2030. All of this could not materialise in the absence of value-driven stewardship embracing the principles of ‘ubuntu’. We invite you now to read our annual 2021 Research Report, and to co-journey with us during this decade of immeasurable opportunities and a deep sense of responsibility to contribute to society as ‘One Smart CPUT’.

Prof Chris Nhlapo | Vice-Chancellor

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

VOORWOORD DEUR DIE VISIEKANSELIER

Die jaar 2021 is ’n belangrike jaar vir CPUT aangesien dit die eerste jaar is van die implementering van ons nuwe Visie 2030. Die universiteit het ’n dapper poging aangewend om sy mandaat na te kom om ‘One Smart CPUT’ te word, waar mensgesentreerdheid die hoeksteen vorm van die bevordering van tegnologiese ontwikkeling en innovasie.

Ten spyte van die vele uitdagings wat Covid-19 meegebring het, het die lede van ons instelling saamgekom en gewys dat ons beter kan vaar deur ‘slimmer’ te werk, ten spyte van ons probleme. Ons navorsers het voortgegaan om CPUT as ’n sleuteluniversiteit te vestig en navorsing te onderneem wat relevant en innoverend is en wat tot die voordeel van die samelewing is.

Prof Chris Nhlapo

Die navorsing van ons personeel, navorsingsgenote en nagraadse studente vind plaas in ’n omgewing waar die CPUT-gemeenskap onomwonde teen enige vorm van geslagsgebaseerde geweld gekant is, en waar die bydrae van elke personeellid, medewerker en student volgens die inherente pilare en aspirasies van ‘ubuntu’ waardeer en gevier word.

Gedurende 2021 het ons baie navorsingshoogtepunte en prestasies gevier. Terwyl ek elke leser nooi om hierdie verslag te lees om self te sien watter geweldige vordering ons gemaak het, laat my asseblief ook toe om ’n paar hoogtepunte te noem, soos die implementering van ons hersiene ses navorsingsfokusareas (NFAs), naamlik:

• Bio-ekonomie & Biotegnologie

• Ruimtewetenskap, Ingenieurswese en Tegnologie

• Slim Energie

• Die omgewing, Klimaatsverandering en Volhoubaarheid

• Menslike, Gesondheids- en Sosiale Dinamika

• Die Digitale Samelewing

Ons is baie trots op ons hoogs talentvolle en gevestigde navorsingsleerstoele, wat verantwoordelik is vir die verskaffing van navorsingsleierskap en mentorskap, terwyl hulle voorpuntnavorsing onderneem binne die breë omvang van ons NFA’s. Ons uitmuntende navorsingsgroepe, navorsingsentrums en navorsingsinstitute, tesame met ons bekroonde tegnologiestasies, werk almal saam om verdere transdissiplinêre navorsing oor die NFA’s te verseker.

Gedurende 2021 het al ons fakulteite voortgegaan om positiewe vordering te maak wat betref verbeterde navorsingsuitsette. In een fakulteit, byvoorbeeld, het die uitsette van 25 eenhede in 2019 tot 73 eenhede in 2020 verbeter. Daar is bewyse van verhoogde geakkrediteerde en geregistreerde nagraadse kwalifikasies wat in lyn is met die Hoër Onderwys Kwalifikasie-subraamwerk, om studente voor te berei vir ’n nuwe en innoverende wêreld van

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

Ons navorsers het voortgegaan om CPUT as ’n sleuteluniversiteit te vestig en navorsing te onderneem wat relevant en innoverend is en wat tot die voordeel van die samelewing is.

werk, en om by te dra tot die produksie van Modus 2 en 3 kennis. In die Fakulteit Toegepaste Wetenskappe het twee doktorale gegradueerdes baanbrekerswerk gedoen vir die nuut ingestelde kwalifikasies van onderskeidelik Doktor in Voedselwetenskap en Tegnologie en Doktor in Tuinboukunde. Die universiteit maak ook uitstekende vordering met sy doelwit om die getal nagraadse studente teen 2030 te verdubbel.

Ons het die aantal NNS-gegradeerde navorsers oor alle fakulteite en entiteite verbeter, en ’n groter aantal personeel het doktorale kwalifikasies verwerf. Ons personeel het ook intern erkenning gekry vir navorsingsprestasies deur ons jaarlikse toekennings vir navorsingsuitnemendheid, sowel as ekstern vir hul navorsingsprestasies. So, byvoorbeeld, is een van ons personeellede genomineer vir die Nasionale Wetenskap en Tegnologie Forum (NWTF) Toekennings, en boonop in twee kategorieë, naamlik die TW Kambule NWTF Toekenning: Navorsing en die Kommunikasie Toekenning.

Ons African Space Innovation Centre (ASIC) is in Februarie op die internasionale nuuskanaal CNN vertoon, wat die sentrum se tegnologie-ontwikkelings en sy navorsings- en innovasiewerk in ruimtewetenskap en -ingenieurswese beklemtoon het. Hierdie sentrum het baanbrekerswerk gedoen met die ontwikkeling van Afrika se eerste nanosatelliet ZACUBE-1 in 2013, en die tweede mees gevorderde Suid-Afrikaanse CubeSat in 2018. In 2021 het die sentrum sy werk op die South African Marine Domain Awareness-satellietsending voortgesit, ter ondersteuning van Operasie Phakisa, wat ten doel het om ’n konstellasie van satelliete te ontwikkel wat internasionale maritiemekommunikasiedienste verskaf. ASIC het ook drie nanosatelliete ontwerp en gebou – MDASat-1a, -1b en -1c – wat geskeduleer is om in Januarie 2022 bekendgestel te word. Baie meer van ons personeel, genote en studente het navorsingstoekennings ontvang, en ek nooi al die lesers van hierdie verslag om saam met ons die vele suksesse wat ons gedurende 2021 behaal het, te vier.

Ons toekenningsinkomste toon ook ’n opwaartse neiging, en ons is veral trots op die Fakulteit Besigheids- en Bestuurswetenskappe, wie se Sentrum vir Besigheidsinnovasie en Inkubasie (BIIC) ’n R45 miljoen-toekenning ontvang het vir hul projek ‘The Next Big Thing’, vir die mentorskap en afrigting van 2 000 jeugdiges om entrepreneurs te word. Die Franse–Suid-Afrikaanse Instituut vir Tegnologie (F’SATI) het ’n 3-jaar NNS Spesiale Toelae-toekenning vir nagraadse studentebeurse ter waarde van R7,5 miljoen van 2021 tot 2023 verkry.

Die prestasies van ons navorsers word moontlik gemaak deur talle ontwikkelingsintervensies, en ek is bly om te kan noem dat ons personeel hierdie geleenthede aktief aangryp tot voordeel van hul navorsingsloopbane, byvoorbeeld die Universiteitskapasiteitontwikkelingstoekenning (UCDG), die Swart Akademiese Bevordering Program, die Nuwe Generasie van Adademici Program (nGap), die Nurturing Emerging Scholars-program (NESP), die DHOO Toekomstige Professore-program, die Universiteitspersoneel en Junior Navorsingsgenoteprogram, om net ’n paar te noem. Ons bied ook ’n wye reeks ondersteuningsprogramme vir vroeë loopbaan, gevestigde en toonaangewende navorsers, sowel as vir ons nagraadse studente en studieleiers, met spesifieke fokus op ’n mentorskapbenadering. Die doeltreffendheid van hierdie programme kan gesien word in ons verbeterde navorsingsuitsette, ons verhoogde studieleidingskapasiteit, verbeterde toekenningsbefondsing en nagraadse studentedeurvoer.

’n Gebied van spesifieke strategiese belang is ons kantoor van Tegnologie-oordrag en Nywerheidskoppeling, wat verantwoordelik is vir die dryf en fasilitering van innovasie en bydra tot streeks- en nasionale ekonomiese ontwikkeling. ’n Merkwaardige erkenning op hierdie gebied is dat die direkteur, dr Revel Iyer, in die Raad van die Tegnologie-innovasie-agentskap (TIA) aangestel is.

Een van die sleuteldrywers van Visie 2030 is om CPUT plaaslik, in die streek en wêreldwyd as ’n sleutelvennoot te posisioneer. Dit is belangrik aangesien ons glo dat ons oor navorsingsuitnemendheid beskik wat ’n bydrae kan lewer tot die prestasies van ons vennote, en ons voorsien dat samewerking tuis en in die buiteland sal bydra tot die omvang en impak van ons navorsingspogings. Ons is ’n universiteit in Afrika, en ons gaan voort om ons bereik binne die vasteland te versterk deur verskeie strategiese vennootskappe.

By die lees van hierdie verslag wil ek graag alle personeellede, genote en administratiewe ondersteuningspersoneel gelukwens met en bedank vir hulle harde werk om die aspirasies wat in Visie 2030 uiteengesit is, te bereik. Dit alles kon nie realiseer in die afwesigheid van waardegedrewe rentmeesterskap wat die beginsels van ‘ubuntu’ omhels nie. Ons nooi u nou uit om ons Navorsingsverslag vir 2021 te lees, en om saam met ons te reis gedurende hierdie dekade van onmeetbare geleenthede en ’n diep verantwoordelikheidsin om by te dra tot die samelewing as ‘One Smart CPUT’.

Prof Chris Nhlapo | Vice-Chancellor

4 CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

AMAGQABANTSHINTSHI NGUSEKELA-NGQONYELA

Njing Chris Nhlapo

Abaphandi bethu

baqhubekile nokumisela i-CPUT njengeyona yunivesithi iphambili, besenza uphando olufanelekileyo nolutsha ukuze kuxhamle uluntu.

Unyaka ka-2021 ubaluleke kakhulu kwi-CPUT kuba ngunyaka wokuqala wokuphunyezwa koMbono wethu omtsha ka-2030 owaziwa nge‘Vision 2030’. Iyunivesiti iqalise iphulo elibukhali lokufezekisa uxanduva lwayo lokuba yi-’One Smart CPUT’, apho ukumiliselwa koluntu ingundoqo wokuqhubela phambili kophuhliso lobuchwepheshe kunye nokwenziwa kwezinto ezintsha.

Ngaphandle koxinzelelo olungapheliyo olubangelwe yi-Covid-19, amalungu eli ziko lethu adibene ukubonisa ukuba singenza ngcono ngokwenza ‘ubuchule’, naphantsi kweemeko ezinzima. Abaphandi bethu baqhubekile nokumisela i-CPUT njengeyona yunivesithi iphambili, besenza uphando olufanelekileyo nolutsha ukuze kuxhamle uluntu.

Uphando lwabasebenzi bethu, oogxa bethu kunye nabafundi abasele benezidanga lwenzeka kwindawo apho uluntu lwaseCPUT luchasene ngokungagungqiyo nalo naluphi na uhlobo lobundlobongela obusekelwe kwisini, nalapho igalelo lomntu ngamnye ongumsebenzi, ongugxa wethu kunye nongumfundi lithi lixatyiswe kwaye libhiyozelwe ngokweentsika neminqweno ekhoyo ‘yoBuntu’.

Ngo-2021, siye sabhiyozela amanqanaba amaninzi ayimbalasane kunye nayimpumelelo yophando. Ngelixa ndimema umfundi ngamnye ukuba afunde le ngxelo ukuze azibonele ngokwakhe inkqubela emangalisayo esiyenzileyo, ndicela undivumele ndikhankanye amagqabantshintshi ambalwa, afana nokuphunyezwa kwemimandla yethu ehlaziyiweyo emithandathu eyaziwa ngokuba zii-RFA (Research Focus Areas) ekugxilwe kuyo:

• Bioeconomy & Biotechnology – I-Bioeconomy neBiotechnology

• I-Space Science, Engineering neTechnology –INzululwazi yaseMajukujukwini, ubuNjineli kunye neTekhnoloji

• I-Smart Energy

• I-Environment, Climate Change & Sustainability/ OkusiNgqongileyo, uTshintsho lweMozulu kunye noZinzo

• I-Human, Health & Social Dynamics / INtshukumo zoLuntu, iMpilo kunye neNtlalo

• I-Digital Society

Siyazingca kakhulu ngooSihlalo bethu boPhando abanamava netalente ephuhlileyo, abanoxanduva lokubonelela ngobunkokeli bophando kunye nengcebiso, ngelixa besenza uphando olukwinqanaba eliphezulu kuluhlu olubanzi lwemiba yethu yophando eyaziwa ngokuba zii-RFA. Amaqela ethu ophando ancomekayo kunye namaziko ophando, kwanezikhululo zethu zetekhnoloji ezivunyiweyo, zonke zisebenza kunye ukuqhubela phambili nokuqinisekisa uphando oluthungelanayo kuzo zonke ii-RFA.

SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

Ngo-2021, onke amacandelo ethu aqhubekile ukwenza imitsi encomekayo kwiziphumo zophando eziphuculweyo, umzekelo kwenye ifakhalthi, iziphumo zisuke kwiiyunithi ezingama-25 ngo2019 ukuya kwiiyunithi ezingama-73 ngo-2020. Kukho ubungqina bokunyuka kweziqinisekiso ezivunyiweyo nezibhalisiweyo ezihambelana neNkqubo-sikhokelo yeziQinisekiso zeMfundo ePhakamileyo (Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework), ukulungiselela abafundi behlabathi elitsha lomsebenzi, kunye negalelo ekuvelisweni kolwazi olukwinqanaba lweModi yesi-2 neyesi-3 (Mode 2 & 3). KwiFakhalthi yeApplied Sciences, abathweswe izidanga zobuGqirhalwazi ababini baye bangoovulindlela kwiziqinisekiso ezisandula ukwaziswa zobuGqirhalwazi beSayensi yoKutya neTekhnoloji (Doctor of Food Science and Technology) kunye nobuGqirhalwazi beHorticulture (Doctor of Horticulture) ngokulandelelanayo. Iyunivesiti ikwaqhuba kakuhle kakhulu kwinjongo yayo yokuphinda kabini inani labafundi abasele benezidanga ngowama-2030.

Siphucule inani labaphandi abakwixabiso leNRF kuwo onke amacandelo neefakhalthi, nenani labasebenzi abafumene iziqinisekiso zobugqirhalwazi liye laphucuka kakhulu. Abasebenzi bethu nabo baye bavunywa njengabagqwesileyo kuphando apha ngaphakathi kweli ziko ngokuwongwa ngamawonga onyaka eResearch Excellence Awards, nangaphandle kweziko eli ngemisebenzi yabo yophando. Umzekelo, omnye wabasebenzi bethu wachongelwa amaBhaso eForam yeSizwe yeSayensi nobuChwepheshe (NSTF) kumacandelo amabini angala, iMbasa ye-NSTF ye-TW Kambule: uPhando kunye neMbasa yoNxibelelwano.

IZiko lethu leAfrican Space Innovation Centre (ASIC) liboniswe kwijelo leendaba zamazwe ngamazwe iCNN ngoFebruwari, ligxininisa uphuhliso lwetekhnoloji yeziko, kunye nomsebenzi walo wophando kunye nolutsha kwisayensi yendawo kunye nobunjineli. Eli ziko libe nguvulindlela wophuhliso lwenanosatellite yokuqala yaseAfrika iZACUBE-1 ngonyaka wama-2013, kunye nelesibini iCubeSat yaseMzantsi Afrika ehambele phambili ngowama-2018. Ngowama-2021, eli ziko laqhubela phambili umsebenzi walo kuthumo lwesathelayithi loKwazisa ngeDomain yaseLwandle yaseMzantsi Afrika, ukuxhasa i-Operation Phakisa, ngokubhekiselele kwintlaninge yesathelayithi ukubonelela ngeenkonzo zonxibelelwano lwaselwandle kumazwe ngamazwe. I-ASIC iphinde yaqulunqa kwaye yakha ii-nanosatellites ezintathu - i-MDASat-1a, -1b kunye -1c - ezicwangciselwe ukuqaliswa ngoJanuwari 2022. Kukho amawonga amaninzi ophando kubasebenzi bethu, oogxa kunye nabafundi, kwaye ndimema bonke abafundi bale ngxelo ukuba babhiyoze kunye nathi xa sibhiyozela iimpumelelo ezininzi esizifumeneyo ngo-2021.

Ingeniso yethu yegranti ikwabonisa indlela enyukayo, kwaye sinebhongo ngakumbi ngeFaculty of Business & Management Sciences, eneZiko leBusiness Innovation & Incubation (BIIC) elifumane isibonelelo sezigidi ezingama-R45 kwiprojekthi yabo ‘Into Enkulu’ (The Big Thing), ukucebisa nokuqeqesha ulutsha olungama 2000 ukuba lube ngoosomashishini. Iziko lobuChwepheshe laseMzantsi Afrika laseFransi (i-F’SATI) lifumene imbasa yeminyaka emi-3 yeSibonelelo esiKhethekileyo se-NRF seebhasari zabafundi abasele benezidanga ezixabisa i-R7.5 yezigidi ukususela ngowama-2021 ukuya kowama-2023.

Impumelelo yabaphandi bethu yenziwe yaba nokwenzeka ngongenelelo oluninzi lophuhliso, kwaye ndiyavuya ukukhankanya ukuba abasebenzi bethu bawathatha ngenkuthalo la mathuba ukuze kuxhamle amakhondo abo ophando, umzekelo, iSibonelelo soPhuhliso lweZakhono zeYunivesithi (UCDG), iNkqubo yokuPhucula iMfundo yabaMnyama, Inkqubo yesiZukulwana esitsha seziFundo (nGap), iNkqubo yokuKhulisa iiNjingalwazi ezisakhulayo (NESP), iNkqubo yooNjingalwazi bexesha elizayo ye-DHET, iNkqubo yaBasebenzi beYunivesithi kunye naBalingane boPhando, ukukhankanya nje ezimbalwa. Sikwabonelela ngoluhlu olubanzi lweenkqubo zenkxaso kwikhondo lomsebenzi lakwangoko, abaphandi abasekiweyo nabakhokelayo, kunye nabafundi bethu abasele benezidanga kunye nabaphathi, sijolise ngokukodwa kwindlela yokufundisa. Ukusebenza kwezi nkqubo kunokungqinwa kwiziphumo zethu zophando eziphuculweyo, ukwanda kwamandla ethu okubeka iliso, ukuphuculwa kwenkxaso-mali kunye nempumelelo yabafundi abasele benezidanga.

Ummandla obaluleke ngokukodwa ngokweqhinga yi-ofisi yethu yoTshintsho

lobuChwephesha kunye noQhagamshelwano loShishino (i-TT kunye ne-IL), enoxanduva lokuqhuba nokuququzelela ukuveliswa kwezinto ezintsha nokuba negalelo kuphuhliso loqoqosho lwengingqi nolwesizwe. Sikwavunyiwe kulo mmandla ngokuba umlawuli, uGqr Revel Iyer, uqeshwe kwiBhodi ye-Arhente ye-Innovation Agency (TIA).

Enye yezinto eziphambili eziqhuba uMbono ka-2030 kukubeka iCPUT njengeqabane eliphambili ekuhlaleni, kwingingqi nakwihlabathi jikelele. Oku kubalulekile njengoko sikholelwa ukuba sinophando olugqwesileyo ukufaka isandla kwimpumelelo yamahlakani ethu, kwaye sicinga ukuba intsebenziswano ekhaya nakwamanye amazwe iya kuba negalelo ekufikeleleni nakwifuthe leenzame zethu zophando. Siyiyunivesithi yase-Afrika, kwaye siyaqhuba ukomeleza ukufikelela kwethu e-Afrika ngokusebenzisa intsebenziswano ecwangcisiweyo eyohlukeneyo.

Xa ndifunda le ngxelo, ndiziva ndinyanzelekile ukuba ndivuyisane kwaye ndibulele bonke abasebenzi, oogxa bethu kunye nabasebenzi benkxaso yolawulo abasebenza nzima ukuze bafikelele kwiminqweno echazwe kuMbono wama-2030. Konke oku akukwazanga ukwenzeka ngokungabikho kobugosa obuqhutywa lixabiso obamkele imigaqo ‘yoBuntu’. Siyakumema ngoku ukuba ufunde iNgxelo yethu yoPhando yoNyaka ka-2021, kwaye uhambe kunye nathi kule minyaka ilishumi yamathuba angenakulinganiswa kunye novakalelo olunzulu loxanduva lokuba negalelo kuluntu njenge-’One Smart CPUT’.

Prof Chris Nhlapo | Vice-Chancellor

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

VC’s Prestigious Achievers Awards

CPUT hosts landmark Covid-19 symposium

CPUT hosted a virtual symposium titled ‘never let a Crisis go to Waste: CPUT Research, Innovation, Teaching and Learning in the Age of Covid-19’ in September. The symposium focused on four main themes: Research, technology, innovation and product development during Covid-19; Operational efficiencies and effectiveness in a crisis – lessons learned; New approaches to teaching and learning and leadership; and Governance in a crisis. Researchers from across the institution presented their research at the event.

Director: DRD Prof Dina Burger said that since the outbreak of the pandemic, CPUT has done exceptionally well in deploying a number of excellent institutional initiatives to fight the disease. “The whole institution was confronted with a series of challenges covering all aspects of the academic and administrative support project. The institution had to find new ways of working in a very short space of time, which permeated throughout every department and section of the institution. No single staff member, student or stakeholder has been left untouched.”

Three new master’s and four returning PhD students were the proud recipients of the 2021 VC’s Prestigious Achievers Awards this year. The aim of the award is to financially assist CPUT students in completing their master’s or doctoral studies. To be eligible, students need to have achieved excellent results throughout their academic studies and to show potential to contribute to our society.

The names of the 2021 awardees were announced at a virtual award ceremony held in September. The grateful students who received awards are: Mr Bimpe Omolara Alabi (DEng: Civil Engineering), Ms Justine Angadam (DPhil: Environmental Health), Ms Zamavangeli Mdletshe (DEng: Mechanical Engineering), Ms Melody Ruvimbo Mukandi (DEng: Chemical Engineering), Ms Namhla Matwa (Master of Sport Management), Mr Anza Ramatsia (Master of Sports Management) and Ms Nontsikelelo Noxolo Tafu (Master of Food Science & Technology).

Awards committee chairperson, Prof Janet Condy, said that after a critical review of all the applicants, they selected three new master’s students, being mindful of transformation issues, and trying to balance gender and race. In the end, there were three females, all from South Africa. “To all the students who have been awardees, your hard work, commitment and achievements are inspirational to all of us and you are shining beacons to all the staff and students at CPUT,” she added.

The doctoral students were awarded R120 000 per year for three years, and the master’s students were awarded R100 000 for two years. Speaking at the event, VC Prof Chris Nhlapo said the CPUT management aims to build future academics who will contribute to the transformation of the higher education sector. “This is a momentous occasion on the calendar of CPUT… We must celebrate excellence and make sure we support the excelling students.”

Mr Alabi, one of the recipients, said, “Many thanks for this opportunity, I will always be grateful.” Mr Ramatsia, another recipient, said, “I would like to extend my gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor and the donors. I hope this initiative continues its impact on students.”

She said each staff member and student is having their own unique lived experience as a result of Covid-19, with all the anxieties and uncertainties that are associated with this pandemic. “This landmark symposium creates an open space for all to share with each other research being done, research in progress and also planned research projects. It is envisaged that through sharing our research we can promote ‘oneness’ across the institution as an illustration that Covid-19 also has the potential not only to bring about smartness amongst us, but to bring about ‘oneness’ amongst us as a CPUT community.”

CEO

of

Higher Health

AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

Postgraduate studies are funded for seven excellent students

Prof Ramneek Ahluwalia,

During his opening remarks, VC Prof Chris Nhlapo said the symposium was not just a talk shop and noted that during difficult periods in history, such as the Great Depression, several interesting innovations emerged. He said that in challenging times, rapid answers are needed and the solution might well be found outside the status quo. “Our duty is to turn crisis into opportunity. Crisis and opportunity are two sides of the same coin.”

CEO of Higher Health and keynote speaker, Prof Ramneek Ahluwalia, spoke about the effect of Covid-19 on the well-being of staff and students. He said when looking at the impact of Covid-19 on students, one can’t just look at the health element. He quoted from the social impact study on Covid-19 among the Post-School Education and Training sector, which showed, amongst other things, that over 65% of students have experienced mild to severe psychological distress during this time. Prof Ahluwalia appealed for an ‘integration of pandemics’. “When you are doing Covid services, offer the HIV services, continue the education on sexual reproductive health, prevent GBV, talk GBV, educate GBV, don’t neglect mental health.”

Prof Mellet Moll, Compliance and Risk Officer: Business Continuity and Covid-19, discussed ‘Lessons learnt from the trenches: Responding to Covid-19 in higher education’. He said these include having strategy, structures and systems in place that fit within the organisational culture, having innovative communication campaigns, and using all members of the community as agents, among other things. Dr David Phaho, DVC: RTIP, said the symposium rightly focused on shared experiences across all CPUT faculties, the lessons learned, as well as new ways of living, teaching and working. “The papers presented served as a vivid illustration that our long-term academic and research agenda must become more pro-active than reactive.”

CPUT joins campaign on 16 Days of Activism Against GBV

CPUT joined the rest of South Africa in campaigning against gender-based violence, during 16 Days of Activism in November. VC Prof Nhlapo in a statement said CPUT, as an institution of higher education, is at the coalface of fighting GBV on all fronts. “That fight starts with me and my executive team,” he said.

CPUT is the first university in South Africa to internalise and institutionalise the fight against GBV through its dedicated Sexual and Gender Based Violence Committee, chaired by the VC, which ensures accountability, coordination and leadership when addressing this critical issue. GBV training will be cascaded through the university committee next year, to explore how gender identities are defined in our formative years, and how this resonates in a 21st century context.

In a statement issued in November, Prof Nhlapo identified the following ten ways in which individuals can combat the scourge of GBV and potentially save lives:

• Listen to and believe sur vivors – When a woman shares her story of violence, she takes the first step to breaking the cycle of abuse. Let us give her the safe space she needs to speak up and be heard.

• Teach the next generation and learn from them –We must have crucial conversations (especially with men) about gender, respect and human rights. Start conversations about gender roles early on, and challenge the traditional features and characteristics assigned to men and women.

• Call for relevant responses and ser vices –Services like shelters, hotlines, counselling are essential for GBV survivors, and need to be available for those in need.

• Understand consent – Freely given, enthusiastic consent is mandatory, every time. We must reject with contempt phrases such “she was asking for it” or “boys will be boys”. Otherwise blame is placed on victims, and perpetrators are excused from the crimes they have committed.

• Learn the signs of abuse and ho w you can help – There are many forms of abuse and all of them can have serious physical and emotional effects. If you’re concerned about a friend, offer them safety and support.

• Start a conversa tion – Show your solidarity with survivors, and support information and fundraising initiatives.

• Stand up against rape culture – Rape culture is the social environment that allows sexual violence to be normalised and justified, fuelled by persistent gender

inequalities and attitudes about gender and sexuality. Naming it is the first step to dismantling it.

• Fund women’s organisations – Donate to local organisations that empower women, amplify their voices, support survivors, and promote acceptance of all gender identities and sexualities.

• Hold each other accountable – Violence can take many forms, including sexual harassment in the workplace and in public spaces. Take a stand by calling it out when you see it – catcalling, inappropriate sexual comments and sexist jokes are never okay.

• Kno w the data and demand more of it – To effectively combat gender-based violence, we need to understand the issue. Relevant data collection is key to implementing successful prevention measures and providing survivors with the relevant support.

“We believe that if we arm our staff and students with the correct training and information, they can go out into society and actively agitate to make this country and world a safer place for our sisters, wives, daughters, mothers and all other vulnerable people,” Prof Nhlapo said.

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

CPUT strives to make this country and world a safer place

The dedication and loyal service of 178 staff members, with a combined 3 150 years of service to CPUT and its heritage institutions, were celebrated during a virtual Long Service Awards ceremony in June. “In an age when job-hopping is fashionable, the continual search for better opportunities and new experiences means that staff seldom stay longer than a few years at any company. A Future Workplace survey conducted a few years ago found that the average person born between 1977 and 1997 could expect to have 15 to 20 jobs over the course of their working lives,” said VC Prof Chris Nhlapo. “So, in a sense, this group represents a rare breed of employee. During your service, you may have considered other attractive job offers but decided to remain at CPUT. I believe that is a reflection of the level of job satisfaction you must have felt.”

The recipient with the longest period of service was Ms Hilda Haupt, who will soon be retiring after 45 years at the university. “She has diligently worked alongside six vice-chancellors, including myself, and I certainly couldn’t do my job without her unwavering support. Ms Hilda Haupt, you are appreciated; 45 years of service is certainly something worth celebrating,” said Prof Nhlapo.

The VC said the recipients’ institutional knowledge was irreplaceable and added to the unique culture of the university. “We salute you for being loyal employees of CPUT. Congratulations again on this career milestone, and I look forward to meeting you again at your next long service awards ceremony in a few years’ time.” The Marketing & Communication Department’s Ms Cathy Cloete said each recipient was surprised at their home with a special and personalised snack pack, which they could enjoy with their families while watching the ceremony online.

Ms Hilda Haupt has been with CPUT for 45 years

Long Service Awards celebrate dedicated staff

MESSAGE FROM THE DEPUTY VICE-CHANCELLOR: RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION & PARTNERSHIPS (DVC: RTIP)

This report covers CPUT’s research and innovation activities during the 2021 academic year. During this period, with the world still under the unwelcome embrace of Covid-19, higher educational institutions had to continue implementing innovative ways to assist students to progress with their respective academic studies. The restrictions to campuses imposed particular challenges on our postgraduate students, who typically need access to research facilities. There were also challenges relating to fulfilling requirements for travel to conferences and seminars, and for research field work.

In terms of research funding, this remains a challenge sector-wide, with the public purse stretched to the limit due to unforeseen Covid-19-related costs as well as a generally moribund economic situation in South Africa. In spite of this, CPUT researchers continued to successfully source external funding during 2021 from industry, SETAs and state agencies such as the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), which greatly enhanced our research and teaching outputs.

Notwithstanding these challenges, this overview of CPUT research activities still indicates that we have much to celebrate. Universal acclaim as well as adoption of CPUT’s new decadal plan, Vision 2030 (V2030), have provided us with institutional navigational markers for the next decade as a smart and people-centric university. In terms of ‘oneness’, the plan speaks to “human-centricity and being humanhearted through our smart people and the smart CPUT community”. The ‘smartness’ dimension focuses on technological developments and innovations as considered by the current and future industrial revolutions. It supports the notion that CPUT, as a university of technology, “will embrace technology in the broadest and most positive sense to advance a better humanity, better socio-economic circumstances, better health conditions, education, safety, food security and general living conditions in our region, the rest of Africa and globally”. CPUT’s stellar achievements from 2010 to 2020, anchored by

the RTIP 10-year Blueprint, can only be enhanced by this new and foresighted decadal plan.

The university continues to not only encourage and support excellence amongst our researchers, but also to celebrate their successes. The CPUT Research Festival held in October 2021 was a celebration of excellence in research, teaching and innovation. The awardees received prizes in three categories, namely Research Output, Research Supervision and External Funding. We are very proud of the work our esteemed colleagues are doing across all our faculties, centres and institutes.

Research chairs initiative

CPUT is proud to host a number of externally- as well as councilfunded research chairs. These are critical to our academic project in terms of research outputs and innovation, as well as postgraduate student supervision. They also actively support transdisciplinary approaches and research at CPUT and beyond. The NRF (SARChI) chairs at CPUT include Prof Tandi Matsha’s DST-NRF-Nedbank SARChI Chair of Cardiometabolic Health Research Unit. Over and above these, we also have a number of CPUT-funded research chairs in key global imperatives such as Biotechnology and Smart Energy. We also host SETA research chairs such as Work-Integrated Learning (ETDP SETA) held by Prof Joyce Nduna.

Dr David Phaho

Research entities

At CPUT, research entities are an important and productive hub of excellence for the institution. They are also involved with enhancing technology transfer, non-formal teaching, community service and outreach programmes, in ways that are above and beyond those readily possible within faculties. World-class research institutes such as the Applied Microbial & Health Biotechnology Institute (AMHBI) continue to fly the CPUT flag high, with ground-breaking research and innovation initiatives focused on beneficiation of uniquely South African natural resources such as rooibos tea.

National Research Foundation ratings

A key imperative is to increase the number of NRFrated researchers and scholars at CPUT. During the period under review, CPUT has increased the number of NRF-rated researchers to 46, putting CPUT’s total amongst the highest in the UoT sector. There is a relentless drive to greatly increase the number in the years ahead to support our research agenda. This is directly linked to our strategy to increase the number of CPUT staff members with doctoral qualifications.

Postgraduate education

The support for postgraduate students, championed by our Centre for Postgraduate Studies (CPGS) continues, even in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. CPGS, working with the faculty deans and other key players, continues with contingency measures such as online workshops as well as continuous engagement between postgraduate students and their supervisors, albeit remotely. The focus on postgraduate success continues to bear fruit, with 28 students obtaining doctoral level qualifications and 203 receiving master’s qualifications in 2021. It is hoped that these triumphs will increase significantly in the years ahead, as CPUT is looking to double this year’s number of postgraduate students by 2030.

Technology transfer

Through our office of Technology Transfer and Industrial Linkage (TT and IL), CPUT continues to punch way above its weight in terms of driving and facilitating innovation and, where possible, to contribute to regional and national economic development. The expertise residing within the TT and IL office has been noted nationally, with the elevation of the director, Dr Revel Iyer, to the Board of the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA).

Challenges in the commercialisation of innovations from university research remain in the wider higher education sector. Specifically, there is difficulty in obtaining investment finance for start-up related activities in South Africa. The TT and IL office continues to engage with venture capital firms to fund our spin-off companies with the hope of generating much needed 3rd stream income to the university in the future.

Strategic initiatives and partnerships

During 2021, CPUT greatly expanded our local and international partnerships and collaborations in support of our research and teaching agenda. The international mobility of students and staff picked up pace this year, albeit from the pandemic-related low base of 2020. The advent of online and hybrid options has enabled a large number of our students and staff to still attend seminars, conferences and other engagements without incurring travel costs. The office of Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships (SIP) was positioned during 2021 to be the central repository of all CPUT partnerships and collaboration agreements, working closely with faculties and other university formations.

In conclusion

In 2021, we unfortunately bade farewell to a number of our researchers and scholars, either through retirements, resignations or sadly when they passed on. Although they are no longer with us at CPUT, their contributions to the institution will continue to benefit our staff and students for many years to come. We can honour their exemplary legacy through our commitment to research excellence in the greater interest of CPUT.

Universal acclaim as well as adoption of CPUT’s new decadal plan, Vision 2030 (V2030), have provided us with institutional navigational markers for the next decade as a smart and people-centric university.

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR: DIRECTORATE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT

The year 2021 has proven to be an exceptionally positive year for research and researchers. As the Directorate Research Development, we have put in an extraordinary effort to build a strong and cohesive team. As a result, we can report that we went through a comprehensive process to look into our finance processes, the grants systems and processes, and also into improving our reporting into the various committees of the institution as well as external partners. On an everyday basis, we have seen the results through improved quality in the services and support we have been able to offer our researchers across the institution.

Prof Dina Burger

This report will illustrate the many achievements of CPUT’s faculties, entities and research chairs. Not only have our research outputs increased, but we have also successfully attracted more grants income than ever before. Our participation in the UCDG has also assisted us to grow our next generation of productive researchers through training and capacity development programmes, a focus on the advancement of black academic female researchers, participation by staff in national and international conferences, the procurement of state-of-the-art equipment, and society-driven research that is relevant and of a high quality.

This year, a huge focus has been placed on attracting academic staff with the highest credentials and qualifications, and we have also managed to improve the number of staff obtaining their doctorate degrees. Through our targeted development programmes, we have achieved an increased pool of NRF-rated researchers.

As you read through this report, you will agree that our research is informed by societal challenges and, therefore, our research is relevant and contributes to the socio-economic development of South Africa and the region, while our research outcomes are globally competitive. We have also ensured that our research is done in a socially responsible and ethical way, respecting humans, animals and nature with integrity.

Our research is informed by societal challenges and, therefore, it is relevant and contributes to the socio-economic development of South Africa and the region, while our research outcomes are globally competitive.

Throughout the year, we have successfully offered a range of training programmes for our researchers. These courses were structured in such a way as to be helpful to early career, established as well as leading researchers. Many academics have benefited from our training programmes, and have been supported to become more productive researchers. We also managed to commence a pilot project of our newly developed Sisonke Supervision Mentorship Programme, introducing a supportive journey between supervisor, student and mentor. This will enable us to achieve an improved model of supervision, where student and supervisor both benefit from the mentorship of a trained mentor throughout the research project.

I would like to, as always, sincerely thank our researchers, administrative support staff as well as leadership who, under difficult and challenging circumstances caused by Covid-19, still managed to advance research excellence and demonstrable achievements. I now invite you all to enjoy reading our annual 2021 Research Report.

Research excellence awarded

Ten of CPUT’s top researchers were honoured for their excellent work during the institution’s Research Awards Ceremony in October. The small event was held at the Granger Bay Campus and strictly adhered to Covid-19 protocols. It was also live-streamed on the CPUT website. DVC: RTIP Dr David Phaho said CPUT continues to punch way above its weight in terms of research output on a per capita basis. He continued, “From the positive health effects of rooibos tea to smart energy grids, we should be proud of the work our esteemed colleagues are doing across all our faculties, centres and institutes.”

Dr Phaho said the institution should be very proud that colleagues like Prof Matsha, Prof Kahn, Prof Marnewick and many others were doing ground-breaking work, which directly and indirectly contribute to our national well-being. “The upward trajectory of research output, an increase in the number of postgraduate students, as well as national and international innovation platforms spearheaded by CPUT researchers over the past decade, bear testimony to our drive. Today we honour our colleagues, who not only establish world-class research programmes, but continue, albeit with limited resources which bedevil universities of technologies, to drive ground-breaking and high impact research in areas of national priority,” he said. He added that CPUT has also noticed an upswing in the number of NRF-rated scholars and NRF-funded research chairs, as well as an increase in external research grants, thanks to the drive and productivity of CPUT researchers.

Please see page 30 of this Research Report for more information about the Research Festival and the Awards Ceremony, including the list of award winners. Videos of these two events can be viewed here: https://cputdev. online/research-festival/

AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

The small ceremony was held at the Granger Bay Campus

Strong ethical values and conduct make research trustworthy

“The age of big data, open access, social media, transdisciplinary collaboration, the 4th Industrial Revolution and beyond, demands additional and even new considerations for what it means to be a responsible researcher”. These were the words of Manager: Research Integrity in the DRD, Dr Hester-Mari Burger, at CPUT’s first virtual Annual Research Ethics Day held via Microsoft Teams in November. The theme for the event was ‘Responsible research practices: Old and new challenges’. “Overall, the event was a great success, with 42 online participants. It created a platform for learning, lively discussions, and engagement regarding research ethics,” Dr Burger remarked.

“As researchers, we are constantly engaging in decisionmaking, considering the impact of research, the positive as well as the negative, identifying and managing conflicts of values and interests between stakeholders (other researchers, users of the outputs, research participants, society, and future generations), finding the best solutions to these conflicts and carefully balancing harm and benefit in favour of benefit. We need to ensure strong ethical values and conduct to make research trustworthy, reproducible and sustainable,” added Dr Burger.

Dr David Phaho, DVC: RTIP, welcomed attendees to the virtual event, which featured an international speaker, Ms Anna Bethke. Ms Bethke is the Principal Data Scientist and Head of

AI for Social Good, Intel’s Artificial Intelligence Products Group, USA on Artificial intelligence and Ethics. Her talk focused on using FATE of AI Ethics to ensure that AI technologies are Fair, Accountable, Transparent and Ethical. She set the tone for the event, and the importance of ethical decision-making was emphasised. Director of Adaptronics in the AMTL Unit of the Mechanical Engineering Department, Prof Oscar Philander, shared his personal journey and experiences of ethical decision-making as a researcher involved in emerging and advanced technologies.

Dr Burger said the responsible conduct of research in general terms is simply good research citizenship, with actions and behaviour reflecting consistent integrity and compliance to ethical principles, professional standards, and legislation. “However, it also asks of us as researchers to be responsive to changes and challenges. If society is to continue to benefit from and support research, we as researchers should be informed, reactive as well as participants and promoters of the responsible conduct of research,” she continued.

The event included an excellent presentation by Prof Penelope Engel-Hills of the Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences on the impact of the new Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) that came into effect in July, and its impact on research.

SATN renamed THENSA

The South African Technology Network (SATN) was renamed the Technological Higher Education Network South Africa (THENSA) in January. THENSA CEO Dr Anshu Padayachee announced that the name change came after the decision by the SATN board to reposition and rebrand the SATN as THENSA. “This was a result of the collective commitment of our member institutions to address the challenges and opportunities that the sector has to respond to,” said Dr Padayachee.

SATN was established in 2006 by five South African UoTs, namely CPUT, DUT, CUT, TUT and VUT, which resulted in the registration of the SATN Trust in August 2008. SATN became the collective voice of UoTs to provide a common platform for discussion on matters pertaining to higher education, and to share the leverage of existing competencies of the member instuitions.

THENSA’s mission is to enable its partner institutions to respond to the challenges and targets set in South Africa’s NDP, the UN’s SDGs and the Africa 2063 Agenda, through technological education, research and innovation. THENSA’s guiding principles include connecting minds, establishing networks for collaboration between smart institutions focused on technology research and innovation, with its key focus being the promotion and advancement of science, engineering, arts and technology programmes for the world of work. THENSA is the catalyst that capitalises on the collective voice, strengths and opportunities of its members for the benefit of its students, staff, researchers, innovators and its business and industry partners.

Dr Padayachee said, “Our collaboration with business and industry has also added to our strength and credentials. We believe that this change in name is just a formal introduction to the advancements we have made over the years.” She also stated that their service and excellence would not change with the name, that the only change would be the endeavour towards improvement and development, and that making a positive contribution to community well-being, education, and the employability of at-risk groups remains top priority. She added, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues, the vice-chancellors of the member institutions, our associate members, international partners and strategic partners for their contributions towards the development and repositioning of the organisation to meet the challenges of the new decade.”

SATN was established in 2006 by five South African UoTs

| Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

CPUT held its first virtual annual Research Ethics Day in November

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR: CENTRE FOR POSTGRADUATE STUDIES (CPGS)

In writing this report, one obviously cannot shy away from the multitude of challenges Covid-19 has brought upon postgraduate studies. However, it is in the midst of these challenges that we have noticed the best has come to the fore from our academic supervisors, our postgraduate students, and all departments and colleagues across the institution providing services and support to postgraduate studies.

Prof Dina Burger

We have observed a steady increase in our postgraduate student numbers, and we have strengthened our supervision capacity challenges by appointing academic staff who are ready to supervise. We have also appointed postdoctoral fellows to assist with supervision of our postgraduate students. Our graduation numbers have improved, and it was pleasing to notice how many of the titles of postgraduate students’ dissertations and theses are indicative of impactful research taken up by society. There is also significant evidence of our postgraduate students conceptualising their titles to fit under CPUT’s six research focus areas.

We are very proud that our doctoral students are publishing at least one article in a DHET-accredited journal as part of the fulfilment of their degrees. Our postgraduate students have also participated in many national and international conferences, where their research has been presented and debated.

There has been an increase in the appointment of postdoctoral fellows, and their appointments have yielded high-quality, impactful articles in DHET-accredited journals. Our postdoctoral fellows assist supervisors with supervision, and are responsible for developing research funding proposals and participating in research projects within faculties and entities such as CPUT’s institutes.

AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the best has come to the fore from our academic supervisors, our postgraduate students, and all CPUT’s departments and colleagues providing services to postgraduate studies.

This year, CPGS continued to assist postgraduate students with internal and external bursaries to undertake their studies. These bursaries go a long way to alleviate the financial stress experienced by these students. Our postgraduate students are also provided with opportunities to take up CPUT residency or private residency contributing to a conducive environment to undertake their research projects. They are provided with state-of-the-art laboratories in which they can undertake the experimental components of their studies. Our postdoctoral fellows provide support to postgraduate students at the respective laboratories.

The centre has implemented a number of training and capacity development courses using a hybrid model to ensure flexible access and participation in these courses. The courses are well attended, and the feedback received bears testimony to the quality of the training provided and the competence of the facilitators who are carefully selected. We have also developed a separate compulsory training programme for doctoral students which will be rolled out during 2022.

CPGS is responsible for co-ordinating all the activities of the Higher Degrees Committee (HDC), through interaction with the faculty research co-ordinators in respect of HDC documents, preparation of HDC meeting agendas, and submission of HDC-approved documents to Senate. HDC is a committee of Senate and makes recommendations to the body on matters relating to postgraduate studies and student progression. This is a proud CPUT-customised system. Through its commitment to continuously improve the system to be pro-supervisor and prostudent, CPGS has embarked on a journey to consult widely to understand where the system could undergo improvements going forward.

The Council on Higher Education’s (CHE) virtual visit to CPUT has yielded positive fruits in that the institution has embarked on an improvement plan to ensure that the recommendations of CHE are implemented. Concerted efforts are being made in a systematic and integrated way to monitor the implementation of the Doctoral Improvement Plan.

Last year, CPGS identified projects to be funded by the next cycle of the University Capacity Development Programme (UCDP), and this has proven to be very successful. One of the projects titled ‘Student support: Postgraduate students’, under the stewardship of CPGS, applied for funding to expand research workshops and assist postgraduate students with funds to be used for editing/proof-reading and data analysis. These activities are earmarked to improve CPUT’s postgraduate experience and to contribute to the quality of dissertations and theses.

All the work and activities of CPGS can only be achieved through dedicated and professionally committed staff. I wish to thank the staff of CPGS and the broader CPUT community, who help ensure that we put our postgraduate students first at all times.

FUNDING

National Research Foundation (NRF): Postgraduate Bursaries 2 338 600 National Research Foundation Postdoctoral Grants

RESEARCH OUTPUT

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR: TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER & INDUSTRIAL LINKAGES

The White Paper on Science Technology and Innovation (STI) directs South African universities of technology (UoTs) to become key to the growth of leadership in technology development and transfer. As UoTs resonate well with industries, CPUT sees itself as a university that will increasingly transfer knowledge to industries and companies that are located in the country, region, Africa and globally. CPUT conceptualises regional contributions being produced by “knowledge spillovers” (Özsoy et al, 2019), allowing proximate actors to access knowledge-based resources more easily. In doing so, One Smart CPUT facilitates innovation and, where possible, contributes to regional economic development.

The White Paper has two main goals, which are (i) to ensure that South Africa benefits from STI for economic growth, social development and transformation; and (ii) to respond to the risks and opportunities brought by rapid global technological advancement and other global changes.

The outbreak of the Covid-19 disease and the response of the innovation sector is an example of how STI is not only relevant but vital to the second goal. The challenges posed by Covid-19 to the worldwide economy and people’s daily lives has been demonstrated to have far-reaching consequences beyond the spread of the disease. However, crisis is also a strong driver of creativity and innovation, as evidenced by the abundance of solutions that emerged in response. Universities across the globe have been recognised in respect to the role they have played in meeting the challenge and making significant contributions.

The mechanisms of knowledge spill over. University related activities are shaded blue (adapted from Özsoy et al, 2019)

CPUT researchers have played their part in this response with at least 26 projects being initiated. This further speaks to systems of innovation that are relevant and responsive, an articulated goal in CPUT’s Vision 2030.

Dr Revel Iyer

CrowdFlo

In a COVID-context there is a necessity for social distancing.

Consequently, managers of public spaces or institutions may be tasked with the enforcement or monitoring of this requirement. A result is that the real-time tracking of pedestrian movement in public spaces has become a growing reality.

Downstream in the innovation process, three technology innovations created in response to Covid-19 were disclosed at CPUT during 2021. The first is the Bag Valve Mask Ventilator. This technology innovation was developed as a response to the lack of ventilators in South Africa. The device is intended to assist front-line medical staff at hospitals and emergency medical personnel. The most common symptom of severe Covid-19 illness as evidenced in 2021 is dyspnea (shortness of breath), which is often accompanied by hypoxemia (a below-normal level of oxygen in one’s blood, specifically in the arteries). Patients with severe disease typically require supplemental oxygen. This is where the Bag Valve Mask Ventilator has relevance.

According to the Centre for Disease Control, wearing masks can help communities slow the spread of Covid-19 when worn consistently and correctly by the majority of people in public settings, and when masks are used along with other preventive measures, including social distancing, frequent handwashing,

and cleaning and disinfecting. The second technology innovation is MaskMonitor, which is a software application developed to detect human faces as they pass a camera, with the purpose of determining whether they are wearing their mask properly or not. It can thus ensure that workplaces are securely monitored, and can assist businesses in maintaining a safe environment without sacrificing productivity.

The third technology innovation is CrowdFlo. This is a software application, designed to assist in improving public safety, and thereby play a part in slowing down the infection rate of Covid-19 by monitoring and tracking pedestrian movement in public spaces in real time. Significantly, both MaskMonitor and CrowdFlo can be adapted or further developed in alignment with the specific needs of the user.

MaskMonitor

MaskMonitor uses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms to gather real-time, face mask compliance and related behavioural data.

This data may be useful in helping to improve safety in public spaces and thereby play a part in slowing down the infection rate of COVID-19.

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

The White Paper on Science Technology and Innovation directs South African universities of technology to become key to the growth of leadership in technology development and transfer. As UoTs resonate well with industries, CPUT sees itself as a university that will increasingly transfer knowledge to industries and companies that are located in the country, region, Africa and globally.

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR: RTIP STRATEGIC INITIATIVES & PARTNERSHIPS (RTIP-SIP)

INTRODUCTION

The overarching framework for SIP in a post-pandemic world is the internationalising of higher education through national and transnational research collaborations and exchanges. SIP’s framwork is aligned with the decolonisation agenda of global higher education, framed within Pan–African paradigms to lead across the borders.

Higher global education is currently in the process of reimagining and decolonising discursive areas of practice to access collaborative opportunities in research, staff and student exchanges and elements of strategic partnerships and initiatives. In the current dynamic and rapidly changing environment, online learning in its multiple modality role-out is embedded in the politics of the haves and have nots, the geopolitics of constructs such as global boundaries, and the associated hierarchies of the South and North. The theoretical underpinning of decolonial and transformation agenda, cultural, and economic inequalities should ideally promote 4th Industrial Revolution interventions and hybrid face-to-face and virtual teaching and learning plans in a post-pandemic world. The implementation of virtual pedagogic technologies in higher education (HE) was fast-tracked during this time.

Prof Judy Peter

Of equal importance to the strategic role of SIP was the need to align its core function with CPUT’s Strategic Plan 2021-2030 (V2030 – One Smart CPUT), and Policy Framework for Internationalisation of Education in South Africa. Other supporting factors include the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is within this context and in the light of recent disruptors since 2015 (such as #FeesMustFall, #RhodesMustFall and the water crisis) that CPUT’s Vision 2030 addresses various issues in a VUCA environment – Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexities and Ambiguity. SIP is also mindful of the post-pandemic era and of the trajectory of the decolonisation of HE.

MANAGER: RESEARCH UPTAKE PORTFOLIO

The Manager: Research Uptake Portfolio provides support to the RTIPSIP Directorate that primarily upholds, maintains, and supports the Research, Technology & Innovation strategy and supports CPUT’S Vision 2030. This includes coordinating relevant activities, identifying calls and partnerships, developing strategic plans in collaboration with the director, and strengthening research uptake and internationalisation strategies to liaise with embassies, CPUT faculties and other portfolios.

STRATEGIC RESEARCH INITIATIVES TOWARDS SMART RTIP

As the Research Technology Innovation & Partnerships (RTIP) portfolio ushers in the new institutional strategy, One Smart CPUT, it is an opportune time for the university to contribute to the economic growth and the GDP of the country. CPUT is producing high quality postgraduate output, excellent research that has societal impact, and an injection of innovation output into the local economy. Focus Areas 3 of the One Smart CPUT Strategy emphasises Smart RTIP that is relevant and excellent in its knowledge production. Through the development of a range of activities in line with the needs of the 4th Industrial Revolution and Circular Economy developments, we move towards Mode 2 and Mode 3 knowledge production2, i.e. knowledge produced for application (Mode 2) and, more recently, fit for purpose research relevant to society (Mode 3).

RESEARCH CHAIRS

One of the key interventions which emanated post the adoption of the RTI Blueprint (2012–2022) is the Research Chair Initiative. To date, the office

2

– One Smart CPUT

3

of the DVC: RTIP has expended substantial effort in the implementation of the CPUT RTI Blueprint. Through a special grant, CPUT has been fortunate to institutionalise six research chairs with the intention that each research focus area will have at least one research niche area supported by a chair. The strategic Research Chair Initiative aims to strengthen research and innovation capacity, enhance the training of a new generation of researchers, and further develop established researchers in all knowledge areas, while responding to national priorities and strategies3. There are currently eleven research chairs at CPUT.

Chair Title Research Chair

South African Research Chair Initiative (SARChI)

Cardiometabolic Health Research Centre (CHRC)

Prof T Matsha (Tier 2)

Centre for International Teacher Education (CITE) Prof Y Sayed (Tier 1)

Innovative Small Satellite Technology & Applications for Africa (ISSTAA) In progress

Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Prof C Winberg (Tier 2)

CPUT-funded Research Chairs Biotechnology Prof JL Marnewick

Energy Prof MTE Kahn Innovation in Society (Service Design) In progress

Literacy Development Prof J Condy Oceans Economy Prof KP Findlay Sustainable Tourism and Global Change In progress

SETA Research Chairs

Work-Integrated Learning (ETDP SETA)

Prof NJ Nduna

Cape Peninsula University of Technology Strategic Plan 2021-2030

South African Research Chairs Initiative Consolidated Generic Framework, National Research Foundation

The RTI Blueprint, and its acknowledgment of research chairs as an important enabler of the CPUT mission, is supported by the CPUT Research Chair Operational Framework that guides the way in which the university supports the work done by the Research Chairs through the DVC and faculties. This includes, but is not limited to, integration, infrastructure and equipment, resources, administrative support and visibility.

Additional Research Chairs have been reviewed and finalised for further approval:

Innovative Small Satellite Technology and Applications for Africa

CPUT Funded Chairs

Vacant Appeal of outcome submitted in November 2020 Currently awaiting appeal outcome

Research focus areas are likely to evolve as strategic imperatives shift and CPUT’s strengths change, and so periodic reviews of these will be undertaken to assess their relevance to CPUT’s growth trajectory, national imperatives and orientation to Mode 2 knowledge production. Given the evolving nature of technology through the 4th Industrial Revolution, which strengthens CPUT’s contribution to the domain of technology, CPUT embarked on a review process of the research focus areas to align better to a new world of work based on human-centricity and ‘technology-enabledness’ (2018-2019). The research focus areas were redesigned to ensure alignment to chapters in the National Development Plan 2030 in terms of competitiveness and relevance to South Africa and identified elements of the 17 SDGs in terms of competitiveness and relevance to the global earth.

Oceans Economy Prof KP FindlayYear 5 (cycle 1 ends Mar 2021)

External and Internal Reviews have been completed and submitted to the Senate for final approval and contract renewal for the Chair and support staff

Literacy Development Prof J CondyYear 2 (cycle ends Mar 2021) This is a secondment

The External and Internal Reviews have been completed and submitted to the Senate for final approval and contract renewal for the Chair and support staff

RESEARCH FOCUS AREAS

The research focus areas are an important component of CPUT’s research strategy and give voice to the transdisciplinary research approach used at the institution. To this end, the university endorses the objectives of the NRF in its rationale for the research focus areas, namely Integration and synergy between the social and physical/engineering sciences in support of One Smart CPUT’s two dimensions, i.e. human-centricity and technological smartness.

The research focus areas are populated with new niche areas aligned to the above objective. The review and redesign processes were finalised, and six research focus areas were approved in 2020:

Research Focus Area 1: Bioeconomy & Biotechnology Research Focus Area 2: Space Science, Engineering & Technology Research Focus Area 3: Smart Energy Research Focus Area 4: The Environment, Climate Change & Sustainability Research Focus Area 5: Human, Health & Social Dynamics Research Focus Area 6: The Digital Society

CPUT acknowledges in the operational framework that Research Chairs co-exists within discursive cultural constructs across academic faculties and entities as indicated in the table below. This is also to further promote an environment that actively supports transdisciplinary approaches to research.

AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

Research Chair Title Research ChairComment

NRF Funded Chairs (SARChI)

Focus Areas & Leaders Research Chairs Research Entities

FOCUS AREA 1

BIOECONOMY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

Dr M le Roes-Hill

FOCUS AREA 2

SPACE SCIENCE, ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

Prof R van Zyl

FOCUS AREA 3

SMART ENERGY

Prof MTE Kahn

Prof JL Marnewick

Agrifood Technology Station (ATS)

Applied Microbial and Health Biotechnology Institute (AMHBI)

Biotechnology Chair

Bioresource Engineering Research Group (BioERG)

Crystal Engineering Unit

Functional Foods Research Unit (FFRU)

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Facility

Phytotherapy Research Group

Africa Space Innovation Centre (ASIC)

Centre for Instrumentation Research (CIR)

French South African Institute of Technology (F’SATI)

Innovative Small Satellite Technology & Applications Chair (in progress)

Quantum Physics Research Group

Prof MTE Kahn

Centre for Distributed Power & Electronic Systems (CDPES)

Centre for Power Systems Research (CPSR)

Centre for Real-Time Distributed Systems (CRTDS)

Centre for Substation Automation & Energy Management Systems (CSAEMS)

Energy Institute

Smart Energy Chair

Focus Areas & Leaders Research Chairs Research Entities

FOCUS AREA 4

THE ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE & SUSTAINABILITY

Prof B Opeolu

FOCUS AREA 5

HUMAN, HEALTH & SOCIAL DYNAMICS

Prof J Condy

FOCUS AREA 6

THE DIGITAL SOCIETY

Prof I van Zyl

Prof KP Findlay Centre for Sustainable Oceans

Centre for Water & Sanitation Research (CWSR)

Environmental Chemistry, Toxicology & Remediation Flow Process & Rheology Centre (FPRC)

Nanomaterials Research Group [This research group is also involved with projects in FA 5] Oceans Economy Chair

Prof J Condy

Prof T Matsha

Prof R Mason

Prof NJ Nduna

Prof Y Sayed Prof C Winberg

Adaptronics Advanced Manufacturing Technology Laboratory (Adaptronics AMTL) [This technology station is also involved with projects in FAs 4 & 6]

Cardiometabolic Health Chair

Cardiometabolic Health Research Centre (CHRC)

Centre for International Teacher Education (CITE)

Centre for Sport Business & Technology Research (CSBTR)

Centre for Tourism Research in Africa (CETRA)

Clothing and Textiles Technology Station (TSCT)

Human Performance Laboratory (HPL)

Literacy Development Chair

Literacy Development Unit

Professional Education Research Institute (PERI)

Teacher Education Chair

Wholesale & Retail Leadership Chair (WRLC) (W&RSETA)

Work-Integrated Chair (ETDP SETA)

Work-Integrated Chair (SARChI)

Centre for Communication Studies (CCS)

Centre for Business Innovation & Incubation (BIIC)

Product Lifecycle Management Competency Centre (PLMCC)

Brand & Digital Research Hub (BDR)

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

At CPUT, research entities form a hub of centres of excellence in research and teaching. They are involved with promoting research, technology transfer, non-formal teaching, community service and outreach programmes, in ways that are more readily possible than within faculties. The university’s research strategy aligns these research entities to the research focus areas and research chairs.

RESEARCH FORUM

The Research Forum is constituted of CPUT Research Chairs, and is where discourse engagement and dialogue on strategic research initiatives takes place. This year’s Research Forum was held on 27 May.

SMART INTERNATIONALISATION

Manager: International Relations

The Manager: International Relations is responsible for providing support to the RTIP-SIP Directorate in respect of the comprehensive internationalisation initiatives of CPUT, through developing strategic initiatives in the international domain for research and teaching partnerships in line with the government framework on internationalisation.

CPUT’s approach to the Internationalisation Policy

UNIVERSITY CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT GRANT

The SIP Office participates in UCDG Project 5: CPUT’s rising stars in research and innovation.

This is a Staff Development Focus Area project. SIP leads Activity 4: Develop and facilitate activities and appropriate systems to promote and support research uptake. Workshops and training are held under the themes: Dissemination of research findings; Science communication; Stakeholder engagement; Social influence and societal impact; Indicator development to measure knowledge/research update impact.

Government policy on internationalisation for HE

On 6 November 2020, the National Policy on Internationalisation was finalised with the approval of the Council for Higher Education (CHE) and other relevant stakeholders.

Despite the varying range of capacity to practice internationalisation in the country’s 26 public HE institutions, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) encourages all universities to engage in comprehensive internationalisation. The current funding crises, reflected in declining state subsidy, increased local student intake, and a declining international student intake, further compounds the problem of insufficient funding for engaging in outgoing international mobility opportunities.

The policy framework requires that institutional internationalisation policies/strategies have measurable indicators and targets for internationalisation, which need to be included in institutional annual performance plans submitted to the DHET. It is thus incumbent upon CPUT to develop an Internationalisation Policy aligned with the goals of comprehensive internationalisation as mandated in the national policy and CPUT’s Vision 2030, in the realisation of smart internationalisation. In particular, the national policy promotes the development of collaborative master’s, PhD and joint degree offerings in response to the increase in international mobility of staff and students, for institutions to be globally ranked, and to prepare globally competitive graduates in life and the workspace. In response to the national policy imperative, CPUT’s Vision 2030 and Smart Internationalisation Strategy inform the overall internationalisation policy.

Strategic international partnerships

Internationalisation or globalisation is a common thread that runs throughout CPUT’s activities. To remain relevant in the everchanging world of the 4th Industrial Revolution, the institution has incorporated a comprehensive theme of internationalisation. CPUT’s approach to Smart Partnerships is strongly embedded within the research focus areas listed above. However, there is also interest in student placements (including at PhD level), staff placements (including teaching practice), mobility and exchanges across all six faculties.

List of strategic initiatives and directorates partnerships

Country No Australia 5

Austria 1 Austria 2 Belgium 13

Botswana 3 Brazil 1 Bulgaria 1 China 14 Czech Republic 1 Czechia 1 Denmark 2 Egypt 1 England 1 Ethiopia 3 Europe 5 Finland 3 France 28 Gabon 3 Georgia 1 Germany 56 Ghana 6 Greece 1 India 1 Italy 3 Kenya 7 Madagascar 1

Country No

Malawi 1 Malaysia 1 Mauritius 1 Mexico 1 Mozambique 1 Namibia 3 Netherlands 8 Nigeria 5 Poland 3 Portugal 2 Romania 2 Russia 2 Slovak Republic 1 Slovenia 1 Slovenia 1 Saudi Arabia 2 South Africa 20 Spain 1 Sudan 1 Sweden 3 Switzerland 1 Turkey 2 USA 3 Zambia 1 Zimbabwe 1

Total 232

Partnership (local and international) agreements concluded in 2021

Name of university

Type of agreement

Osnabruck University of Applied Sciences, Germany MoU

Agricultural Research Council MoU

Academic Institute of Excellence, Engineering MoU

Furge University of Applied Sciences, Germany MoU

FEDERATI Applied Sciences, Engineering MoU

UP Applied Sciences, Engineering MoU

Schneider Electrical South Africa, Engineering MoU

International School of Business and Research (ISBR), India MoU

JAMK University, Finland MoU (renewal)

Hochschule Munchen, Germany MoU

Obafemi Awolowe University, Nigeria MoU

Rotterdam Business School, Netherlands MoU

Department of Transport and Department of Civil Engineering and SurveyingMoU

Future Ability Erasmus+ Project Erasmus agreement

Student Exchange Agreement with Hasselt University, Germany MoU

Halmstad University in the discipline of Electrical Engineering, GermanyMoU Chandigarh University, India MoU

The South African Weather Services (SAWS) MoU

Saldana Bay MoU

UCT Vacation Training Agreement, Engineering MoU

NDA Hasselt University, Germany Proposal agreement

Partnership on Historical Women’s Hub MoU

Drakenstein Municipality Agreement MoU

FEDERATI Sponsorship MoU

Stats Information Technology (SITA) Agreement MoU

South African Institute of Excellence - Engineering MoU

Cape Nature MoU

The Water Institute Alliance (WIA) MoU

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Delegation visits

• Finish Ambassador, Ms Anne Lammila visited CPUT in April, and an MoU between CPUT and Oulu University, Finland was signed.

• CPUT hosted a meeting with Saldanha Bay IDZ in April to advance possible collaborative initiatives with the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment.

• A French delegation visited CPUT from October to November

CPUT Webinar Series: Innovation for African Universities (IAU) Virtual Programme 2021

The first consortium partner workshop in the framework of the British Council Innovation for African Universities (IAU) programme took place in October. It was titled ‘Sustainable inclusive industry-linked business innovation and incubation’. It was led by Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, who spoke about relevant structures at their institution and the local ecosystem as well as practice case studies. They discussed how they could support activities at CPUT and what needs and priorities are to be elaborated on in the second phase of the programme (2022). The second CPUT-led workshop took place in November. The topic was ‘How to create a new pedagogy in entrepreneurship development’ and it was attended by the partner consortium and co-organised with Snake Nation as the local ecosystem partner.

A workshop was hosted by the British Council in November – ‘Effective dissemination, showcasing and influencing for external stakeholders’. Another workshop was hosted by the British Council in November – ‘Influencing for internal stakeholders’. An IAU workshop was held by CPUT and Manchester Metropolitan University in December – ‘Sustainable inclusive blended industry-linked enterprise education’. This workshop focused on the stakeholders’ sustainability of inclusive industry-linked enterprise education and technopreneurship practice (respecting the inputs from the past IAU and CPUT’s consortium’s workshops).

Internationalisation events: The Yebo! Project Conference in April 2021

CPUT hosted the final Yebo! Conference in April. ‘Yebo!’ means ‘Yes!’ in Zulu and is an Erasmus+ Capacity Building project co-ordinated by the University of Montpellier, France. This project was launched in December 2017. The main purpose of the Yebo! project was to foster and develop the internationalisation of doctoral studies in South Africa.

The project addressed internationalisation needs by promoting doctoral studies, to give better access to necessary information and to train supervisors. The expertise brought by EU partners with the internationalisation of their doctoral studies, combined with the experience from the three non-university partners, provided valuable input to local universities in order to accomplish these goals. The final Yebo! Conference highlighted what the project has achieved, under the theme ‘Supervision and internationalisation of the PhD in and after the Covid-19 era’.

CONFERENCES

• ‘Equity-sensitive strategies of higher education in South Africa: Post-pandemic internationalisation@home’ abstract was accepted by Asia-Pacific Association for International Education Annual Conference and Exhibition in Vancouver (hybrid)

• Dr Leonie Schoelen, postdoc fellow at R TIP-SIP presented on her experience of North-South mobility in the framework of the 10th DAAD South Africa Conference in October

• ‘Mapping of a South African university of technology’s internationalisation strategies: A comparative study of national policy framework alignment’ abstract was submitted to the Annual Comparative International Education Society Conference in Minneapolis in October (hybrid)

• The R TIP-SIP Directorate received a grant of $5 000 from the Association of International Education Administrators to host a Forum on ‘Internationalisation@home in post pandemic times’ in March 2022 – the first national event of the AIEA on the continent (hybrid)

• Prof Peter presented at the CAA-Getty Global Conversation IV: The Ultimate Crisis: Climate, Pandemics, Art, and Scholarship, Agenda 2030 – ‘Covid-19: A cut-off date for colonial distancing and disinfecting pedagogies in global visual art histories’ in New York in February

• Prof Peter represented CPUT at theTHENSA Virtual Conference Panel Discussion: ‘HERE-SA as a tool to re-conceive South African higher education in the 4IR and a post-pandemic world’ in March (online)

• Prof Peter served at the AIEA Virtual Conference as Chair and presented ‘Leading internationalisation in a new era: Collaborating for global solutions’ in January (online)

As part of the 2030 Vision and Strategy for SIP, VC Prof Nhlapo and Director: SIP Prof Judy Peter hosted the Finish Ambassador Ms Anne Lammila at the Bellville Campus in June.

Prof Peter said the university was expanding and establishing new bilateral collaborations with Nordic countries. She stated that CPUT has active partnerships with the Finnish institutions Oulu University, Aalto University, School of Science, School of Arts, Design and Architecture, and JAMK University of Applied Sciences. “The recent visit by the Finnish Ambassador, Ms Anne Lammila, was welcomed in this spirit. The outcome was a commitment to share and look at opportunities such as ‘The Future is made with Finland’, reciprocal mobility possibilities for staff and students through the Finnish Education and Science Counsellor, Ms Iina Soiri and the SIP office.”

She noted that the intent is to magnify the internationalisation agenda to promote research collaborations, joint degree offerings, short courses and mobility aligned with CPUT’s niche research areas:

Research Focus Area 1: Bioeconomy & Biotechnology Research Focus Area 2: Space Science, Engineering & Technology Research Focus Area 3: Smart Energy Research Focus Area 4: The Environment, Climate Change & Sustainability Research Focus Area 5: Human, Health & Social Dynamics Research Focus Area 6: The Digital Society

In the meeting, Prof Nhlapo said the institution has had a good, longstanding relationship with Nordic countries. “We don’t want our postdoctorates to just work at CPUT or in South Africa, but they must be hosted by international universities. We would also like our master’s students to be examined internationally. If we can start examining your students and you examine ours, that would enhance the quality of our education,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ms Lammila said her aim was to get to know CPUT and to learn what the institution does with Finnish partners and the meeting was a very useful and pleasant visit. “I learned a lot about the university. It was impressive to hear how you work. As a country [Finland], we need this exchange to have more courses in English because [traditionally] our courses were all in Finish. We got some money to accommodate more students and doctors from foreign [African] countries… We would like to benefit from the knowledge you have. We put more emphasis on education and science, but if you are left behind in technology, unfortunately the future is not yours.”

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VC Prof Chris Nhlapo, Finish Ambassador Ms Anne Lammila, and Director: SIP Prof Judy Peter

Finish Ambassador visits CPUT

Warm welcome for French diplomats

VC Prof Chris Nhlapo, DVC: RTIP Dr David Phaho and Director: SIP Prof Judy Peter hosted Dr Paul Cavalier and Ms Bertille Daran from the French Embassy in October. The SIP office coordinated this visit by the French delegation to identify key research teams and projects as well as high level postgraduate programmes, while developing links with French-based companies. Prof Nhlapho said, “CPUT is very excited about the visit by the French Embassy. Our relationship goes a long way back and it has been good to monitor and check the progress that has been made… In terms of capacity building, staff development and student exchange, we have achieved a lot.”

Amongst the dignitaries were Dean of FEBE Prof Marshall Sheldon, Assistant Dean: RTIP Prof Veruscha Fester, F’SATI & Satellite Systems Engineering Manager: Operations, Finances & Communications Mr Ian van Zyl, and Director: TTO Dr Revel Iyer.

According to the SIP office, CPUT is living up to its mission statement and cementing partnerships with institutions and agencies, both nationally and internationally. One of its most notable partnerships is that with the French, who during the past few years have collaborated with CPUT on several projects. Most significant is the collaboration with AIRBUS SAS, the graduate school Ecole Supérieure d’Ingénieurs en Electrotechnique et Electronique (ESIEE) and the French–South African Institute of Technology (F’SATI), a specialised centre at CPUT’s Bellville Campus. F’SATI collaborates with ESIEE on the delivery of postgraduate programmes in engineering. On completion of their degrees, graduates receive qualifications from both F’SATI and CPUT.

Dr Cavalier said, “Thank you for hosting us, it has been a long-term relationship… The aim of this visit was just to connect after two years which were not good [due to the Covid-19 pandemic], hopefully next year we will visit again.” He added that it is important for them to know the direction the relationship is taking. Following the visit, Prof Peter said, “It’s an important visit to entrench the bilateral relationship between the French Embassy, CPUT and FEBE.”

UNIVERSITY CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UCDP)

CPUT together with Wits (lead partner), University of Limpopo, Stellenbosch, UWC and Loughborough University (LU) (UK technical partner) responded to the call for applications for Phase 2 of UCDP. This focuses on collaboration between SA and UK universities in support of doctoral training for university academic staff. This unique six-university consortium will foster the development of a cohort of ten interdisciplinary next-generation researchers towards obtaining doctoral degrees.

SOUTH AFRICA-SWEDEN UNIVERSITY FORUM (SASUF)

SASUF is a strategic internationalisation project which ran from 2017 to 2020, with the aim of strengthening partnerships in research, education and innovation between 37 universities in South Africa and Sweden. This collaboration included embassies, civil society organisations, funding agencies and ministries in both countries. SASUF had a budget of 22 000 000 SEK and was funded by the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and HE (STINT), the participating universities, and the NRF and DHET in South Africa. From 2017, CPUT’s participation in SASUF resulted in its researchers engaging with research from other partner universities, hosting and participating in seminars, benefiting in funding for research projects, and student and staff mobility.

VC Prof Chris Nhlapo (background), with French Embassy delegation Dr Paul Cavalier and Ms Bertille Daran, and PLMCC Manager Mr Stephen Bosman

The proposal for SASUF 2030 has been awarded funding from STINT. The second iteration of SASUF will start towards the end of 2021 or early 2022, with the first Research & Innovation Week tentatively scheduled for September 2022. Ongoing collaboration projects from the first SASUF project will continue.

COIL PROJECTS

CPUT’s Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) facility provides opportunities for students to connect to the wider world.

This year, the Faculty of Business & Management completed a COIL project with Coventry University (project management, communication and improved inter-cultural competencies) in the UK and the Theewaterskloof Project with HAN University in the Netherlands.

Project showcases excellence in internationalisation@home

A case study on CPUT’s Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project was selected for publication in a respected guide in August. The title of the study was ‘COIL as a timely equity-sensitive strategy of higher education internationalisation@home in post-pandemic times: A case study from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa’. It was submitted to the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) for their guide Accelerating Education for the SDGs in Universities. The study was selected for inclusion from a large number of submissions from around the world.

According to the guide’s editorial team, it has become the most visited resource on the SDSN website “and the case study website* also has achieved high visibility, becoming a very useful resource for educators from every continent. This case study was showcased on the site.” CPUT’s COIL facility was opened at the end of 2018 on the District Six Campus. The CPUT submission describes the project as going “well beyond infrastructure in as much as it actually creates a new mindset of expanded and solutions-oriented learning”.

“It prepares students for collaborative and project-based learning with an interdisciplinary focus, which goes along with the 4IR, in order to deal with and act in an increasingly complex and globalised environment. To sum up, the CPUT COIL project is an excellent example of an activity within internationalisation@home, which becomes ever more important in 2021 where the pandemic continues to impact higher education institutions worldwide… The roll-out of COIL projects is aligned with CPUT’s strategic 2030 vision. The SIP office will facilitate new COIL projects in its mission to increase internationalisation activities at home,” said Prof Judy Peter, Director: SIP. After the current process of institutional roll-out across the faculties and units, the initiative will be upscaled to other institutions in the region and prospectively beyond.

* https://protect-za.mimecast.com/s/aeofCBgEw2cBpzYkC6BL2S?domain=blogs.upm.es/

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

The COIL venue at CPUT has been operational since 2018

CELEBRATING RESEARCH EXCELLENCE

CPUT RESEARCH FESTIVAL

Platinum Dr O Koopman Faculty of Education

Gold Prof OO Oguntibeju Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences

Silver Dr AK Raji Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

Bronze Prof SKO Ntwampe Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

Bronze Prof T Iyamu Faculty of Informatics & Design

Platinum Dr AK Raji Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

Gold Prof SKO Ntwampe Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

Silver Prof T Iyamu Faculty of Informatics & Design

Bronze Prof MTE Kahn Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

Bronze Prof TV Ojumu Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

Platinum Prof KP Findlay Faculty of Applied Sciences

Gold Prof JL Marnewick Applied Microbial & Health Biotechnology

Silver Prof T Matsha Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences

The Research Festival and the Awards Ceremony can be viewed here: https://cputdev.online/ research-festival/

The Research Festival was a hybrid event for the first time this year, and predominantly virtual. All the institution’s researchers were invited to present their activities, with over 40 respondes. The projects were filmed on the Granger Bay Campus by CPUT’s Marketing & Communications Department during the middle of the year. These were then showcased online from 27 October onwards.

The virtual showcasing of CPUT’s research projects and societal uptake initiatives has been an exciting development, enabling ongoing viewing by a far wider audience than the physical research days and festivals of the past. The presentations remain accessible to all current, future and potential stakeholders. Video content has high value on social media, being generally more engaging than its written counterpart, and CPUT is gathering a significant amount through this process, and plans to add more each year.

The Research Excellence Awards Ceremony took place live on 27 October, also on the Granger Bay Campus. It was a small event, observing strict Covid-19 safety measures. It was live streamed as well as recorded. As in the past, there were three categories of awards: Research Output, Research Supervision and External Funding. Within each of these, four types of award were given: Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze. Researchers were presented with certificates as well as monetary prizes.

Research Output awards are calculated from the total number of DHET units produced by each author. This includes all output types acknowledged by the DHET, namely Journal Articles, Books & Chapters in Books, Conference Proceedings, and, more recently, Creative Outputs & Innovations.

Research Supervision awards are presented for numbers of postgraduate students supervised. These are calculated based on the total number of units earned by a supervisor. Supervisors earn one unit for supervision of a master’s degree and three units for supervision of a doctorate.

The External Funding category used to be ‘Industry Funding’, but has recently been expanded to include grants from universities and councils. This year, the winning researchers received funding from Griffith University in Australia, the South African Rooibos Council and the South African Medical Research Council. For this year, awards in this category were given to those who received funding of at least R500 000.

EDUCATION

Faculty of Applied Sciences 1.11-73.41 74.52

Faculty of Business & Management Sciences 8.680.6351.40 60.71

Faculty of Education 4.002.0028.36 34.36

Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment 4.9110.7568.40 84.06

Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences 0.50-31.73 32.23

Faculty of Informatics & Design 6.532.2536.08 44.86

Applied Microbial & Health Biotechnology Institute -7.46 7.46

31,7321 35,7432 3 0,2 1,2 0,25

31,7321 35,7432 3 0,2 1,2 0,25

Centre for Community Engagement & Work Integrated Learning -0.25 0.25

Centre for Innovative Educational Technology 2.10-0.50 2.60

28,3599 3,1429 31,7321 3,1429

7,4582 73,4127 28,3599 3,1429 31,7321 35,7432 3 0,2 1,2 0,25 2021 Journal Articles 3,1429

3,1429

28,3599

68,4017 28,3599 3,1429 31,7321 35,7432 68,4017

7,4582 73,4127 31,7321 35,7432 3 0,2 1,2 0,25

1,2 28,3599

7,4582 7,4582 73,4127 51,7332 0,50,25

2021 Journal Articles AMHBI AS BMS CIET CPGS EBE EDU FUN CHED HWS ID LIBRARIES QUALITY W&RS (figures have been rounded up to two decimal points)

28,3599 3,1429 31,7321 35,7432 3 0,2 1,2 0,25 2021 Journal Articles 2021 Journal Articles AMHBI AS BMS CIET CPGS EBE EDU FUN CHED HWS ID LIBRARIES QUALITY W&RS

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research 7,4582 73,4127 51,7332 2021 Journal Articles AMHBI AS BMS CIET CPGS EBE EDU FUN CHED HWS ID LIBRARIES QUALITY W&RS

68,4017

7,4582 73,4127 51,7332 0,50,25

CHED 68,4017

0,50,25 68,4017 28,3599 3,1429 31,7321 35,7432 3 0,2 1,2 0,25 2021 Journal Articles AMHBI 7,4582 73,4127 51,7332 0,50,25

LIBRARIES 28,3599

2021 Journal Articles AMHBI AS BMS CIET CPGS EBE EDU FUN CHED HWS ID LIBRARIES QUALITY W&RS

NATIONAL

Boer Y2

Dr A Chigona C2

Education

Prof JL Condy C2

Prof J Garraway C2

Prof L Hibbert C2

Dr AJ van der Bijl C2

Dr Z Waghid Y2

Prof C Winberg C1

Health & Wellness Sciences

Prof P Clarke-Farr C3

Prof G Davison C3

Prof P Engel-Hills C2

Prof K Jooste C2

Prof T Matsha C1

Prof OO Oguntibeju C3

Informatics & Design

Engineering & the Built Environment

Dr K Aboalez C3

Dr V Balyan Y2

Dr MR Chowdhury Y2

Prof VG Fester C1

Dr V Msomi Y2

Dr B Ncube C3

Prof TV Ojumu C3

Dr A Patnaik C2

Prof MS Sheldon C2

Prof R van Zyl C3

Prof J Cronjé C1

Prof J Daramola C3

Prof T Iyamu C2

Prof IJ van Zyl Y2

Prof M Weideman C3

RESEARCH FUNDING 2021

Source Amount

Agricultural Research Council 496 924

Collaboration Agreements (AECOM Mozambique/African Environment/Nelson Mandela Metropolitan) 323 962

CSIR-DST Waste RDI roadmap 380 000

Department of Science & Innovation (DSI) 500 000

Eskom 140 000 Griffith University 875 063

Improvement of Qualifications (UCDG) 1 176 160

Incentive Rating 525 000

National Research Foundation (NRF): Grant-holder Linked 7 180 602

National Research Foundation (NRF): NRF Chairs 5 682 194

National Research Foundation (NRF): Postgraduate Bursaries 5 068 472

National Research Foundation (NRF): Postdoctoral Grants 2 484 165

Postdoctoral Funding 15 597 000

Postgraduate Internal Bursaries 7 326 320

Publication 2019 Chapter in Book Contribution 969 018

Source Amount

Publication 2019 Conference Contribution 504 424

Publication 2019 Faculty Contribution 5 611 475

Publication 2019 Journal Article Contribution 5 540 901

Research & Innovation Fund for Teaching & Learning (RIFTAL) 518 600

Research Technology & Innovation (RTI): CPUT Chairs 3 000 000

Research Technology & Innovation (RTI): CPUT Prestigious Project 3 000 000

Rhodes University 556 500

South African Honeybush Pollination 418 000

South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) 1 682 611

South African Rooibos Council 1 142 351

Support for emerging, early, mid and established research (UCDG) 855 733

Top Up Grants (UCDG) 1 626 336

University of the Western Cape 173 913

Water Research Commission (WRC) 186 481

Water Research Commission K5/2841/3 – Waste Water Treatment 304 348

TOTAL 73 846 553

DEANS’ REPORTS

Faculty of Applied Sciences

Faculty of Business & Management Sciences

Faculty of Education

Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences

Faculty of Informatics & Design

Prof Joseph Kioko

DEAN’S REPORT

Following the Covid-19 disruptions that affected the globe in 2020, the year 2021 saw institutions, including CPUT and the Faculty of Applied Sciences, starting to settle down to a ‘new normal’ in which operations could continue safely in spite of the pandemic. As a faculty, we employed a risk-adjusted strategy that enabled us to run our activities (including pursuing researchrelated objectives) in a safe manner that was responsive to the changes in the Covid-19 alert levels. I wish to acknowledge and thank all staff members in the faculty for their commitment, innovativeness, agility and hard work in ensuring that we achieved our research goals under the circumstances. Thus, in 2021, we made some key strides. This report will illustrate some of these advances.

PROGRESS IN THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW POSTGRADUATE QUALIFICATIONS

A strategic goal of the faculty is to develop and implement a programme qualification mix (PQM) that prepares our students for the future, as well as to contribute to the production of Modes 2 and 3 knowledge. We have therefore been introducing new postgraduate qualifications aligned with the Higher Education Qualifications SubFramework (HEQSF).

Key strides were made in 2021, due to the commitment, innovativeness, agility, and hard work of both students and staff in ensuring that we achieved our research goals.

During 2021, the following postgraduate qualifications received accreditation from the Council on Higher Education, with SAQA registration expected in 2022 and the first intake of students in 2023:

• Doctor of Agriculture

• Doctor of Conservation Science

• Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Management

• Master of Marine Science

• Master of Environmental Management (100% research)

• Postgraduate Diploma in Agriculture

• Postgraduate Diploma in Conservation Science

• Postgraduate Consumer Science: Food and Nutrition

In addition, the faculty received SAQA registration for the following postgraduate qualifications in 2021, and the first intake of students is scheduled for 2022:

• Postgraduate Diploma in Marine Science

• Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Management

• Postgraduate Diploma in Horticulture

The following postgraduate qualifications were also at different stages of the approval process:

• Postgraduate Diploma in Analytical Chemistry

• Postgraduate Diploma in Mathematical Sciences

The following postgraduate qualifications were offered in the faculty during 2021:

• Doctor of Chemistry

• Doctor of Environmental Health

• Doctor of Food Science & Technology

• Doctor of Horticulture

• Master of Agriculture

• Master of Chemistry

• Master of Conservation Science

• Master of Consumer Science in Food and Nutrition

• Master of Environmental Health

• Master of Environmental Management (coursework and dissertation)

• Master of Food Science & Technology

• Master of Horticultural Science

Research Units Page

Crystal Engineering Unit120

Research Chair Page

BIO-ECONOMY

& BIOTECHNOLOGY

Functional Foods Research Unit 121

Research Groups

Bioresource Engineering Research Group 123

Natural Products Chemistry Research Group 127

Technology Station

Agrifood Technology Station 129

THE ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE & SUSTAINABILITY

Oceans Economy 154 Research Centre

Centre for Sustainable Oceans 154

Research Niche Area

Environmental Chemistry, Toxicology & Remediation 161

Please note that more information about this faculty’s 2021 research activities can be found in the Focus Areas section of this Research Report

In the next two to three years, we expect to have implemented a full suite of postgraduate qualifications for all programmes in the faculty. This will greatly facilitate our strategic goals towards the PQM, as well as research and technology innovation.

GRADUATION OF POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS

Despite the interruptions experienced since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2021 academic year yielded a total of 49 postgraduate students from the Faculty of Applied Sciences. They comprised 32 master’s and seven doctoral students. It was significant that two of the doctoral graduates were pioneer graduates in two newly-introduced qualifications: Doctor of Food Science & Technology, and Doctor of Horticulture. The departments and supervisors of all the successful postgraduates are to be commended.

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First doctoral graduate in Food Science & Technology

to me because I remember him from the day that he and his father walked into my office to ask me to admit him into our ECP. He has been my protégée and my mentee since then!”

So far, Dr Mshayisa has published over six peer-reviewed articles for both his PhD and his teaching practice. The title of his research is ‘Physico-chemical, technofunctional and structural properties of native and glycated proteins isolated from black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae (BSFL)’. The focus of his research: ‘To meet the increasing protein demand of the growing world population in a sustainable way and achieve the 2030 Agenda for SDGs, notably SDG-2 Zero Hunger’. He explains, “Insects have emerged as promising alternative protein sources. BSFL is known to be rich in proteins and lipids. Despite research from an entomological and zoo-biological sciences point of view on edible insects, there is still little information from a food science point of view on the application of insect protein in particular and BSFL in food products. Therefore, an in-depth insight into the structural, techno-functional and antioxidant properties of native and glycated proteins derived from BSFL for food application and how these can be improved by the Maillard reaction is crucial.”

RESEARCH ENTITIES

Vusi Mshayisa, PhD graduate

Department of Food Science & Technology lecturer and curriculum officer, Dr Vusi Mshayisa is the first doctoral graduate in Food Science & Technology. He was awarded his PhD during CPUT’s Smart Graduation Ceremony in December. At the event, diplomas and degrees were conferred on 545 graduates.

Born in Standerton, Mpumalanga, Dr Mshayisa received a senior certificate with distinctions in Mathematics and Biology from Jandrell Senior Secondary School. He enrolled for the ND Food Technology (ECP) at CPUT in 2008. He excelled throughout his undergraduate years, which included completion of a BTech cum laude, and began studying towards his MTech in 2013. Interrupting his MTech to pursue opportunities for studies abroad offered by the European Master in Food Studies, he first completed his MSc in Food Technology through Wageningen University, the Netherlands in 2016, and went on to completed his MTech at CPUT in 2017. During the same year, Dr Mshayisa joined CPUT as a lecturer in the Department of Food Science & Technology, under the New Generation of Academics Programme (nGap), and he registered for his doctoral studies.

HOD: Food Science & Technology, Prof Jessy Van Wyk, enthused: “Dr Vusi, Yay! I am so proud – he will be my first doctoral graduate! It feels like he is related

Dr Mshayisa was recently elected to chair the Cape Branch of the South African Association for Food Science & Technology (SAAFoST). As chair, he will also be involved in the local organising committee for the next biennial congress in 2023. Amongst his achievements, he has received the Faculty of Applied Sciences’ Teaching and Learning Award this year. He commented, “This recognises the work that I have been doing since joining CPUT in 2017, and I am encouraged that this award acknowledges that and will propel me as a scholar and a teacher to continue to be of service to the department, the faculty, the institution, and Africa.” Prof Van Wyk said, “We see a bright future ahead for this son of CPUT.”

Reflecting on his journey, Dr Mshayisa said, “For me, it has taken a lot of hard work, collaboration, asking questions and really investing time and energy in my craft. I am happy that this has yielded dividends. I am ecstatic that I have been able to reach this level and made the people (my family, friends, mentors, and students) who had faith in me proud. I am glad that as a first nGap for the department, I have been able to set a good example… My success is incomplete without the support, encouragement and understanding from my family, colleagues at DFST and CPUT and loved ones. dedicate time to my family and plan my work accordingly. Going forward, I will also be spending more quality time with them.” His aspiration is to develop as a scholar, collaborate with others, supervise and mentor more students at postgraduate level, “in particular, those who are from disadvantaged and marginalised communities. I would like to make a meaningful impact in the lives of my students and the institution. I will also be furthering my studies… Watch this space!”

In 2021, the faculty continued to maintain seven research entities aligned to two of CPUT’s six research focus areas. The two Focus areas are: Bio-economy & Biotechnology, and The Environment, Climate Change & Sustainability. The faculty entities in the focus area Bioeconomy & Biotechnology are: the AgriFood Technology Station, the Bioresource Engineering Research Group (held jointly with the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment), the Functional Foods Research Group, and the Natural Products Chemistry Research Group. In the focus area The Environment, Climate Change & Sustainability, the faculty has these entities: the Centre for Sustainable Oceans, the Crystal Engineering Research Group, and the Environmental Chemistry, Toxicology & Remediation Research Niche Area. The research entities and the respective leaders are listed below, and each of the entities has a contribution in the Focus Areas section of this Research Report.

Dr

Entity typeLeader Research Focus Area

Centre for Sustainable Oceans, which hosts the CPUT Research Chair in Oceans Economy

Centre for Sustainable Oceans, which hosts the CPUT Research Chair in Oceans Economy

The Environment, Climate Change & Sustainability

RESEARCH OUTPUT

Environmental Chemistry, Toxicology & Remediation Research Niche Area

Environmental Chemistry, Toxicology & Remediation Research Niche Area

Crystal Engineering Unit Crystal Engineering Unit Prof B Opeolu of the Faculty of Applied Sciences is the leader of this focus area

Agrifood Technology Station

Bioresource Engineering Research Group (joint Research Group with the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment)

Mr Ndumiso MshicileliBio-economy & Biotechnology

Prof Marshall Sheldon & Dr Moses Basitere (FEBE)

Dr Vincent Okudoh

Functional Foods Research Unit Prof Maretha Opperman

Natural Products Chemistry Research Group

Prof Ahmed Mohammed

The faculty produced 74.52 research publication units in 2021. This is an increase of 73% from the 2020 output (43 units). The 2020 output was itself an increase of 72% over the 2019 output (25 units). Thus, over the three reporting years between 2019 and 2020, the faculty’s research output went from 25 units to 73 units, almost trebling. Despite the destabilising effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns which were in place during 2020 and 2021, research productivity has kept a strong upward trajectory. I wish to acknowledge and deeply thank the staff of the faculty for their hard work, dedication and commitment that has resulted in this growth in output. As a faculty, our commitment is to keep up the good momentum.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2021

The graduation of postgraduate students and research output were key highlights of 2021. In addition, the faculty would like to mention a number of other items:

NRF-rated researchers

The faculty had 12 NRF-rated researchers in 2021, with one of them having a C1 rating for Established Researchers (Prof K Findlay) and one being a Y1 rating for Younger Researchers (Prof S Geerts). In addition, one of the researchers upgraded his rating from C3 to C2 (Prof V Somerset). In summary for 2021, the Faculty had one C1 rating, five C2 ratings, five C3 ratings and one Y1 rating, as listed below:

Researcher 2021 rating

Prof KP Findlay C1

Prof NB Bathori C2

Prof CP Laubscher C2

Prof AAH MohammedC2

Dr JP Rheeder C2

Prof VS Somerset C2

Researcher 2021 rating

Prof A Jacobs C3

Prof VA Jideani C3

Prof L Kambizi C3

Prof FB Lewu C3

Prof BO Opeolu C3

Prof S Geerts Y1

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FACULTY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

PhD

for

first wine scientist to pink white wine

Enology and Crop Protection lecturer Dr Anton Nel obtained his PhD in Agriculture from Stellenbosch University this year. Dr Nel’s research focus was pinking South African white wines. “This was a very difficult study as I needed grapes that would pink when the wine was made. Unfortunately, one cannot test for pinking of grape juice, so you have to take the chance. As a winemaker, you also have a small window period per year in which to do the winemaking and analysis. If you miss it, you have to wait another year to repeat. That made the whole study very stressful,” Dr Nel recalled.

He explained that pinking is a phenomenon where white wines get a pink colour after some air contact. Nothing was known about what causes pinking, and he set out to investigate winemaking processes that would lead to pinking. “This is novel work as no one in the world ever did that before. I also had a sensory analysis, which was also novel work as no literature exists on the sensory aspects of pink white wines. Getting wines to pink proved also to be difficult, so it cost a lot of time, travel, etc., to get what wanted,” he said.

Dr Nel, who is also a health and safety representative for the Department of Agriculture on the Wellington Campus, is very proud of his achievements. “As a small child, I always said I wanted to become a scientist. Now I am a wine scientist. This achievement came with very long and hard work and one is normally very tired after a full day’s work. Things that I enjoy like reading and collecting kept me going as it was this that gave me the joy to go forward. The support of my wife and family also carried me through a difficult time,” he continued.

When he is not working or studying, Dr Nel is busy with another research topic. This one is about the extraction of wine phenols during white wine making and the maturation of the skins for an extended period of time. “This research has also not yet been done here in South Africa. I belong to some associations of which I am sitting on the board of directors, so these things keep me going.”

With more staff members having applied for rating during 2021, we expect the number of rated researchers to increase in the years to follow.

Strategic research partnerships

During 2021, the faculty maintained a suite of strategic research partnerships and also established new ones. Among the existing partnerships is the U6+ Consortium of African Universities in which the faculty continues to play a leading role, including providing the Director (Prof L Kambizi, Department of Horticultural Sciences) for the Consortium’s African Centre for Herbal Research, based at the University of Ilorin in Nigeria. The centre has already produced several patented products developed from African medicinal plants.

The faculty also continued to participate in the Erasmus+ Project VitaGLOBAL, a global network for Agricultural Sciences and Viniviticulture aimed at internationalising through joint programmes. The project creates a unique consortium that brings together universities from diverse and mostly non-urban regions in South America, Europe and South Africa. As part of this project, the faculty is due to host next year’s VitaGlobal Week to be attended by delegates from Universidad Nacional de Chilecito and Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, both in Argentina; the Georgian Technical University in Georgia; Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain; the University of Bologna in Italy; the European Union; Stellenbosch University; and of course CPUT. The link department for the faculty in this project is the Department of Agriculture.

While the two examples above illustrate the current partnerships maintained and advanced during 2021, the faculty also established new ones, including:

• Successfully joining the Inter national Joint Laboratory LIMAQUA: This interdisciplinary, multi-institutional, multi-national initiative aims to establish a Centre of Excellence in Research and Training in Marine Aquaculture. The project leader for CPUT is Prof Maretha Opperman of the Department of Biotechnology & Consumer Science. The project also includes the Department of Food Science & Technology and the Department of Conservation & Marine Sciences.

• Establishing a partnership with the South African Weather Service (SAWS): This is to participate in the extension of the mercury monitoring network of SAWS. The partnership includes research and the training of students, monitoring officials and researchers in mercury observation networks. It is led by Prof Vernon Somerset of the Department of Chemistry.

Dr Anton Nel with his supportive wife and daughter, Hesmarie and Helma

• Establishing a partnership with the Western Cape Department of Agriculture via the South African Honeybush Association: This is for the purpose of quantifying pollen transfer between cultivated and wild Honeybush (Cyclopia species). Honeybush tea is increasingly popular as it is naturally caffeine free, rich in antioxidants, and offers a range of health properties, and so the plant is an important emerging crop in the Western Cape. The Honeybush project is led by Prof Sjirk Geerts of the Department of Conservation & Marine Sciences.

• As reported in the section the Centre for Sustainable Oceans (CSO) of this Research Report, the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP) awarded multi-year funding to support the GOAP African Community of Practice, which is coordinated by the CSO. The project will lead ocean accounting pilot project activities in South Africa, Mozambique and Kenya. It is led by Prof Ken Findlay, the Research Chair in Oceans Economy.

Staff Development and capacity building

The achievement of the faculty’s research objectives such as research and postgraduate output as well as strategic research partnerships is dependent on staff capacity and commitment. Thus, staff development and transformation are key pillars of the faculty’s Strategic Plan. Targeted capacity building programmes were thus implemented for staff. In the reporting period, staff took part in the following programmes. All of these aim to attain doctoral degrees:

• Black Academic Advancement Programme: four lecturers

• New Generation of Academics Programme (nGap): three lectures, one of whom graduated during this year

• Improvement of Qualifications Programme (IQP): two lecturers

• Nurturing Emerging Scholars Programme (NESP): one scholar

There were also numerous staff members on the NRF Thuthuka post-PhD and rating tracks.

Among the established researchers, Prof Vernon Somerset was nominated for the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) Awards – for the second year running. For the 2021/2022 NSTF Awards, he was nominated in two categories:

• TW Kambule-NSTF Award: Researcher

• Communication Award

Hearty congratulations to Prof Somerset!

Department of Chemistry acquires state-of-the-art equipment

The Department of Chemistry acquired and installed a new nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer after receiving a grant from the NRF last year. Prof Ahmed Mohammed said the department applied through the National Equipment Programme to the NRF and obtained a grant of R 6.8 million to purchase the new equipment. “The important point is that CPUT has been missing this important facility for more than 20 years, and it required strong application with strong motivation from the university,” Prof Mohamed stated.

The main use of an NMR is to study the chemical structure of organic compounds, especially natural compounds obtained from natural resources such as plants, microbes and marine organisms. “All researchers working in related activities from the university and industrial sector are very welcome to come and use the facility. The department has already started to use the equipment, especially postgraduate students working in the organic chemistry field,” he said.

The equipment covers very important and essential types of analysis required by all researchers in applied sciences, and “the NMR facility fills a strong gap to run advanced research with excellent quality, meaning there is no research in organic chemistry that can be completed without the NMR facility”, he added. All postgraduates, researchers from different faculties, including the Faculty of Applied Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment, and industrial sectors can use the equipment for different purposes, including pharmaceutical industries, polymer, food technology, agriculture, environment and many more.

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A new nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer

Applied Sciences postgraduate students help clean beaches

fragments. These fragments are referred to as macroplastics, mesoplastics and microplastics, depending on their size. They get into waterbodies from waste discharges, wastewater treatment plants and household products, among others,” she said.

She added that the different types of plastics that have been found in water included low and high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, foamed polystyrene, nylon, thermoplastic polyester and polyvinyl chloride. Prof Opeolu stated that the plastics originate from packaging materials, netting, plastic bags, cigarette filters, etc. She cautioned that plastics ingested by aquatic organisms may lead to hazardous effects on ecosystem functions.

“Plastics have the potential to adversely affect the digestive tract, respiratory system and locomotive appendages of aquatic organisms. Some animals that live in water may also be entrapped or entangled and chocked by plastics,” Prof Opeolu warned. Other chemicals may also adhere to plastics causing ecological disruption. “Our previous studies have indicated the presence of some of these endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) such as phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, perfluorinated compounds and pharmaceuticals in water and wastewater systems.”

LOOKING TOWARDS 2030

The faculty’s Strategic Plan, aligned with the university’s Vision 2030, was approved by the Faculty Board in October 2021, and will be presented at the first Senate of 2022. The plan includes an Action Plan specifically focused on Research, Technology Innovation & Partnerships (RTIP), which is in line with Focus Area 3 of the university’s Vision 2030 – “Smart RTIP that is relevant and excellent in its knowledge production”. In this regard, the faculty has committed itself to achieving the following:

• Developing the research capacity of a future generation of scholars and innovators – putting the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the forefront of innovation in its broadest sense

• Increasing and strengthening interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research entities in the faculty

• Creating new opportunities to work in collaboration with industry, business, and communities

• Developing commercialisation and other pathways for research impact

• Maintaining a high number of NRF-rated researchers

The Faculty of Applied Sciences’ ECP Coordinator Prof Beatrice Opeolu and her Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry Research Group heeded the call to participate in cleaning beaches in January. The call to remove plastic nurdles that were spilled by a ship into the ocean was made by the Western Cape Government. Postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows went to Milnerton Beach as part of an exercise in which they were able to see the importance and relevance of their research. Prof Opeolu said the UN launched the Beat Plastic Pollution Campaign in 2018 to call for global attention to the harm done by plastic pollution to humans and the environment.

Prof Opeolu led the campaign at CPUT in 2018, and seminars, panel discussions, and community cleaning activities were subsequently organised. The awareness created has resulted in a shift from the use of single-use plastics at some of CPUT’s activities. “Plastics in water may be visible or invisible

Prof Opeolu continued, saying that the presence of plastics in water may therefore aggravate the human and ecological effects of the EDC. She said some human health risks pertaining to plastics include eye and respiratory tract irritation, acute skin rashes, birth defects, indigestion and liver dysfunction. “They may also release estrogenic compounds and are potential carcinogens. Plastics may also cause changes in insulin resistance, reproductive system and brain function.”

Prof Opeolu is also investigating the ecological and human health implications of microplastics in two freshwater systems – the Diep and Plankenburg Rivers. The project is being funded by the Water Research Commission. She recently obtained another grant from the NRF to investigate the influence of microplastics in wastewater systems. The investigation will focus on ecotoxicological studies and human health risk assessment of microplastics in Cape Town water systems.

• Improving research output by academic staff

• Increasing the number of staff qualified to operate leading-edge instrumentation

With commitment to the Strategic Plan and the necessary actions, we are confident that we will continue the positive trajectory we have achieved so far in the research arena.

To all staff, students and collaborators: Thank you for your commitment, energy, dedication and support in making the year 2021 a success for our faculty.

Postdoctoral fellow Dr Adetunji Awe, master’s students Mr Komlan Apetogbor and Ms Asmat Khan, ECP Coordinator Prof Beatrice Opeolu, postdoctoral fellow Dr Omoniyi Pereao, and master’s student Mr Alex Wakuenda

FUNDING

Source Amount

Improvement of Qualifications (UCDG) 135 000

National Research Foundation (NRF): Grant-holder linked 2 027 572

Postdoctoral Funding 7 130 000

Postgraduate Internal Bursaries 1 637 245

Publication 2019 Chapter in Book Contribution 75 300

Publication 2019 Conference Contribution 11 008

Publication 2019 Faculty Contribution 174 600

Publication 2019 Journal Article Contribution 1 358 498

Research & Innovation Fund for Teaching & Learning (RIFTAL) 50 000

South African Honeybush Tea 418 000

Top Up Grants (UCDG) 546 836

University of the Western Cape (UWC) 173 913 Water Research Commission (WRC) 56 046 TOTAL 13 794 018

POSTGRADUATE DEGREES OBTAINED BY STAFF (GRADUATED IN 2021)

PhD in Agriculture

Stellenbosch University Nel A

Pinking of wine: Influence of different winemaking processes, causative agents and pinking treatments

PhD in Chemistry Cape Peninsula University of Technology Spies A Sorption behaviour of heavy metals on a dithisone-impregnated polymer resin

PhD in Chemistry

Cape Peninsula University of Technology Mei M (awarded posthumously) Mechanism of enantiomeric resolution

Doctor of Food Science and Technology

Cape Peninsula University of Technology Mshayisa V Physico-chemical, techno-functional and structural properties of native and glycated proteins isolated from Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae

RESEARCH OUTPUT

2021 publications (submitted to the DHET in May 2022)Units Chapters in books (submitted) 1.11 Journal articles (audited) 73.41 TOTAL 74.52

Prof Paul Green

DEAN’S REPORT

A PRODUCTIVE YEAR

The year 2021 was certainly a productive one for researchers in the Faculty of Business & Management Sciences (FBMS), despite the challenges of Covid-19. Successes ranged from securing funding for a R45 million grant by the Centre for Business Innovation & Incubation (BIIC) for their project ‘The Next Big Thing’ for mentoring and coaching 2 000 youth to become entrepreneurs, to the development of the Centre for Sport Business & Technology Research (CSBTR) at the Newlands Cricket Ground, and a study on the impact of Covid-19 on South African hospitality establishments, a national project conducted by the Cape Town Hotel School’s academic team.

OUTPUTS AND GRADUATIONS

FBMS’s research outputs continued to improve this year. The faculty is proud of the increase from 34.02 units in 2020 to 60.71 units submitted to the DHET in 2021. A total of 67 postgraduate students were awarded degrees in 2021, with 62 master’s and five doctoral students graduating at the April and December virtual ceremonies. This includes four staff members being awarded PhDs, and five being awarded master’s degrees.

The faculty’s motto is ‘Oneness + Smartness’. We strive to create an enabling environment for the improvement and effective delivery of high quality research and innovation.

RESEARCH CAPACITY ENHANCEMENT

Developing academic research capacity remains a key priority for FBMS. Through the Emerging Researcher Clinic it was able to develop academic staff via various initiatives during 2021. These include the Master’s Advancement Programme aimed at raising staff to the level of a master’s degree; Supervision Training Workshops; a staff Writing for Publication Retreat; and a 5-day Research Capacity Workshop. Further support was provided to postgraduate students via weekly online workshops. The faculty also hosted a face-to-face two-day Writing Retreat for master’s students aimed at publishing journal articles from their theses.

STAFF ADVANCEMENT PROGRAMME

A tracking system was developed early in 2021 to assess academics who needed to complete a master’s qualification. Several staff were identified to participate in the Masters’ Advancement Programme. Participating academics began with a proposal development course. They took part in weekly research workshops facilitated by senior staff members, who provided academic and administrative support to develop research skills. Funding was made available for participants to attend a 5-day research capacity development workshop. The Master’s Advancement Programme has been highly successful in providing staff with the relevant support. Participants have expressed their satisfaction and gratitude for the continued support towards obtaining their master’s on various forums, including Faculty Board.

SMART INTERNATIONALISATION

Smart internationalisation efforts continued despite major restrictions on international travel for staff and student mobilities. Recent MoUs signed include those with Karlstad University in Sweden, Münster and Aalen Universities of Applied Sciences in Germany, and Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria. Currently, the faculty is proud to be part of 29 active partnerships across the globe. These facilitate joint research collaboration, including the supervision of postgraduate students. These strategic partnerships are of significant benefit, for example, a Marketing doctoral student was granted a fully funded opportunity to spend three years studying at Koblenz University

HUMAN, HEALTH & SOCIAL DYNAMICS

Research CentresPage Centre for Tourism Research in Africa 176

Centre for Sport Business & Technology Research 179

THE DIGITAL SOCIETY

Research Unit Page Centre for Business Innovation & Incubation185

Brand & Digital Research Hub 192

Please note that more information about this faculty’s 2021 research activities can be found in the Focus Areas section of this Research Report

in Germany while working as a research assistant. An MTech Marketing student was awarded the Brian O’Connell Scholarship through the SANORD consortium, and he spent five months at Karlstad University in Sweden. Staff and students were invited by Munster University of Applied Sciences to participate in a north–south collaboration through the TOPSIM Business Simulation.

Three academic departments in the faculty were successful as country partners with Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility (ICM) grant applications (in collaboration with EU partners), mostly to fund staff and student mobilities and training. The ICM partners include the University of Economics in Bratislava, Rotterdam Business School in the Netherlands and Bilgi University in Turkey.

A joint proposal by CPUT and the University of Pretoria and FHNW (University of Applied Sciences and Arts North-Western Switzerland), MOVETIA (funded by the Swiss Government), regarding Modelling and Prototyping Enterprise Solutions was also successful. Here, a three-week intensive curriculum allows selected postgraduate students to access OMILAB Software to develop enterprise solutions in a cyber-physical environment (the future business environment created by 4IR) using design thinking.

Dr Cem Tinaz of Bilgi University and Prof Brendon Knott of CPUT’s Centre for Sport Business & Technology Research collaborated to co-edit a book titled Sport Development in Emerging Nations.

Dr Cem Tinaz (Bilgi University) and Prof Brendon Knott

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FACULTY OF BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT SCIENCES

Future Professors Programme

Prof Sharhidd Taliep is an associate professor in the Department of Sport Management. He was awarded a fellowship through the Future Professors Programme (FPP) this year. The FPP serves the best and brightest of a transformed next-generation South African professoriate. It is one of six national collaborative initiatives hosted by the DHET and individual South African universities. The competitive programme prepares early to mid-career academics through cross-disciplinary and interuniversity peer networks inside and outside the fellowship programme.

Prof Taliep has undergone three key components of the FPP, namely weekly seminars, baseline evaluation and international engagement. Reflecting on this achievement, Prof Taliep said, “The programme has been incredible in supporting early to mid-career academics. I have received tremendous support from the FPP team. The programme has been influential in proving guidance and mentoring towards my long-term intellectual project. My aim is to become a full professor.” FBMS is proud to support this rising academic star through his journey as a fellow on the programme.

CONFERENCES

FBMS hosted two international conferences this year. These were the Hybrid 7th International Conference on Business and Management Dynamics in September, in Durban, and the 5th International Conference on Events (ICE) in November, in Cape Town. The faculty held its first Emerging Researcher Conference in November, which showcased the impressive research conducted by the faculty’s Advanced Diploma students.

IN CONCLUSION

The faculty wishes to acknowledge and thank all its researchers for their wonderful successes in 2021.

ACHIEVER AWARDS

In keeping with the FBMS motto of ‘Oneness + Smartness’, and ensuring that its researchers strive towards creating an enabling environment for the improvement and effective delivery of quality research and innovation, an Achiever Awards function was held in February. The event took place at the Radisson Blu Hotel at the Waterfront, with approximately 50 people in attendance. The guest speaker was Prof Dina Burger of CPUT’s DRD. This occasion was seen as an opportunity for the faculty to come together to celebrate the many achievements and milestones attained during the past year, and to honour staff and students in several categories.

• Research Department of the Year Award: Marketing Department

• Researcher of the Year Award: Prof Rodney Duffett

• Supervisor of the Year Award: Prof Jobo Dubihlela

• Top Doctoral Student Award: Dr Simon Nsengimana

• Top Master’s Student Award: Mr Dylan Cromhout

FBMS celebrating together at the Radisson Blu

Rising academic star Prof Sharhidd Taliep

Supervisor of the Year, Prof Jobo Dubihlela

Researcher of the Year, Prof Rodney Duffett

Research Department of the Year representatives, Prof Rodney Duffet and Ms Mandy Jones

Award winners, photographed with Director: DRD Prof Dina Burger

Marketing doctoral student granted opportunity in Germany

Through FBMS’s collaboration with Koblenz University in Germany, Marketing doctoral student Ms Simone Thomas has been granted a fully funded opportunity to study overseas. She will spend three years studying at the German university while working there as a research assistant. This fruitful collaboration with Koblenz University of Applied Sciences has already resulted in several research outputs.

Ms Thomas is pictured here with Prof Holger Simone, her co-supervisor. Her principal supervisor is Dr Pieter Steenkamp of CPUT. Also in the photo above is Dr Guillem, a Spanish visiting professor from a partner university of Koblenz University of Applied Sciences, and Prof Karl Stoffel, President of the German university.

CPUT academics author HR textbook

Academics in the Department of Human Resources have compiled a book, Human Resources Management in Southern Africa: Contemporary Theories and Professional Practice Standards. This is the first book in the field to encapsulate professional standards with contemporary theories, and the only one endorsed by the South African Board for People Practices, the professional body which sets HR standards. It is designed for both novice and experienced HR students and practitioners, to promote good governance and ethical standards within HR departments across southern Africa.

Hybrid 7th ICBMD

The hybrid 7th International Conference on Business and Management Dynamics (ICBMD) was held on 2 September 2021. It was hosted by the University of Fort Hare together with partners and co-hosts CPUT, University of Namibia’s School of Business, North-West University and University of KwaZulu-Natal. The proceedings of the ICBMD contain selected doubleblind peer-reviewed papers. There were 44 delegates at the conference, and 21 papers were presented as a book volume. Each chapter was reviewed by at least two independent peer reviewers. The papers produced 19.91 units for DHET subsidy, of which seven belong to CPUT.

The published information is as follows: Twum-Darko, M (ed). 2021. Reshaping Sustainable Development Goals Implementation in the World: Proceedings of 7th International Conference on Business and Management Dynamics. Book Publishing International. ISBN 978-93-5547-236-6 (Print), ISBN 978-93-5547-268-7 (eBook), DOI: 10.9734/bpi/mono/978-93-5547-236-6.

Dr Liiza Gie is head of the department and the editor, while her colleagues Ms Frances de Klerk and Ms Taryn Kroukamp contributed chapters. The three academics contributed five of the 15 chapters. The other authors are academics from various higher education institutions and HR consultants based in South Africa, who are also leaders in their areas of specialisation. The book is divided into five parts and, to promote active student learning, each chapter concludes with review questions, additional readings as well as useful websites. There are also separate online resources accessible via the publisher’s link https://juta.co.za/catalogue/humanresource-management-in-southern-africa_28331

Dr Gie said that as a CPUT alumna from national diploma through to doctorate level, for her to put together an HR Management textbook for higher education students was “surreal and could only be completed by the grace of God Almighty… And as the Rector’s Medallist of 2002, I dedicated this book to my late mentor, Prof Marcus Balintulo.” She continued that the book is the scholars’ contribution to the HR body of knowledge, as they also conduct research to share with the fraternity. “In my HR professional career, it is important to give back to all HR students, as they in turn, will pay it forward in the future.”

“I am immensely proud of Dr Liiza Gie, Ms Frances de Klerk and Ms Taryn Kroukamp from the Faculty of Business & Management Sciences,” said the faculty’s dean, Prof Paul Green. Prof Mervyn King SC, former Advertising Standards Authority President, said the textbook is a concise yet detailed collection of everything relevant to HR managers as the authors have been cognisant of the importance of human capital as a resource in the production of goods and rendering of services.

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Dr Liiza Gie (bottom) and Department of HR colleagues, Ms Frances de Klerk and Ms Taryn Kroukamp

POSTGRADUATE DEGREES OBTAINED BY STAFF

FUNDING

PhD in Management

University of the Western Cape Sambo MA

Employing developmental mentorship to enhance the livelihood and entrepreneurial capabilities of waste pickers

Master in Human Resource Management

Cape Peninsula University of Technology Omar F

Employment equity and employee morale at selected public service organisations in Cape Town, South Africa

MTech in Public Management

Cape Peninsula University of Technology Brandau NI

The influence of informal settlement housing on the social citizenship of informal settlement residents in the Cape Metropolitan Area

MTech in Tourism & Hospitality Management

Cape Peninsula University of Technology Crowe M

Critical success factors for an arts festival in the Northern Cape: Attendees’ perspectives

Postgraduate Internal Bursaries 2 019 790 Publication 2019 Chapter in Book Contribution 83 046 Publication 2019 Conference Contribution 174 535 Publication 2019 Faculty Contribution 833 233 Publication 2019 Journal Article Contribution 708 818 Research & Innovation Fund for Teaching & Learning (RIFTAL) 65 000 TOTAL 6 252 607

RESEARCH OUTPUT

Advisory committee ensures unique entrepreneurial curriculum

The Entrepreneurship and Business Management Department has appointed its fourth advisory committee to provide mentorship and coaching for staff and students. Members include a representative from the Small Enterprise Development Agency, three entrepreneurs, a business consultant, a Technical Vocational Education and Training College executive, and an academic or director of a centre for entrepreneurship. The committee’s chairperson is Ms Sinethemba Mali-Bolo, a CPUT alumnus who currently works as a Country Environmental Advisor at Shell.

This advisory committee assists staff to influence, build and deliver academic positions for institutional change. This is required in the department, through methodology and processes directed at achieving a unique and distinctive entrepreneurial curriculum, says the department’s Head, Prof Chux Iwu. Prof Iwu added that the committee assists the department and university in promoting entrepreneurship programmes as well as building and strengthening an interactive communication strategy involving both staff and students. “The committee looks at a strategy for creating an inclusive and diverse learning space that will build the capacity of learners to be socially

responsive entrepreneurs in line with global trends… [It] acts as a sounding board for new developments, ideas, innovations in teaching and learning practice, research and community involvement.”

The committee interrogates the department’s curriculum design and assumptions, with particular reference to methodology, in order to guide and influence it to equip learners and academics to fulfil their potential. Prof Iwu says the committee assists and contributes towards situating ethics as a key consideration in the practice and development of entrepreneurship, especially within the African context. It is also builds bridges between key companies and students, facilitating exchange, partnerships and internships, as well as influencing the creation of events and round table discussions on entrepreneurial topics. “It’s the board’s role to provide strategic guidance on envisaged strategic intent of the department in repositioning itself within the Faculty of Business & Management Sciences – noting internal and external stakeholders… It reviews the strategic and operational business plans of the department and ongoing performance achievements.”

Learning from our history

More than 150 students participated in a thought-provoking webinar, jointly presented by FBMS and the District Six Museum in September. Collaboration with the District Six Museum has been implemented as one of the transformation conversations in which the faculty engages to enhance an understanding of how the past impacts the present and the future.

The collaboration with the museum, which started in 2013, has been integrated into the Diversity Management curriculum for the Diploma: Business & Information Administration (BIA) in the faculty, said senior lecturer, Ms Mandie Richards. “The purpose of the transformation conversations is so that students may understand the past, the present-day, and look at the way forward by engaging in positive collaborations. The curriculum needs to be socially responsive, to contribute to the graduate attributes of students, and ultimately contribute positively to communities and humanity.”

During the webinar, the history of the country and social injustice were integrated through an exploration of culture and identity, that engaged students in dialogue as to the impact of apartheid. Mr Joe Schaffers, an ex-resident of District Six, spoke of the hurts of the past, social injustices and the inhumanities still suffered today, and shared the story of his family being forcibly removed from the Bloemhof Flats in 1967 and into Hanover Park on the Cape Flats. “The engagement by students was reflective, interactive and probing. The many questions and comments emphasised that these platforms are pivotal, as they allow students to share their voices as to their lived experiences. This leads to a deeper understanding of the impact of apartheid and the continued systemic racism as a result of this social evil. Discussions pertaining to moving forward through civic engagement are part of the dialogue, and result in students engaging in a project which requires deeper research, and in so doing allows for critical engagement, and culminates in a digital storytelling video,” said Ms Richards.

Mr Fidelis Chu, a lecturer in BIA, highlighted the distortion of history and the value of the firstperson narrative. Mr Yannick Vermeulen, a second-year student, commented that the session was very informative and that for change to happen, a positive paradigm shift is required as to the way we speak, understand and do things in our everyday lives.

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Transformation conversations webinar

Reimagining events post Covid-19

CPUT proudly hosted the 5th International Conference on Events in November, where participants drew on their expertise to reimagine events post Covid-19. The conference was supported by the National Conventions Bureau, WESGRO and the Provincial Department for Culture, Arts and Sport (DCAS). It was hosted in partnership with the Tourism Educators of South Africa. The theme was ‘Making New Waves in Africa’, and it featured presentations and workshops where participants brought their expertise to create new waves of support for exploring new frontiers. The hybrid event delved into a variety of contemporary global issues facing events and festivals, combining academic discipline with professional practice. Some of the topics included event sector revival, events and urban public space post Covid-19, and the future of event research and publishing.

VC Prof Chris Nhlapo welcomed participants and said Covid-19 could be blamed for many things, including the near-collapse of the event and hospitality industries, but it has also forced us out of complacency. “After all, it is unlikely that any events or conferences prior to the pandemic would have factored in a virtual component, as they all do these days,” he stated. Prof Nhlapo said that CPUT academics had been at the forefront of trying to rescue small business and tourism in this city, ahead of the usually lucrative summer season, by producing the Neighbourhood Experience Development Training Manual “This manual will assist businesses in tailoring their offerings

to Covid-cautious travellers. have no doubt that many more academic solutions like this will be forthcoming after ICE 2021,” he remarked.

Conference chair Prof Brendon Knott (CSBTR) said, “Within the context of exploring new frontiers in festivals and events, this conference examines a variety of contemporary global issues, combining academic discipline with professional practice… The conference strives to uphold sustainability and inclusivity principles. It also seeks to enhance academic and post-graduate student engagement and capacity building through providing easier access to a top-quality international conference for CPUT academic staff and postgraduate students who choose to present their research. This global engagement has provided a boost to CPUT’s ‘smart internationalisation’ and ‘Smart RTIP’, while also showcasing our proudly African context of sport, event and tourism management.” He added that it’s a great honour for CPUT to be selected as conference host, and that this is an opportunity to showcase the university’s academic expertise, innovation and industry engagement within the fields of sport, event, tourism and hospitality management.

Mr Anroux Marais, Western Cape Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, said that at a time when we are faced with so much adversity, it was encouraging to be part of such an inspiring event.

FASSET awards CPUT 22 million in bursaries

FBMS was awarded over R22 000 000 by the Finance and Accounting Services Sector Education and Training Authority (FASSET) to provide financial support to needy students in May. A R16 800 000 Academic Support Grant was allocated to cater for 300 students who were registered in 2021 at a cost of R56 000 per student, while a R6 030 000 FASSET Bursary Scheme was allocated to support 67 students at R90 000 per student.

For years, the faculty has been awarded grants to provide the institution with opportunities to implement interventions to improve marks and throughput rates of enrolled students. The interventions provided much needed support which greatly improved rates within the accounting disciplines. The value added through FASSET’s grants was shared during a Faculty Board meeting and the success of the implemented interventions was applauded. “As a faculty, this is one of our key performance areas as we strive to be student-centred and assist our students financially through writing proposals for such awards,” said the dean, Prof Paul Green.

Ms Judith Smith, a lecturer in the Graduate Centre for Management, said successful students would have their tuition fees paid as well as their stationery, textbooks and other learning equipment. “Peer tutors and academic lecturers will work together identifying at-risk subjects, and will support those students who most need this,” she added.

CPUT hosted the 5th International Conference on Events

Ms Judith Smith, lecturer at the Graduate Centre for Management

Celebrating women’s contributions and successes

FBMS began its 2021 Women’s Month celebrations with an exciting webinar ‘Choose to Challenge’. The event featured a number of trail-blazing women including HERS-SA Director Ms Brightness Mangolothi, Attorney Ms Rehana Parker, PhD candidate and founder of cultural education brand KroesRocks Ms Simone Thomas, and spoken word artist Ms Ortem Callaghan.

In her opening remarks, Ms Nonkosi Tyolwana, Director of CPUT’s Centre for Diversity, Inclusivity and Social Change, said that while there have been important strides in promoting gender equality and women empowerment, the work is far from finished. “That is why today the faculty is working towards a better day for women and girls. And yet this mission of gender equality and women empowerment needs constant nourishing and multi-stakeholder engagement as well as active support physically, mentally, morally and materially,” she said.

Ms Mangolothi quoted from the Global Gender Gap Report 2020, which shows that it could take almost a century to attain gender equality.

FBMS’s Assistant Dean: Teaching & Learning, Dr Desiree Scholtz, was chair of the planning team for the event. She said it was hoped that the take-away from the event would be how different women from different backgrounds have chosen to own their space, to share their stories about how each of us can make a difference to others’ lives.

Senior lecturer, Ms Mandie Richards, said the webinar allowed an opportunity for women to reflect on progression as well as limitations, and to share their experiences and power of influence so as to uplift and inspire other women. She added, “The platform is also a reminder that there is a great deal of work which still has to be done so as to challenge the status quo and social injustices, and that as women we need to continue to pay it forward so that we create a future which is inclusive, positive and more diverse for all.”

Prof Lungi Sosibo (Acting) [2021] Prof Andile Mji [2022]

DEAN’S REPORT

PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

Research activities and academic endeavours in the Faculty of Education were significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges, researchers in the faculty continue to work on projects that respond to the needs of South African society. As a result, some articles published were about the effect of the pandemic on education. Examples include: a) ‘Evidence and education policy making in South Africa during Covid-19: Promises, researchers and policymakers in an age of unpredictability’, in Southern African Review of Education: A Journal of Comparative Education; and b) ‘Towards cultivating a critical pedagogy of space: A response to teaching practices in Higher Education amidst Covid-19’, in Re-thinking the Humanities Curriculum in the Time of Covid-19. The faculty is proud to have showcased nine projects at CPUT’s 2021 Research Festival – one of the highest number of presentations from a single faculty.

The faculty aims to apply and localise research with a focus on technology transfer, innovation and commercialisation that have an impact on economic and social development.

C OLLABORATIVE RESEARCH

A number of staff in the faculty are involved in several collaborative research projects with national and international funding. In 2021, partnerships existed with universities in Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, the USA and Ethiopia. The faculty is involved with research projects that focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education; vocational and adult education; communities of practice within service learning; workintegrated learning; language and literacy; leadership and gender awareness; cultural historical complexities in education; community engagement; curriculum; teaching and learning issues; as well as technological and e-learning methodologies in education.

RESEARCH FUNDING

Staff were also involved in research funded by the provincial and national departments of Basic Education (DBE) and the DHET, and with other local universities, with funding by CPUT, the DHET and the NRF. As most of these projects will come to an end soon, researchers in the faculty are to obtain third stream external/international funding for international projects, and also to apply for more external funding to extend and expand the number of research projects going forward.

RESEARCH PROJECTS

Despite the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on education and research since 2020, Prof Agnes Chigona as the principal investigator and her 21st Century Research Project group successfully completed a R1.7 million NRFfunded research project titled ‘Initial teacher education for the realities of the 21st century classrooms’ – 2019 to 2021. One of the significant outputs is the curriculum framework, which was developed on the project and is now being used in the faculty to prepare teachers for ICT integration for effective curriculum delivery. Rhodes University has also adopted this curriculum framework for preparing teachers for the realities of the 21st century classrooms.

HUMAN, HEALTH & SOCIAL DYNAMICS

Research Chairs Page

Centre of International Teacher Education (CITE) (NRF SARChI Chair)167

Literacy Development and Poverty (CPUT Research Chair) 169

Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) (ETDP SETA Chair) 170

Please note that more information about this faculty’s 2021 research activities can be found in the Focus Areas section of this Research Report

In November 2021, Prof Chigona was awarded another R1.4 million by the NRF for a project looking at ‘Equipping pre-service teacher with digital pedagogies for the most marginalised 21st century learner’. This project will contribute towards closing the gap identified in her previous research work, which shows that pre-service teachers are not adequately prepared to teach with and through mobile technologies available to the learners in rural and less affluent communities. Effective digital pedagogies would enable teaching and learning to continue even when school-based, face-to-face curriculum delivery may not be possible due to lockdowns.

NRF RATINGS

Three of the faculty’s staff members attained NRF ratings during 2021: Dr Zayd Waghid (Y), Prof Liesel Hibbert (C2) and Dr Pieter Boer (Y). A fourth staff member, Dr Andre van der Bijl, also attained a rating, but sadly passed away before receiving this news.

POSTDOC FELLOWS

Postdoc fellows were also appointed to Prof Lungi Sosibo, Prof Agnes Chigona and Prof Janet Condy this year.

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RESEARCH CHAIRS

The faculty hosted three research chairs in 2021:

• The SARChI research unit: Centre for International Teacher Education (CITE), funded by the NRF

• Until mid-2021, the faculty also hosted a Literacy Development Research Unit, funded by CPUT

• The faculty also hosted the Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) ETDP SETA Chair

Centre for International Teacher Education (CITE) (NRF SARChI Chair)

One of CITE’s objectives is to promote and showcase the scholarship of scholars and researchers operating in the Global South. This has resulted in agreements with the TATA Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in India. This objective has also initiated the first co-chair led project with the SARCHI for Teaching and Learning based at the University of Johannesburg. CITE remains consistent in ensuring students enrolled for postgraduate studies complete their degrees, and 2021 saw several graduations, including two master’s students and one doctoral student, with two more master’s students to graduate in April 2022. As part of the centre’s commitment to skills development and capacity building in the Global South, in 2021 it added three postdoctoral candidates to capacitate the next generation of researchers in Teacher Education regionally, locally and globally. CITE, through its networks and reputation for being a seat of excellence, has also become attractive as a space for academics from other institutions. In 2021, the centre welcomed its first Fulbright Scholar, Prof Amy Stambach from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. While Covid-19 has impacted the intended objectives for 2021, it has also created opportunities for giving the faculty’s research streams a more interdisciplinary focus. CITE, through its research, remains highly influential in the area of teacher education, locally, regionally and globally.

Literacy Development Unit (CPUT Research Chair)

Prof Janet Condy was appointed as the Chair of Literacy Development Unit in 2019. During 2021, Prof Condy hosted two postdoc fellows, with whom she developed a collaborative community research project called Reading for Meaning (R4M), where teachers and researchers collaborate in a multi-disciplinary manner across faculties and the teacher unions NAPTOSA and SADTU. The goal of this collaboration is to present in-service teacher training for teachers to develop more critical learners and improve the national and international literacy rates in South Africa. When the term for the Research Chair came to an end in June 2021, Prof Condy became instrumental on the Sisonke Supervision Mentoring Programme that ran from July through to November. The programme is now in its implementation stage, and is benefiting all faculties at CPUT.

Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) (ETDP SETA Chair)

The ETDP SETA WIL Chair’s 2020-21 study is focused on the practice of workplace learning at South African TVET colleges and workplaces, and explores working relationships between the TVET sector and the world of work. Particular attention is being paid to the manner in which TVET college students are prepared, placed, monitored and assessed for their 18-month workplace learning. The purpose is to determine appropriate WIL elements or areas for capacity building interventions of education and training practitioners. It is envisaged that such capacity building interventions will enable TVET college staff to implement appropriate forms of WIL that could strengthen skills development and enhance student employability and entrepreneurial capabilities.

STUDENT GRADUATIONS

Nine students graduated from the Faculty of Education’s master’s and doctoral programmes. Five of these students were awarded their master’s degrees and four were awarded their doctoral qualifications.

IN CONCLUSION

The faculty wishes to acknowledge and express its appreciation towards the following CPUT units for supporting its continued growth:

• DVC: Research, Technology Innovation & Partnerships

• Directorate Research Development

• Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships

• Technology Transfer & Industrial Linkages

POSTGRADUATE DEGREES OBTAINED BY STAFFFUNDING

Source Amount

Improvement of Qualifications (UCDG) 200 000

National Research Foundation (NRF): Grant-holder Linked 770 777

Postdoctoral Funding 792 000

Postgraduate Internal Bursaries 522 540

Publication 2019 Chapter in Book Contribution 300 141

Publication 2019 Conference Contribution 23 183

Publication 2019 Faculty Contribution 762 923

Publication 2019 Journal Article Contribution 665 085

National Research Foundation (NRF): NRF Chairs 3 355 927

TOTAL 7 392 576

PhD in Afrikaans and Dutch University of Stellenbosch Van den Heever AJ Wilma Stockenström as digter van die donker ekologie

PhD in Information Systems University of South Africa Moyo M

Towards a cloud business intelligence security evaluation framework for small and medium enterprises

PhD in Mathematics and Science Education University of the Western Cape Cornelissen B

Pre-service Mathematics teachers’ engagement with the evaluation and construction of alternative mathematical models for the same phenomena

Doctor of Education

RESEARCH OUTPUT

2021 publications (submitted to the DHET in May 2022)Units Books (submitted) 1.25

Chapters in book (submitted) 2.75

Conference proceedings (submitted) 2.00 Journal articles (audited) 28.36

TOTAL 34.36

Cape Peninsula University of Technology Kriel C

Guidelines for the development of a policy framework for ethics in teaching practice

Master of Education

Cape Peninsula University of Technology De Beer Z

Grade R teachers’ experiences of implementing physical education

Master of Education

Cape Peninsula University of Technology Mazwayi V

First-year Life Sciences students’ preparedness for the laboratory learning environment

Prof Zayd Waghid,

and Further Education and Training Department, was

Reflecting on this achievement, Prof Waghid said, “The programme is a milestone in my short academic career of six years, as it vindicates my status in joining the professoriate in the near future.” He continued, “I am grateful that I was selected out of a pool of top-performing candidates from 26 universities in the country. The process was quite rigorous, and only 29 out of 114 candidates were successfully approved and accepted by the Minister of Higher Education, Dr Blade Nzimande.”

Prof Waghid, son of the distinguished Prof Yusef Waghid of Stellenbosch University, regards his selection as evidence of CPUT’s status in establishing itself as a ‘smart university’ concerning the three core elements of teaching, research and community engagement in the 21st century. He believes that working smart is key to delivering such core elements. “Personally, it is a significant milestone that I am honoured to have achieved,” he said.

This young academic’s research informs his teaching, and likewise, his teaching informs his research, which further significantly influences his establishment of a meaningful relationship with both the local and international community. Asked about his mentor, Prof Waghid responded, “My father is an important figure in my life as a mentor in my research capacity. My family has always supported me and shaped me into the person I am.” He believes that if there are support structures in place to assist one to perform as an academic, “it ameliorates the burden on one emotionally and, in some instances, physically”.

This year, Prof Waghid also acquired a NRF Y-rating. At the age of 35, this is a significant milestone in his career. He has been involved in several collaborative research projects with colleagues at local and international universities. This has led to publications on remote teaching and learning during the pandemic, which he envisages sharing with the CPUT community. In his spare time, Prof Waghid reads to his children or goes running. He said, “You need to somehow balance between what is important and always consider your family and health.” Prof Waghid aspires to become an established researcher and to continuously enhance his teaching. He believes that one never stops learning from one’s practices and that there are always ways to grow, however, this depends on the willingness to reimagine new possibilities.

Remarkable self-portraits by students

Remote teaching and learning has brought many challenges to students, but for a group of 118 Bachelor of Education Intermediate Phase second-years, lack of access to art materials on campus resulted in them finding creative ways to produce exciting self-portraits. Lecturer Ms Kobie Meiring said the focus of the ‘Who Am I’ self-portraits was on the development of creativity and self-expression and on exposure to the use of recycled materials, or materials found in nature. The students made use of coffee, sand, leaves and a variety of everyday materials available at home. “The portraits are proof of their willingness to take on challenges and to explore beyond the usual art room materials,” Ms Meiring said.

Mr Gene Mannel reflecting on the project said, “I learned that art is literally everywhere around us and that anything can be used to create. We just have to look around and move outside the box. I am amazed at how wonderfully coffee works as a substitute for paint or ink.” The students found the process of making art on their own rewarding. “For most students, working in isolation is not what they would prefer, and working in contact classes would have been more inspiring. It is difficult to give your best while working in isolation,” Ms Meiring said. Despite these difficulties, Ms Meiring believes the students delivered excellent work. “And hope that these inspiring visual products will encourage selfconfidence in their creative potential,” she added.

Self-portraits display skill and innovative responses to material shortages

a senior lecturer in the Senior Phase

selected by the DHET for the Future Professors Programme 2021/2022. The prestigious Future Professors Programme, which is managed by UJ on behalf of the DHET, supports successful participants in cultivating their capabilities, dispositions and knowledge, and provides them with resources to navigate the expectations and requirements of the professoriate.

Education lecturer, Prof Zayd Waghid

Senior lecturer selected for prestigious programme

New NRF ratings for three academics

Three academics in the Faculty of Education were awarded new ratings in March by the NRF in recognition of their research outputs. Prof Liesel Hibbert was awarded a C2 rating, while Dr Zayd Waghid and Dr Pieter Boer each received a Y2 rating. Prof Hibbert’s interdisciplinary research includes sociology of language and politics, educational linguistics, educational research, psychology, literature and discourse analysis.

“I am deeply honoured and grateful to have successfully received an NRF rating. It’s a testimony to the fact that my research outputs are of high quality and have significant impact in my field of educational research, which is social justice education,” said Dr Waghid. He added that a rating is a strong indication that one is ready to enter the professoriate, and it has always been his goal to serve academia at the highest level in his capacity as a researcher. “I hope to share my knowledge and experiences with colleagues in the hope that they will also apply for NRF rating,” said the senior lecturer in Senior Phase and Further Education and Training. He continued that there are not that many rated researchers in the country, particularly in the field of educational inquiry, and that the presence of rated scholars enhances CPUT’s research ethos.

Dr Boer said he is delighted and humbled by this recognition. “I have been doing research on functional fitness for individuals with Down’s Syndrome for 12 years and it has been an extraordinary journey… Improving the quality of life for a vulnerable group of individuals provides feelings of appreciation and contentment.” Dr Boer added that the rating provides further motivation for him to work harder and become a leading expert in this very specific area of research.

Developing democratic collaborative partnerships with world of work

The Faculty of Education formed a new Advisory Board for Intermediate and Foundation Phase to provide input and guidance on all aspects related to the academic project in 2021. The function of the board is to offer first-hand assistance in preparing newly qualified teachers for the 21st century world of work within the South African context. The inauguration of the board was held during a virtual meeting. A robust programme to guide it was designed by Dr Chi Kwenda (Acting HOD: Foundation Phase and Intermediate Phase), Dr Devandre Boonzaaier (Acting HOD: Foundation Phase) and Prof Hanlie Dippenaar (HOD: Intermediate Phase). The following three executive members were selected for the next academic year: Chairperson Mr Louis Mouton, Deputy Chairperson Ms Maryna De Lange, and Secretary Mr Clive Brown.

The meeting was attended by various stakeholders including primary school principals, mentor teachers to studentteachers, officials from the Western Cape Education Department, and CPUT alumni and staff members. Dr Kwenda said that the faculty regards the venture to include the voices of various education stakeholders as a very important step towards social cohesion. Ultimately, the aim is to include knowledgeable experts in education from within and outside the university to make informative decisions and plan the way forward.

Acting assistant dean, Dr Anna Thornhill, addressed the meeting and said, “You are our partners in the world of work and we need your input to ensure that we deliver graduates who will become teachers who will be able to function optimally in a changing schooling environment”. Acting Dean of Education, Prof Lungi Sosibo, told the meeting that the board was a revival as the faculty hasn’t had this board for several years. She added, “The absence of an advisory report has been detrimental to the Faculty of Education and can lead to serious risks to the quality of the teacher education programmes that we offer in the faculty, as well as in terms of their content. This is because the advisory board serves as a sounding board off which we bounce our ideas regarding curriculum matters. It is for this reason that I appreciate your presence.”

Dr Pieter Boer (black shorts) with residents from Sunfield Homes, Wellington

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

Executive members of the Advisory Board: Secretary Mr Clive Brown, Chairperson Mr Louis Mouton and Deputy Chairperson Ms Maryna De Lange

Prof Marshall Sheldon

DEAN’S REPORT

FACULTY STRATEGIC VISION 2030

During 2021, the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment (FEBE) developed a new decadal Faculty Vision 2030 that was approved by Senate on 8 November 2021.

Vision

To be a leading faculty in engineering and the built environment that advances knowledge through science, technology and innovation for the benefit of society.

Mission

To be a self-sustaining faculty that is responsive and relevant; environmentally conscious; renowned for its innovation in teaching and learning, research, and technological development; with graduates that contribute to society.

The faculty aims to apply and localise research with a focus on technology transfer, innovation and commercialisation that have an impact on economic and social development.

Strategic Faculty Research Focus Areas (FRFA)

As part of the Vision 2030, FEBE’s research focus areas were reviewed and aligned with the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Global Grand Challenges for Engineering; African Union Agenda 2063 (AU 2063); NDP 2030; the Department of Science & Innovation’s (DSI) White paper on Science & Innovation; local government’s strategic plan; as well as the Institutional Research Focus Areas (IRFAs).

The following aligned FRFAs were identified for the period up until 2025:

• FRFA 1: Advanced manufacturing/Advanced material (IRFA 1 to 6)

• FRFA 2: Communications and networking technology (IRFA 2 and 6)

• FRFA 3: Engineering management (IRFA 5)

• FRFA 4: Engineering education (IRFA 5)

• FRFA 5: Robotics (IRFA 5 and 6)

• FRFA 6: Smart energy (IRFA 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6)

• FRFA 7: Smart water (IRFA1, 3, 4, 5 and 6)

• FRFA 8: Smart cities (IRFA 4 to 6)

• FRFA 9: Oceans’ economy (IRFA 2, 3, 4 and 6)

The identified faculty strategic research areas need to be supported by and aligned with ‘smartness’, namely internet of things (IoT) and big data, as well as the 4th and 5th Industrial Revolutions. These research areas will be unpacked into more specific faculty niche areas based on various strengths, skills and capacity.

FACULTY RESEARCH ENTITIES

FEBE’s research activities are aligned with CPUT’s RTI 10-year Blueprint as well as the university’s Research Focus Areas. The faculty aims to apply and localise research with a focus on technology transfer, innovation and commercialisation that have an impact on economic and social development.

A broad range of research disciplines are covered, across various entities, institutes, technology stations, research centres and units, all of which are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and technology. The faculty is thus well-positioned to actively contribute to the current 4th Industrial Revolution.

1FOCUS AREA

ENERGY

Research Group Page

Research InstitutePage

SPACE SCIENCE, ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

French–South African Institute of Technology 132

Research Centres

Africa Space Innovation Centre134

Centre for Instrumentation Research 135 Research Group Quantum Physics Research Group 136

Research Institute Page

Energy Institute 139 Research Centres

Centre for Distributed Power & Electronic Systems 142

Centre for Research in Power Systems 145 Centre for Real-Time Distributed Systems 147 Centre for Substation Automation & Energy Management Systems148

THE ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE & SUSTAINABILITY

Technology StationsPage

HUMAN, HEALTH & SOCIAL DYNAMICS

Adaptronics Advanced Manufacturing Technology Laboratory 181

Clothing & Textiles Technology Station

6FOCUS

AREA

Research Centre Page

Flow Process & Rheology Centre 160 Research Group

Nanomaterials Research Group162

Note: This research group is also involved with projects in FA 5

182

THE DIGITAL SOCIETY

Research Centre Page

Please note that more information about this faculty’s 2021 research activities can be found in the Focus Areas section of this Research Report

AN

OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

The faculty’ research entities for 2021:

Entity typeName

Institutes Energy Institute (EI)

French South African Institute of Technology (F’SATI)

Centres African Space Innovation Centre (ASIC)

Centre for Distributed Power & Electronic Systems (CDPES)

Centre for Real-Time Distributed Systems (CRTDS)

Centre for Substation Automation & Energy Management Systems (CSAEMS)

Centre for Water & Sanitation Research (CWSR)

Flow Process & Rheology Centre (FPRC)

Product Lifecycle Management Competency Centre (PLMCC)

SOME 2021 HIGHLIGHTS

The African Space Innovation Centre (ASIC) was featured on the news channel CNN in February. The segment highlighted the centre’s technology developments, and its research and innovation work in space science and engineering.

The African Space Innovation Centre (ASIC) pioneered the development of Africa’s first nanosatellite, ZACUBE-1 in 2013, and the second most advanced South African CubeSat in 2018. During 2021, the centre continued its work on the South African Marine Domain Awareness (MDA) satellite mission, in support of Operations Pakisa towards a constellation of satellites to provide international maritime communication services.

Technology stations

TIA Technology Station in Clothing & Textiles

TIA Adaptronics Advanced Manufacturing Technology Laboratory

Groups Bioengineering Research Group

Quantum Physics Research Group

Nanomaterials Research Group

The faculty also hosts a national renewable energy centre, the South African Renewable Energy Centre (SARETEC).

During 2021, new research entities were developed that align with the institution’s and faculty’s research focus areas. These are in the process of being registered:

• Centre for Sustainable Heritage (CSH)

• Friction Stir Welding & Processing Research Unit (FSW&PRU)

• Functional Material Research Unit (FMRU)

• Research Unit for Engineering & the Built Environment Education (RUEBEE)

The French–South African Institute of Technology (F’SATI) secured a 3-year NRF Special Grant award for postgraduate student bursaries to the value of R7.5 million from 2021 to 2023.

World Space Week is managed by the UN and the World Space Week Association. The event promotes and celebrates the global impact of science and technology on advancement of the human condition. The theme for this year’s World Space Week was ‘Women in Space’. CPUT formed part of these global events and hosted representatives from the DSI and SANSA.

The African Space Innovation Centre (ASIC) designed and built three nanosatellites – MDASat-1a, -1b and -1c. These are set to be launched SpaceX in Florida in January 2022.

Chemical Engineering’s senior lecturer and highly skilled researcher, Dr Mahabubur Rahman Chowdhury, was appointed to the editorial board of the prestigious publication Journal of Frontiers in Micro- and Nanoscale Sensors.

The NRF Annual Research Awards recognised the exceptional performance and national level contribution of Dr Moses Basitere. This former lecturer of Chemical Engineering and current research fellow was the recipient of the 2020 NRF Award for an Emerging Researcher.

CPUT RESEARCH

AWARDS

Awards for Research Publication

Silver: Dr AK Raji (Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering)

Bronze: Prof SKO Ntwampe (Department of Chemical Engineering)

Awards for Postgraduate Supervision

Platinum: Dr AK Raji (Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering)

Gold: Prof SKO Ntwampe (Department of Chemical Engineering)

Bronze: Prof MTE Kahn (Research Chair in Energy; Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering)

Bronze: Prof TV Ojumu (Department of Chemical Engineering)

NEW HEQSF ALIGNED POSTGRADUATE QUALIFICATIONS

FEBE is concluding its Higher Education Qualification Sub-Framework curriculum process and has developed four postgraduate diplomas, four bachelor honours, and one new master’s qualification. During 2021, the faculty submitted these for DHET clearance, CHE accreditation and SAQA registration. As soon as SAQA registration is received the implementation will commence. These are the new qualifications:

• Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Honours) in Chemical Engineering

• Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Honours) in Civil Engineering

• Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Honours) in Computer Engineering

• Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Honours) in Electrical Engineering

• Postgraduate Diploma in Clothing & Textile Technology

• Postgraduate Diploma in Construction

• Postgraduate Diploma in Engineering Management

• Postgraduate Diploma in Mechanical Engineering

• Master of Engineering in Engineering Management, which was registered with SAQA during 2021, and its first students were registered during semester 2

STAFF DEVELOPMENT

During 2021, the following FEBE staff successes were achieved: Staff qualifications

Two staff members obtained their doctoral qualifications and three obtained their master’s qualifications. Please see ‘Postgraduate degress obtained by staff’ section below for details.

Nurturing Emerging Scholars Programme 2021

The faculty was awarded two NESP positions within the Electrical Communication’s Satellite Technology field and in the Nautical Science field.

NRF ratings 2021

The following faculty staff successfully achieved their NRF ratings effective 2021 to 2026: Dr Velaphi Msomi (Y2); Dr Bongani Ncube (C3); Prof Robert van Zyl (C3) and Prof Asis Patnaik (C2). During 2021, two faculty staff submitted NRF rating applications: Prof Marshall Sheldon retained her C2 rating, and Prof Oluwaseun Oyekola was awarded his first C2 rating (effective from 2022). The details of the full faculty NRF ratings are reported on page 33 of this Research Report.

German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) UNILEAD Scholarship

Dr Sweta Patnaik was successful as the first CPUT recipient of this prestigious scholarship. She enrolled for a DIES UNILEAD course at the University of Oldenburg.

POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

Vice Chancellor’s Prestigious Award

These postgraduates each received a VC’s Prestigious Award at a virtual ceremony in September:

Dr Bimpe Omolara Alabi, DEng: Civil Engineering

Dr Zamavangeli Mdletshe, DEng: Mechanical Engineering

Dr Melody Ruvimbo Mukandi, DEng: Chemical Engineering

Academic awarded prestigious scholarship

Smart Graduations

Department of Clothing & Textile Technology lecturer and curriculum officer

Dr Sweta Patnaik felt honoured to be the first CPUT recipient of the prestigious German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Unilead scholarship to enrol for a Dies Unilead course at the University of Oldenburg in 2021. The course covers the topics of Project Management, Strategic Management and Academic Leadership and Human Resource Management for young managers at higher education institutions in developing countries.

The course is broken down into four phases, two online and two face-to-face visits to the University of Oldenberg, which inspired Dr Patnaik to consider aspects such as internationalisation, sustainability of the curriculum, 4IR and academic leadership. Her professional career began in 2016 when she joined CPUT as a lecturer in the Department of Clothing & Textile Technology. As a result of being Teaching & Learning Coordinator and also Curriculum Officer in her department, Dr Patnaik had the opportunity to develop two qualifications. The Advanced Diploma in Clothing & Textile Technology started in 2020. The Postgraduate Diploma in Clothing & Textile Technology is awaiting its SAQA ID. Currently, she is working on developing a master’s degree for the department.

Dr Patnaik’s research interests are waste management, sustainability, e-learning and blended learning, and teaching and learning in the higher education sector. This published researcher’s passion for teaching has led her to research innovation in teaching and learning in the higher education sector. She won the Nelson Mandela University Rising Star Alumni Award in 2020.

Dr Patnaik said, “This learning will not only be for me to keep, but I will share this expertise within the CPUT community through various platforms… My work is my passion; if I have agreed to some commitment [then] I give my 100%. I always want to give my best, no matter how big or small the job is… I aspire to see myself as a good academic, to constantly push boundaries that restrict us.”

Despite the challenges faced during the Covid-19 pandemic, FEBE successfully graduated 69 postgraduate students during 2021: (i) At the June graduation a total of 31, comprising 27 master’s and 4 doctoral students, and (ii) at the December graduation a total of 43, comprising 40 master’s and 3 doctoral students.

Honorary Doctorate

During the June 2021 graduation, the faculty awarded an Honorary Doctor of Engineering to Dr Yskandar Hamam for his contributions towards the training of South African students and his work towards the success of F’SATI.

Postgraduate studies making a difference in the community

The community-based aquaponics project of a doctoral graduate, Dr Fareed Ismail, a senior lecturer from the department of Mechanical Engineering, is making a positive difference in the Belhar community.

RESEARCH OUTPUT

The faculty’s 2020 DHET-accredited research output comprised 54.4 accredited subsidy units. This included 140 journal articles, 41 conference proceedings and five book chapters.

PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATION

During 2021, FEBE signed agreements with key partners that align with its new vision and strategy. Some of the highlights in this space:

• The French Embassy and Dassault Systems extended the support of the PLMCC to train staff and students on their software that provides a complete 3D design experience.

• A collaboration was established with Cranfield University and five other local and inter national universities and institutes for the project ‘Supporting transformative adaptation and building equitable resilience to drought for sustainable development’.

Dr Sweta Patnaik aspires to constantly push restrictive boundaries

PhD graduates’ project makes a difference in community

Department of Mechanical Engineering senior lecturer Dr Fareed Ismail graduated with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering during the Smart Graduation in June. He has established the Beleaf Aquaponics project, which is making a difference in the Belhar community. This project spans across multiple disciplines such as renewable energy, new farming methods (aquaponics), education and training of community members,

and Early Childhood Development (ECD). The project won the regional and national governmental awards for the most outstanding ECD programme in South Africa.

Dr Ismail’s research focuses on how South Africa can reduce its dependency on a coal-powered industry; improve outdated agricultural

methods; reduce poverty; and create awareness of the use of renewable energy amongst low-income communities. He has developed teaching materials for local teachers. Dr Ismail, who grew up in a low-income family in Grassy Park, says teachers at Beleaf Aquaponics based at Belhar Community Centre are taught how to integrate the curriculum ECD into their syllabus.

About 125 toddlers are taught how to germinate seeds, plant seedlings and even harvest the produce. “The most outstanding feedback I got from the teachers was that after the toddlers come back from feeding the fish in the aquaponics system, they are much more relaxed and open to taking in knowledge,” Dr Ismail said. “These kids come from broken homes riddled with drug and domestic abuse. The centre and project have become a sanctuary for them.”

Dr Ismail says the project provides food for the children and the additional harvest is sold to a local supplier. Albeit on a small scale, the educational value and growth are exceptional. Dr Ismail believes that the only way for this kind of project to succeed is to work with the community. “I had to train myself and the community regarding the technology. I had a lot of help from my students too. Most of them became mature and passionate about the project over a short period of time.”

The engineering crusader is assertive and goal orientated, and he never gives in to any challenge or stumbling block. “I am hopeful and committed to this project. I have started to bring science to it and partnered with other institutes such as iThemba Labs and Nanoenergy for Sustainable Development in Africa (NESDAF), where we are going to try improve solar collector equipment by introducing new technology in the fields of nanoscience. This will result in the establishment of a centre of excellence at CPUT.”

Reflecting on his journey, Dr Ismail said it’s been a long walk, full of trials and tribulations. “Nothing in life is easy, especially if you grew up in previously disadvantaged communities which were set up to fail.” He is grateful to CPUT which has been very supportive of his research and is thankful for the URF grant awarded to him. He added, “Many of my colleagues have become interested in the project, and some are now also doing projects within the community such as designing re-cycle equipment friendly for toddlers to use.”

At Beleaf Aquaponics, teachers learn about integrating the ECD curriculum

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

FACULTY

OF

ENGINEERING & THE BUILT

ENVIRONMENT

• The F’SATI collaboration was renewed.

• An agreement was signed with Japan for the project ‘Development of a carbon recycling system toward a decarbonised society by using mineral carbonation’. This is sponsored by the Science and Technology Research Partnerships for Sustainable Development (SATREPS).

• An agreement was signed with the Department of Transport for students to pursue their studies in transportation and related fields, as well as capacity building initiatives for existing employees to build the requisite skills and competencies required by the department.

• An agreement was signed with The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) to undertake research, development, training and capacity building projects identified in terms of their respective goals and objectives.

• An agreement was signed with Schneider Electric South Africa PTY Ltd for the establishment of the French–Southern African Schneider Electric Education Centre (F’SASEC) and the donation of specific equipment for student training.

RESEARCH FUNDING AND GRANTS

The faculty staff and researchers were very active and attracted external funding from a range of regional, national and international funders. A breakdown and more detail of this funding is available on page 34 of this Research Report.

CONFERENCES HOSTED

During 2021, FEBE successfully hosted the following conferences:

• Energy and Human Habitat Conference, hosted by the Energy Institute and Prof Khan, in July

• PEESA III, hosted by the faculty and organised by Prof Anthony Staak, in September

• ICARAE 2021, hosted by the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Dr Msomi, in November

PEESA III Dissemination Conference

The faculty hosted the much-anticipated PEESA III (Personalised Engineering Education in Southern Africa) Dissemination Conference virtually on 7th September. The theme was ‘Engineering Education’ and the event was attended by staff and students. The PEESA project has a significant focus on the promotion of women in engineering. This was a collaborative project funded by the European Commission on the Erasmus+ programme, through a consortium of universities from South Africa and Europe: CPUT, Tshwane University of Technology, Vaal University of Technology, Durban University of Technology, Hochschule Wismar, Hochschule Flensburg, University of Szczecin and the Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu.

THE WAY FORWARD

Despite numerous challenges, the 2021 academic year was certainly eventful and is a testament to the truly dedicated academics, researchers, support staff and students, without whom these achievements would not have been possible.

Going forward, all research entities will be reviewed and assessed for alignment with the Institutional Research Focus Areas as well as the Faculty Research Focus Areas. They will also be assessed for productivity, impact, contributions to the faculty, and institutional objectives. All research and innovation activities will be aligned with the strategic goals and objectives of the faculty and institution in order to maximise limited resources and optimise capacity.

RESEARCH

POSTGRADUATE

PhD in Business Strategy

Tilburg University (School of Economics & Management) Nghona X

From one growth mode to another: switching between strategic expansion modes

Master of Engineering: Electrical Engineering CPUT

Nomandela S IEC 61850 standard-based protection of the coupling point between a wind farm and the power grid

Doctor of Engineering: Civil Engineering CPUT Muanda C (awarded posthumously) Investigation into institutional, technical and social aspects of sanitation service provision in the policy context of free basic sanitation: A case study of informal settlements of South Africa

Master of Engineering: Chemical Engineering CPUT Bingo NM Advancements in poultry slaughterhouse wastewater treatment plant design

Master of Engineering: Chemical Engineering CPUT Dlamini D Performance of a biological pre-treatment system coupled with static granular bed reactor for poultry slaughterhouse

Master Engineering: Energy CPUT Schouw M

Performance analysis of a directexpansion solar-assisted heat pump for domestic water heating in South Africa

Master of Engineering: Mechanical Engineering CPUT Barnard D CFD modelling of the performance of various wind turbine rotors with experimental verification

Department of Chemical Engineering senior lecturer Dr Mahabubur Rahman Chowdhury was appointed as an editorial board member of the prestigious Journal of Frontiers in Micro- and Nanoscale Sensors. Dr Chowdhury is a highly skilled researcher who studies the physical chemistry of nanomaterials, their structural and functional assessment, and their deployment in various applications such as electrochemical biosensors and water treatment. His appointment shows recognition of his expertise and quality of work.

His recent paper on the electrochemical sensor for glucose detection, ‘Binderless solution-processed ZN doped CO3O4 film on FTO for rapid and selective nonenzymatic glucose detection’, was one of the top 25 most downloaded papers in the Journal of Electroanalysis. Dr Chowdhury has developed the nanomaterial scene from scratch at CPUT. “Research is my passion and I do it for the beauty of it,” said Dr Chowdhury. “Because of my research and effort, CPUT has made it to the list of universities that do research in nanomaterial. Before 2014, there was no quantifiable nanomaterial research at CPUT, and in 2020 we published in top journals. As an editorial board member, I will make sure the science that goes out through the journal goes through a rigorous process of quality checking.” He added that effective time management is the key to his achievement.

CPUT joins World Space Week celebrations

For over a decade, CPUT has participated in World Space Week, a global celebration of the contributions that space science and technology make to the betterment of the human condition. The theme of this year’s celebrations was ‘Women in Space’. Numerous events took place worldwide, celebrating the achievements of women in the space sector and motivating the next generation of young people.

The week of celebration is managed by the UN with the assistance of the World Space Week Association (WSWA). The WSWA steers a world-wide team of national coordinators, who promote the event within their own countries. The UN’s General Assembly proclaimed in 1999 that World Space Week would be held each year from 4th to 10th October. These dates commemorate two events:

• 4 October 1957: Launch of the first human-made earth satellite, Sputnik 1, thus leading the way for space study

• 10 October 1967: The signing of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies

For its part, CPUT hosts Africa’s leading nanosatellite programme, which developed Africa’s first nanosatellite, ZACube-1. On 21 November 2013, CPUT made history with the launch of South Africa’s first CubeSat, ZACube-1, also known as TshepisoSat. It was launched on top of an RS-2OB rocket (Dnepr) at Yasny launch base in Russia. Sometime after 9am it made its first track over South Africa. Around 12pm the ground station at CPUT accomplished its first connection with the nanosatellite.

Financed by the DSI, the satellite was invented and manufactured by postgraduate students following the CubeSat Programme at F’SATI at CPUT. This second node of F’SATI in South Africa was established at CPUT in 2008 in collaboration with SANSA. This programme is purposefully associated with the National Space Strategy and is also funded as a crucial human resource development programme by the NRF.

CPUT went on to release ZACube-2 on 27 December 2018, from the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket, transmitting nanosatellites from South Africa, the United States, Spain, and Germany, from Baikonur East in Serbia. The ZACube-2 is three times the size of its predecessor, and inspects marine traffic along the South African coast, assisting in meeting Operation Phakisa objectives.

Towards the end of 2021/beginning of 2022, CPUT will launch the first South African constellation of three satellites for Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA). The mission, named MDASat-1, will be CPUT’s third satellite mission. The head of ASIC and the local node of F’SATI, Prof Robert van Zyl, said the MDASat-1 will use Automatic Identification System (AIS) data to monitor ship movements within South Africa’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

The theme of World Space Week 2021 was ‘Women in Space’

Dr Mahabubur Rahman Chowdhury is a highly skilled researcher

FEBE lecturer on editorial board of prestigious journal

FEBE academics considered research leaders

Four FEBE academics have achieved NRF ratings for 2021–2026. Dr Asis Patnaik (Clothing & Textile Technology) achieved a C2 rating, Dr Bongani Ncube (Civil Engineering & Surveying) and Prof Robert van Zyl (Electrical Engineering and Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering) each achieved a C3 rating, and Dr Velaphi Msomi (Mechanical Engineering) achieved a Y2 rating. Dean of FEBE Prof Marshall Sheldon said the NRF rating system is a key driver in the national science system towards global competitiveness. She added that the ratings are based on a review system by local and international peers of an individual’s research contributions and impact over the last eight years.

“We are proud to have these esteemed researchers as part of our faculty. What an achievement and keep up the good work,” said the proud dean. Dr Ncube, head researcher at the Centre for Water & Sanitation Research, said the C rating is awarded to established researchers with a sustained recent record of productivity in the field, who are recognised by their peers as having produced a body of quality work, the core of which has coherence and attests to ongoing engagement with the field, and who demonstrate the ability to conceptualise problems and apply research methods to investigate them. “A C3 rating means that most of the reviewers who assessed my application concurred that I am an established researcher,” added Dr Ncube.

This rating allows Dr Ncube to pause and reflect on the direction of her research based on what both the local and international reviewers recommended. “When came to South Africa about eight years ago, I picked research that was already taking place. I then developed my niche research areas in water and agriculture,” she continued. “So, now I need to decide on a specialisation area that integrates both.” She perceives her new rating as acknowledgment and confirmation that her research is of good quality and that she is on the right track. She added that for CPUT it means the institution’s status is rising as more researchers get counted among leaders in their research fields.

Dr Msomi’s Y2 rating is a category that is awarded to researchers who are younger than 40 years and have their research output recognised internationally. He has been given this rating for five years, after which there will be a review. “If I have achieved more during this five-year period, I will then be put to another category which is higher than Y ratings such as C, B and A. The rating comes with funding,” he explained. This rating means Dr Msomi is ranked as one of the top researchers in the country. The number of rated researchers in an institution also contributes towards the ranking of the university.

Dr Msomi still doesn’t believe that he is a rated researcher and this is due to his rural educational background. “So I think it will take maybe a year for me to believe that I am a rated researcher... I believe this rating will encourage other researchers in my department to give research a different view. I also believe that this rating will encourage my postgraduate students in taking their studies more seriously,” he said.

Thuthuka grant stirs hope

Department of Chemical Engineering lecturer

Dr Buntu Godongwana was awarded a Thuthuka grant for 2021, and said the financial support would assist in the procurement of equipment and materials required for his team’s research. “It will also assist us in participating in various forums, local and abroad, in order to share ideas and engage fellow researchers in our chosen field,” Dr Godongwana remarked.

Dr Godongwana said his team’s NRF grant application was made to support fundamental and applied research about photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of hydrocarbons. “Catalysts are broadly defined as substances that enable a chemical reaction to proceed at a faster rate, without them undergoing any permanent chemical change. They occur all around nature, such as enzymes in the human body facilitate all the biochemical reactions that sustain life. The specific catalysts of interest for our research are heterogeneous catalysts applied in agri-food preservation.”

The Gugulethu-born academic continued, “We are very excited with our successful application. The NRF Thuthuka award is aimed at supporting emerging researchers to develop into more established researchers, thereby increasing the pool of knowledge generation and innovation in South Africa. We are also excited by the prospect of supporting prospective master’s and doctoral students as this fund allows us.” He added that more than the monetary value, the award serves as an affirmation and recognition of their hard work in contributing to the advancement of their area of research. “It means others recognise our work and desire to see more from us in the future. The award will assist in capacity building in the university, and it is also recognition that the research undertaken at CPUT is of an appreciable level of competence.”

“The future belongs to those who prepare for it and there is no greater preparation than empowering yourself with knowledge. This is the mantra that inspires us… It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that the child of a farm worker can become the president of a great nation. Our progression from the humble beginnings in the township of Gugulethu to sharing our ideas in international platforms with world leaders in our discipline is living testimony of Madiba’s words,” he added. Dr Godongwana and his team have started a youth organisation in Gugulethu to educate young people about the dangers of alcohol abuse and teenage pregnancies, and raise awareness about HIV and Aids.

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FEBE staff members were awarded NRF ratings

Dr Buntu Godongwana

FEBE hosts PEESA III Dissemination Conference

FEBE hosted the much-anticipated Personalised Engineering Education in Southern Africa (PEESA III) Dissemination Conference virtually on Microsoft Teams in September. The PEESA III project is a collaborative initiative funded by the European Commission on the Erasmus+ programme. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, only presenters and session chairs were permitted to attend the event physically, whilst the rest of the participants joined online. There were three keynote addresses by well-known speakers. The main theme of the event was ‘Engineering Education’, and it drew wide interest from engineering staff and students.

The PEESA III project aims at building capacity in areas related to engineering education. It also focuses on the promotion of women in engineering and on improving the university’s industry co-operation. It is implemented by a consortium of universities from South Africa and Europe: CPUT, TUT, VUT, DUT, Hochschule Wismar, Hochschule Flensburg, University of Szczecin and the Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu. PEESA III board member Prof Anthony Staak said that in 2013 a consortium of universities from Europe and Southern Africa submitted an application for funding from the European Commission for a project titled ‘Programme on Energy Efficiency in Southern Africa’. The consortium was successful in two additional applications for funding from the European Commission. All three projects are related to engineering education. Prof Staak continued, “The current PEESA III has as its primary deliverable a suite of professional master of engineering degrees at the South African partner universities”.

The Dissemination Conference took place towards the end of the Erasmus+ project, and provided project participants with an opportunity to showcase relevant research findings, present the project outcomes and deliverables, and reflect on its successes and challenges.

The project is located at FEBE and looks forward to two newly developed master’s degree qualifications in the near future. “Faculty staff in particular will benefit from the capacity building initiatives associated with the project,” said Prof Staak.

International coverage for CPUT

The global news channel CNN interviewed Mr Nyameko Royi and Mr Morne Roman about the developments in technology, research and work in space science and engineering at CPUT in February. This was for a programme called African Voices Changemakers, and the interview became part of a 30-minute documentary, an assembly of stories about technology and embracing the 4IR in Africa. Mr Royi, a senior engineer at ASIC and at F’SATI, said CNN had also conducted interviews with some of the engineers who are involved with the development of nanosatellites at CPUT.

“We briefly discussed our nanosatellite missions, past and future, which are ZaCUBE-1, ZACube-2 and MDASat-1… We showed CNN our labs, where most of our staff spend their day performing simulations, discussing concepts and latest trends in satellite development. We also showed them our production lab where we test and do inspection of our products. We also went through the Flight Model area where flight-ready equipment is packaged and cleaned before it’s assembled into a Flight Model in the cleanroom.”

He said ZACube-1’s mission is to characterise antenna array on Antarctica. ZACube-2 has two payloads, Software Defined Radio (SDR) with an Automatic Identification System (AIS), used in the marine domain to observe ships’ movement in our Exclusive Economic Zone. The hosted payload in collaboration with the CSIR–K-Line Camera detects potassium in veld fires which could be used as a supplementary to veld fire detection and fighting.

The MDASat-1 constellation is a collection of three satellites with an upgraded AIS–SDR which will be used to track and trace vessels along the South African coastal shore. AIS on board the MDASat-1 can track ship speed, direction and position. It also provides the name of the ship, the destination and the origin. It can be used for rescue purposes and in cases of oil spillage.

Among the engineers who were interviewed was Ms Lilie Leopold, who discussed the mission labs – the assembling of flat satellites on the test bench where all the subsystems of the satellite are connected and tested. This is the first stage of the development of the satellite. Mr Roman and Mr Royi shared some insights on the Altitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) operation. “We showed the 3D models of past missions and current missions. We also discussed the success stories of ZACube-1 launched in November 2013 and ZACube-2 launched in December 2018. We discussed the objectives of both those missions and the current mission,” Mr Royi remarked.

Mr Stephan Cupido discussed ZACube-2 AIS main payload and MDASat-1, which is the current mission with an AIS payload. He also shared the ground station (GS) operations information data acquisition from the satellite to the GS to the end-user. Mr Royi also shared the background of the F’SATI academic programme and the ASIC engineering development and training programme as to how and when it started in 2009, and the objectives of the programmes. “This will be an international advertisement for CPUT where it pertains to the university research and development. With the ASIC programme, this will showcase our beautiful inventions in space engineering and the capability to develop lasting solutions for the world and humanity at large.”

PEESA III Board member, Prof Anthony Staak

CNN interviewing Mr Nyameko Royi and Mr Morne Roman

DSI visits CPUT FEBE wins at international conference

As part of the celebration of World Space Week, the DSI’s Space Science and Technology team visited CPUT’s space technology facilities in October. Chief Director, Mr Humbulani Mudau, said the visit was part of the DSI’s engagement with key stakeholders to share recent developments in government policies and strategies. The visit also provided CPUT with an opportunity to exchange ideas on various strategic areas such as human-centred design and infrastructure requirements as well as developments in technological capabilities. Dean of FEBE, Prof Marshall Sheldon, welcomed the guests to the event, which was held on the Bellville Campus, and added that the university had a lot to celebrate during Space Week.

World Space Week 2021’s theme was ‘Women in Space’. Mr Mudau said DSI is guided by the White Paper on Science Technology and Innovation, which the department is currently finalising. He said the plan addresses five grand societal challenges focused on the future. “We are looking at the future of education, the type of curriculum that we design for the 4th Industrial Revolution, and the other revolutions that are still to come. We are also focusing on the health and well-being of the people of South Africa which is very critical, including health innovations. In addition, we are looking at advancement in manufacturing and industrialisation, and how we then create new jobs, high tech jobs for young people, particularly women,” he said.

Mr Mudau added that his department will also be looking at climate change and environmental sustainability. He said they believe that Space Science and Technology has a critical role to play in addressing these challenges. “Therefore, we will be investing quite significantly in the National Space Programme. We are looking at building national satellite communication which is very critical for rural connectivity, in order to ensure we create an environment where the township or rural economy can thrive, because when people have access to information, they have access to education. We have seen with Covid-19 how those on the outskirts are struggling to connect virtually,” continued Mr Mudau. “We are very excited about the work that we have been doing as we seriously look at the indigenous launching capability.”

FEBE staff members Dr Sipokazi Mabuwa and Mr Luyanda Meyers won the Best Paper Presentation and Best Research Paper, respectively, at the virtual 2nd International Conference on Aspects of Material Science and Engineering (ICAMSE 2021). The conference was organised by Punjab University in India. Dr Mabuwa is a Mechanical Engineering Strength of Materials laboratory technician, while Mr Meyers is a lecturer and Extended Curriculum Coordinator in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

The primary scope of ICAMSE 2021 was to bring professional engineers, academics and researchers with common interests together to share new ideas, experiences and knowledge in various fields of materials science and engineering. CPUT was represented by Physics lecturer, Dr Velaphi Msomi, who is part of the International Technical Advisory Committee and Technical Session Chair, and four paper presenters, including Ms Zamavangeli Mdletshe and Ms Noxolo Hlongwa. All the papers presented at the conference were published in the journal Materials Today: Proceedings.

As a Technical Advisory Committee member, Dr Msomi chaired the session related to his research field as a Technical Session Chair. Dr Msomi, who was also Dr Mabuwa’s supervisor for her PhD, said, “I felt very motivated after hearing the announcement of the names of my students and colleagues. I believe these achievements are an indication of the quality of our research.” He added, “Dr Mabuwa is a humble young lady who is always eager to learn new things and she gives it all when it comes to her work. She is one of those people who grow each day academically. I believe this achievement will boost her confidence and also encourage her to keep on growing in her field of research. I feel so excited about her achievement.”

Dr Mabuwa’s PhD topic was ‘The analysis of mechanical properties between submerged and normal multiple-pass friction stir processing of the friction stir welded dissimilar aluminium joints’. She said, “It feels very overwhelming, honestly I never thought I’d come this far, but God made it possible. I mean I’m just a technician, most participants had more interesting positions... It means that the department is capable of producing world-class quality postgraduates. As a department, we are heading the right way.”

Mr Meyers said, “The victory was being awarded the Best Research Paper and Presenter in technical session 4… As an early upcoming researcher, this is a motivation to push me to even greater levels… This is my first research award, paving the way for more to come.” The topic of his research paper is ‘Hydrodynamic analysis of an underwater glider wing using ANSYS fluent as an investigation tool’.

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Chief Director: Space Science and Technology, Mr Humbulani Mudau

Dr Sipokazi Mabuwa and Mr Luyanda Meyers

Honorary doctorate awarded

CPUT awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering to Dr Yskandar Hamam in July. Dr Hamam was honoured for his indisputable contribution during recent years to the training of South African students and the promotion of South African universities, through his membership of F’SATI. Dr Hamam is currently a professor emeritus in TUT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and also a professor emeritus at ESIEE-Paris. He retains an active involvement in the further development of F’SATI. Out of the 57 doctorate students who graduated under his supervision, 36 are in South Africa and many of these are now involved in academic institutions in the country.

Dr Hamam received his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree from the American University of Beirut in 1966, and Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Manchester in 1970 and 1972 respectively. Dr Hamam was also awarded the Diplôme d’Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches degree, the highest national diploma of Higher Education in France, from the Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille in 1998.

Dr Hamam has lectured and conducted research activities in England, Brazil, Lebanon, Belgium and France. He was the Head of the Control Department and the Dean of the Faculty of ESIEE-Paris. He is an active member of modelling and simulation societies, and was the President of the European Federation of Simulation Societies, EUROSIM. He is also a Life Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. A major technical contribution during his research career is the development of a water and gas network analysis method, which has replaced previous methods and is now a reference for the analysis of piping networks.

In 2007, Dr Hamam joined F’SATI at TUT as a Scientific Director, and then also at CPUT in 2008. He remained in these positions until December 2012. He has co-authored four books and 40 chapters in books. He has also authored or co-authored more than 400 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals and in peer-reviewed conference proceedings.

Ministerial task team visits Saretec

CPUT hosted the Higher Education, Science and Innovation Ministerial Task Team (MTT) during an oversight project site visit at the South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (Saretec) as part of the National Skills Fund (NSF) Strategic Review in October. The NSF falls under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science & Innovation, and the Saretec establishment as a national centre for skills training in renewable energy was funded by the NSF to the value of R105 million. The three-member MTT was established and approved by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande.

Dean of FEBE, Prof Marshall Sheldon, said the purpose of the MTT was to conduct a review of the NSF and to undertake an oversight visit to projects such as Saretec funded by the NSF. “The MTT has a strategic focus on the NSF’s mandate and scope, and analyses its capacity, systems and organisational structure in relation to its mandate. The MTT will provide an assessment and recommendations to the minister.” Prof Sheldon added that the provisional feedback from the task team was very positive and they were very impressed with how the challenges faced by Saretec were managed and addressed, the progress made, and the number of students trained so far.

Reflecting on the visit, Mr Claude Cogill, the centre’s senior project manager, said it was a site audit confirming how the NSF budget was spent and how it impacts the industry. “I was reasonably happy with the visit. Our team, including CPUT management, served us well, and we provided an honest picture of Saretec,” Mr Cogill said. Furthermore, DVC: RTIP, Dr David Phaho, said the end goal was to give a report to the minister on whether the centre has achieved its strategic goals and objectives as envisaged at its founding.

Dr Phaho said their meeting with the MTT was very interactive and the task team asked relevant and constructive questions about Saretec. “Their immediate feedback was that Saretec is doing great work as per its mandate.” He added that the Saretec team made a presentation on the centre’s journey over the years, which involved a discussion of the strategy going forward.

Dr Yskandar Hamam honoured

Members of the Higher Education, Science and Innovation MTT

CPUT hosts WorldSkills Competition

FEBE’s Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering hosted the provincial leg of the WorldSkills Competition at the Saretec venue in November. The theme was ‘new Youth, New Skills, New Dream’. WorldSkills competitions are considered the gold standard of skills excellence. They inspire young competitors to reach new heights, helping them turn their passion into a profession.

Four skills were tested during the provincial leg, which was held at SARETEC on the Bellville Campus. The teams that competed comprised third-year students from the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering who were doing their work-integrated learning. One team of two students competed in Computer Numerical Control Milling, two teams of two students competed in Mobile Robotics, two teams of two students competed in Mechatronics, and one team of four students competed in Renewable Energy.

“Teams are trained by CPUT staff members and sponsors of different skills in preparing the students for competitions,” said lecturer, Mr Vuyani Moni, adding that CPUT was approached by the DHET to participate in

higher-order skills in the World Skills Competition as it is now open to universities. Students were presented with certificates and awards after the competition, while the experts in each skill area were also presented with certificates of participation.

The guests and participants were welcomed by FEBE’s dean, Prof Marshall Sheldon, who said the competition was an exciting opportunity for the faculty and for the institution. The speakers included Mr Mike Mashinini (WorldSkills South Africa’s technical delegate) and Mr Leon Beech (South African Educator Development Centre). Mr Mashinini said the competition was not just about winning but about building skills and careers. He emphasised the focus areas that are aligned to the WorldSkills Vision 2025: Promotion of Skills, Career Building, International Development, Education & Training, and Research & Competitions. He expressed the hope that some of the CPUT students would progress to the international 46th WorldSkills Competition, scheduled to be held in Shanghai next year.

The Saretec venue

CPUT students showcased their talent and skills at the competition

Prof Tandi Matsha

DEAN’S REPORT

The Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences specialises in many diverse fields related to overall health and well-being, and consists of several research entities, working towards improving the current health dynamic. The staff and postgraduate students produce significant research outputs, which represent CPUT and South Africa on the international stage.

Despite 2020 and 2021 being incredibly difficult years for lecturers, researchers and students alike, this faculty is very proud to announce many graduates. There was a marked increase in postgraduate graduation numbers in 2021 when compared to previous years, with 7 doctoral graduates and 21 master’s graduates from the faculty. It is important to note that graduates emanated from all departments hosting postgraduate qualifications, including Dental Sciences.

Staff members graduating at CPUT include Mrs Rizqa Siebritz with a Master of Science in Biomedical Technology; and Dr Yvonne Prince and Dr Wendy Solomon who obtained the qualification of Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Sciences.

Student enrolments continued to grow from 2020 to 2021. Total postgraduate student numbers for the faculty have now reached 122. This number is expected

The Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences prides itself in producing research outputs at the forefront of health sciences in South Africa.

to drastically increase in 2022 due to the Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing Sciences that has been approved for its first intake in 2022. Enrolled doctoral students include 17 candidates for the PhD in Biomedical Sciences and 9 for the Doctor of Radiography qualification. Master’s enrolments total 96, including 27 in Biomedical Sciences, 3 in Dental Technology, 13 in Emergency Medical Care, 32 in Radiography, and 23 in Nursing Sciences.

Regarding NRF ratings, Prof Thandi Matsha was awarded a C1 rating, retaining this from the previous cycle, and Prof Peter Clarck-Farr was awarded a C3 rating. This brings the number of rated scientists in the faculty to six (Prof Matsha C1; Prof Jooste C2; Prof Engel-Hills C2; Prof Clarcke-Farr C3; Prof Davison C3; Prof Oguntibeju C3). During 2020-2021, the faculty received external funding from the NIH Fogarty Grant, the SAMRC, the NRF, and the Covid-19 Africa Rapid Grant Fund.

Due to the nature of the academic sphere during 20202021, many students participated in online conferences and workshops held by the faculty as well as by international organisations. The SAMRC/Cardiometabolic Health Research Unit organised an international Point of Care Conference for 2020, which was unfortunately postponed due to the lockdown. It was then held online during May 2021. The unit is currently collaborating with Stellenbosch University on a patient-centred Covid-19 study.

The Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences prides itself in producing research outputs at the forefront of health sciences in South Africa. Interdepartmental collaboration further strengthens the research ethos of the faculty and promises a better year ahead. The faculty produced a record of over 17 units of research output in 2020, and is very proud that the 2021 submission currently under consideration by the DHET is almost double this number.

Helping communities in need

The Ophthalmic Sciences Department conducted free eye screenings and assisted with general eye care health for residents from Joe Slovo, Dunoon and Bishop Lavis in October. The event, which started as a Service-Learning initiative, was to mark Eye Care Awareness Month. Sponsorship was received from Shoprite, which provided meals.

A total of 32 second-year students participated in the event, under the guidance of lecturer Ms Nomfundo Mkhombe. Ms Mkhombe said they also assisted by referring residents to centres where they can get their spectacles free of charge. The event was aimed at exposing the students to different sectors in their profession, in order to gain an understanding of the unique eye care challenges experienced by underserviced communities and to develop a sensitivity towards patients.

Ms Mkhombe said, “This project will assist the students to gain an understanding of working in the public health sector.” The programme included a gynaecologist who gave a talk on family planning, a registered psychologist who gave a talk on mental health issues, and a health and fitness instructor who gave a talk on balanced nutrition. “We had staff from Dunoon Clinic and Bishop Lavis Clinic who also provided health checks,” she added.

Ms Mkhombe said the Department ensured that Covid-19 protocols were observed and the venue was large enough to accommodate approximately 250 people, with about 72 people attending the event.

FUNDING

Source

POSTGRADUATE DEGREES OBTAINED BY STAFF

PhD in Biomedical Sciences

CPUT Prince Y

The oral microbiome and its association with chronic and systematic disease in a South African population

PhD in Biomedical Sciences CPUT Solomon WL

Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling in mixed ancestry South Africans with diabetes or prediabetes

MSc in Biomedical Technology CPUT Siebritz R

The effect of varying decreased sperm concentrations on embrogenesis using Embroyoscope time lapse monitoring

Helping to save lives

This year, CPUT once again collaborated with the SA Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR), an NPO that works to find matching bone marrow donors for critically ill patients. Ms Heather Hendrickse, a lecturer in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, said the initiative involved a stem cell donor drive aimed at assisting the SABMR with finding suitably matched donors for national and international patients with life-threatening blood diseases such as leukaemia, who do not have a match within their own families.

She said that in 2020, shortly before the coronavirus pandemic started, the BHSc Medical Laboratory Science Immunohaematology second-year students from the Biomedical Sciences Department had assisted the SABMR by handing out SABMR flyers at the Bellville Campus and assisted potential stem cell donors with the buccal swab (cheek swab) kit, which includes the donor application form.

In 2021, the second-year students created awareness online by forwarding the SABMR flyers to their Facebook, WhatsApp and email contact lists. Students referred potential applicants to the CPUT Clinic site or online at the SABMR website for signing up, during which SABMR dispatched the buccal swab kit to successful applicants. The collaborators on the service-learning project were SABMR, CPUT Health Clinics (Bellville and Wellington), CPUT’s CCEWIL, the Marketing & Communication Department and the Biomedical Sciences Department. Ms Hendrickse hopes that the initiative will be extended to other faculties and departments such as Nursing (oncology), Marketing, Public Relations and Communication, Photography, Journalism and Education.

CPUT hosts SAAHE virtual conference

CPUT hosted the Southern African Association of Health Educationalists (SAAHE) virtual conference in July. The conference brought together health professionals and education experts, who provided fresh perspectives and inspiration to enable a deeper understanding of the current agile higher education landscape. The conference aimed to facilitate conversations about learning, research, skills, simulation and assessment. It also welcomed the first SAAHE student task force, which assisted with the smooth running of the conference, and provided a showcase for undergraduate research in various fields of health and education.

Dr Lizel Hudson, Coordinator: Work-Integrated Learning & Language in the Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences, served as the chairperson of the local organising committee. Three other staff members, Ms Chantall Julius (Nursing), Ms Heidi Thomas and Dr Kathleen Naidoo (both Medical Imaging and Therapeutic Sciences) presented at the conference, while Prof Tandi Matsha, dean of the Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences, opened the conference. Dr Naidoo was awarded the best poster prize.

Gift of the Givers donates to CPUT’s EMS

The Department of Emergency Medical Sciences (EMS) received a donation of food items and toiletries from the Gift of the Givers Foundation to assist students in need of support. The department has a long-standing relationship with the organisation. Staff from the department have assisted with disaster relief responses, both locally and abroad, while Gift of the Givers has supported some of the department’s service-learning projects.

Students pursuing a career in emergency care are required to undertake 12-hour clinical shifts in hospital wards and in ambulances. They are also required to engage in off-campus rescue-related training exercises that can sometimes last for several days. “The department approached Gift of the Givers for support to ensure that students do not go hungry and have access to nutritional supplements during these clinical shifts and physical rescue exercises,” said Mr Lloyd Christopher, head of EMS. The donations from Gift of the Givers were distributed to the neediest students in the department.

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Fresh perspectives and inspiration

Fresh perspectives and inspiration

The Department of Biomedical Sciences is collaborating with the SA Bone Marrow Registry

Visits from DHET and HPCSA

The Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences hosted a DHET team as part of a Clinical Training Grant (CTG) visit in June. The purpose of the visit was to evaluate the impact of the CTG that is allocated annually to fund clinical training in four of the seven departments in the faculty, namely the Department of Emergency Medical Sciences (EMS), Biomedical Sciences, Nursing Sciences, and Medical Imaging and Therapeutic Sciences (MITS), said Mr Lloyd Christopher, Head of EMS.

The DHET representatives were welcomed by Prof Tandi Matsha, before the faculty’s CTG presentation by Mr Christopher. The representatives were then taken on a tour of the departments’ state of the art facilities, including the Biomedical Sciences laboratory; the MITS computersimulated learning environment, known as VERT (Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training); EMS’s skills laboratories, including the immersive clinical simulation centre which can replicate emergency scenarios; and the Nursing Department’s skills laboratory, where they got to interact with life-like manikin ‘Jonathan’. The faculty is investigating ways in which the CTG can improve students’ experience of clinical training and welcomed DHET support for these initiatives.

MITS also accompanied representatives of the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) on a clinical site visit during June. Dr Merlisa Kemp, head of MITS, said that in order for a radiology practice or clinical site to accept students for training, they have to be accredited by the HPCSA. “Members of the Radiography and Clinical Technology board inspect the clinical site to determine if the practice is adhering to the HPCSA accreditations guidelines which allow the practice to accept students for training.”

The four BSc programmes offered by MITS include a theoretical and clinical component. Work-integrated learning is part of the programme, where students are sent to various clinical sites to gain experience in clinical training. This training involves students conducting radiographic and sonographic examinations under the supervision of a qualified sonographer and/or radiographer. Dr Kemp said, “Accreditation of clinical sites allows for students to be clinically trained and fulfil the learning outcomes for the specific programme and be deemed clinically competent for the specific level of study.”

CPUT Vaccination Centre contributes to Covid-19 fight

CPUT’s new Vaccination Centre went into operation in June. “It is important that we play our role in saving lives. There’s no other way. That is the mission, everything else is secondary because this scourge is affecting all of us,” said VC Prof Nhlapo, during a visit to the centre which is based at the Richard Sacco Building on the Bellville Campus.

Prof Nhlapo, who joined other Executive Management members on a tour of the facility, said he was particularly impressed with the CPUT staff members working at the centre. He was also among the CPUT staff who received their first vaccinations. Prof Mellet Moll, Compliance and Risk Officer: Business Continuity and Covid-19, said there had been a good turnout on the first day, with a mix of staff members over 60 years and health students being vaccinated. “We are very excited because this is a lot of work that has come together,” he said. The centre has been accredited by the Western Cape Department of Health. At full capacity, the centre would be able to administer 500 vaccines a day. Staff from the Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences, Campus Health Clinics and the HIV/Aids Unit have been trained to administer the vaccines.

DHET representatives at EMS’s ambulance bay

VC Prof Chris Nhlapo receiving his vaccination at the new centre

Serving with passion

Mr Benjamin de Waal, senior lecturer and head of the Bachelor of Emergency Medical Care Programme, has always had a passion for serving the community. This passion shines through in his role as CPUT’s Vaccination Manager, a position established to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the age of 14, he started volunteering at his local Disaster Management and National Sea Rescue Institute, “and from that point, it was really the only thing I wanted to do,” he said. He followed his dream and completed his National Diploma in Emergency Care at CPUT in 2005, followed by his BTech in Emergency Care in 2008. He also holds a Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology from Stellenbosch University and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education at CPUT in 2015.

Mr De Waal said that when the Sisonke study started, he assisted with the coordination of Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences staff and students with the provincial Department of Health to gain access to vaccinations for health care workers. “From there I have been involved in the CPUT vaccination programme, and when the opportunity emerged to create our own Vaccination Centre, I was very interested in making a contribution. As have been managing academic programmes, have a background in epidemiology, epidemiological research and disaster management, and as an emergency care practitioner with experience in managing critically ill patients with infectious diseases, I believed I could make a meaningful contribution to the CPUT community by taking up this challenge,” he said.

“Although I am primarily in EMS, vaccination has for many decades been a cornerstone of all healthcare systems, and of course of infectious disease epidemiology. As such, all healthcare workers are well equipped to provide vaccinations to patients and to partake in driving vaccination programmes,” he added. He paid tribute to his colleagues from the Department of Nursing, EMS, the HIV/Aids Unit and Campus Health, who have been instrumental in making the centre a reality and a success. “This had truly been a CPUT community effort.”

SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

Mr Benjamin de Waal, CPUT’S Vaccination Manager

Prof Tembisa Ngqondi

DEAN’S REPORT

Research, Technology Innovation & Partnership activities continue to grow in the Faculty of Informatics & Design (FID). The faculty is pleased to present this report on its 2021 highlights.

A total of 37 master’s degrees (including two staff members) and 12 doctoral degrees (including six staff members) were awarded in FID during 2021. This is evidence of the faculty’s deliberate efforts towards support for staff capacity development.

While the world was brought to a standstill by Covid-19 during 2020 and 2021, the faculty adopted emergency remote learning and teaching as part of its technological fluency strategy. Wherever possible, postgraduate students and researchers who needed presence in computer laboratories and design studios became innovative by running experiments under simulated environments on their home computers.

This year has proven to be one of enormous progress in the research output of this faculty.

The Faculty of Informatics & Design participated in numerous research and innovation development activities this year.

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION DEVELOPMENT

The faculty participated in various Research and Innovation Development activities during 2021. Out of several academic activities and conferences attended by the faculty’s academics, the most notable are:

• Prof Tiko Iyamu received the Bronze Award for Research Excellence in the Publications category for the 2019 academic year.

• Dr Sisanda Nkoala, an academic from the Department of Media Studies, received an Early Career Conference Grant from the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

• Prof Izak van Zyl obtained a renewed NRF C2 rating (previously Y2).

• Dr Rudolf Perold, a senior lecturer in the Department of Architectural Technology, attended TU Delft University in The Netherlands, as a guest lecturer for the Van Eesteren Fellowship Lecture Series.

• Staff members in the Department of Applied Design, in partnership with the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, and Hunan University in China, undertook a Design and Ecology field trip in Swellendam. The purpose of the trip was to further explore design research, climate change and design sustainability.

• Dr Errol Francke, an academic in the Department of Information Technology, delivered a keynote address on ‘Artificial Intelligence: The Impact and Opportunities for SMMEs’, hosted by the Cape Chamber of Commerce, in Cape Town.

• Prof Johannes Cronjé and Prof Tiko Iyamu, of the Department of Information Technology, received the 2021 Editor’s Reviewer Excellence Award from the Educational Technology Research & Development Journal

• In May, Prof Izak van Zyl and Dr Nyx McLean presented their paper on ‘Digital contact tracing’ at the 1st IFIP WG 9.4 Virtual Conference.

• In September, Prof Izak van Zyl and Prof Johannes Cronjé attended a writing retreat in Cape Town with researchers from the University of Pretoria, and initiated a new project on student retention.

• Prof Izak van Zyl chaired and hosted the 7th International Visual Methods Conference, which took place in December, and was attended by more than 150 delegates.

FID welcomes new dean

The new FID dean, Prof Tembisa Ngqondi, is passionate about human capacity development and looks forward to making a contribution to the university and to communities. She has joined CPUT from the University of Mpumalanga, where she was head of the School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences. “Being part of a new university, I had an opportunity to shape the school and write new qualifications for the university in the ICT (Information & Communications Technology) space. I was head of the school which consists of ICT programmes and service modules (Mathematics and End User Computing/Hospitality Information Systems),” Prof Ngqondi said.

Before joining the University of Mpumalanga, she was head of the Applied Informatics Department at Walter Sisulu University, where she played a leading role in merger processes. Prof Ngdondi said, “I’m excited and a little bit nervous to start a new position and stepping into the big shoes of the former dean. I’m really looking forward to making a contribution to the university and so excited to make a contribution to communities.” She added that she is joining the university at a difficult time as a result of the pandemic, but she believes that as a woman in ICT she, together with her team in the faculty, can look into different ways of trying to bring solutions in terms of teaching and learning, research and engagement. “It is not just my journey; it is our journey, and we have to look at the university’s vision and make sure we reach its goals.”

Prof Ngqondi grew up in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, and later moved to Peddie (Engqushwa) in the Eastern Cape. Even as a young girl in primary school, she displayed leadership skills and volunteered for various leadership roles. “Before I finished my matric, I worked as a maid, but went back to school to finish my matric and then I continued with my studies. I would never have imagined that I would one day end up as a dean, but by the grace of God, who directs our steps, it has happened. I never had the mindset of not succeeding. Even as a maid, I strived to do everything with excellence.”

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Tembisa Ngqondi strives for excellence

Media academic appointed to new working group

Dr Sisanda Nkoala, an academic in the Media Department, has been appointed to serve as a member of a new working group focusing on strategies to address mis-, dis- and mal-information in South Africa. Dr Nkoala was appointed to the multi-stakeholder working group in her capacity as a public representative of the South African Press Council. The group had its first meeting in October, and aims to complete its work within one year.

The mandate of the working group includes:

• To develop an evidence base on the causes, forms and disseminators of mis-, dis- and mal-information in South Africa

• To map existing laws, policies and initiatives aimed at addressing mis-, dis- and mal-information in South Africa

• To understand the potential impacts and risks that mis-, dis- and malinformation pose to democratic processes, including all elections, in South Africa

• To engage relevant stakeholders and experts on responses to mis-, dis- and mal-information in South Africa and globally, and to identify the roles and responsibilities to be played by such stakeholders

“The working group is a promising sign that the issue of mis-, dis- and mal-information is on government’s agenda, and the need to tackle it using research as well as practical strategies that involve various stakeholders bodes well for balancing the right to freedom of expression with the requirement to mitigate the harm caused by this,” said Dr Nkoala. “To me personally, this is a great opportunity to draw on my research expertise in media, as an academic in this field, as part of a group that will influence the country’s response to mis-, dis- and mal-information. As a member of the Press Council, it is also a great opportunity to hopefully shape policy on the issue and ensure that our public discourse is not polluted by mis-, dis- and mal-information.”

CENTRE FOR COMMUNICATION STUDIES

The transdisciplinary Centre for Communication Studies (CCS) began its business in January 2021. CCS’s vision is to foster human-centred relevance and excellence in research that is directed at bridging communication theory and practice in the fields of media, design, digital engagement and the arts. In addition to text-based output (journal articles, books and conference proceedings), the centre facilitates practice-based projects to encourage creative research outputs and intellectual property development. Research uptake activities are in Digital Media Community, Community Informatics, Health Information Systems, Design for Sustainability, and Design for Community.

Over and above establishing the administration, staffing and infrastructure of the centre in 2021, members of CCS successfully completed several projects in pursuance of CPUT’s Vision 2030. These include an impressive number of publications – a book chapter, four journal articles, four conference papers, and one creative output. In addition, the centre hosted a colloquium, a conference and a poster seminar. Staff were also involved with postgraduate examination and peer review for several other universities.

Prof Nic Theo, head of CCS, served for the second year on the DHET creative Outputs Sub-Panel in Media as a reviewer and credit adjudicator. He also served as the faculty representative on the South African Humanities Deans Association, and as faculty liaison for the National Institute of Human and Social Sciences. Arrangements were formalised in 2021 for projects that will come to fruition in 2022, including special publications, the hosting of conferences and colloquia, training and creative outputs.

Please see p188 of this Research Report for details about these CCS activities.

NRF-RATED RESEARCHERS

Five FID academics have NRF ratings for 2021:

Dr Sisanda Nkoala, Media Studies academic

FUNDING

Source Amount

Improvement of Qualifications (UCDG) 341 160

National Research Foundation (NRF): Grantholder Linked 696 254

Postdoctoral Funding 318 750

Postgraduate Internal Bursaries 221 895

Publication 2019 Chapter in Book Contribution 39 239

Publication 2019 Conference Contribution 56 025

Publication 2019 Faculty Contribution 440 070

Publication 2019 Journal Article Contribution 476 878

Research & Innovation Fund for Teaching & Learning (RIFTAL) 49 600

Top Up Grants (UCDG) 150 000

TOTAL 2 789 871

POSTGRADUATE DEGREES OBTAINED BY STAFF

Doctor of Applied Arts: Design

Cape Peninsula University of Technology Verster B Collaboration as a professional value attribute in urban planning and planning education: A social practice perspective

Doctor of Philosopy: Informatics

Cape Peninsula University of Technology Achieng MS

Doctor Technologiae: Design

Cape Peninsula University of Technology Vlok AG

Experiences of transformative learning in fashion design and education

Master Technologiae: Business Administration

Cape Peninsula University of Technology Rice N Online registration challenges faced by students at a selected university in the Western Cape

RESEARCH OUTPUT

2021 publications (submitted to the DHET in May 2022) Units

Book chapters (submitted) 6.53

Conference proceedings (submitted) 2.25

Journal articles (audited) 36.08

TOTAL 44.86

Healthcare information systems implementation for public healthcare service delivery in resource-constrained environments: A critical realist perspective

Doctor of Philosopy: Informatics

Cape Peninsula University of Technology Ogundiani OO

Integration of mobile health technology-enabled activities in clinical settings of tertiary hospitals in Sub-Saharan Africa

Doctor Technologiae: Information Technology Cape Peninsula University of Technology Makola DJM (awarded posthumously) An integration of community informatics and enterprise architecture in ICT projects for rural communities: A case study in Grabouw, Western Cape, South Africa

Doctor Technologiae: Information Technology

Cape Peninsula University of Technology Rothman WC Programming languages, curriculum, and computational thinking at a cognitive level of formal operations

Master Technologiae: Graphic Design Cape Peninsula University of Technology Damaba BZ

A contemporary designer’s inisight into traditional African art: Exploring the role played by indigenous art and artefacts in contemporary South African design

Master Technologiae: Public Relations Management

Cape Peninsula University of Technology Bulani GJ

The role of community radio in youth economic empowerment: A case study of Bush Radio in Cape Town

FID celebrates ten doctoral graduates

FID is proud to have graduated ten doctoral graduates, six of whom were staff members, during the June 2021 Smart Graduation. FID had the highest number of doctoral graduates during the ceremony. The faculty also graduated 26 master’s students online.

The ten doctoral graduates (starting with the six staff members):

• Dr Annadine Vlok, Doctor Technologiae: Design

• Dr Belinda Verster, Doctor of Applied Arts in Design

• Dr Da vid Makola (posthumous), Doctor Technologiae: Informatics

• Dr Mourine Achieng, Doctor of Philosophy: Informatics

• Dr Oluwamayo wa Ogundiani, Doctor of Philosophy: Informatics

• Dr Wilhelm Rothman, Doctor Technologiae: Information Technology

• Dr Gilbert Mahlangu, Doctor of Information & Communication Technology

• Dr Idon Subuyi, Doctor Technologiae: Informatics

• Dr Kyle Fitzgerald, Doctor of Information & Communication Technology

• Dr Ralitsa Debrah, Doctor of Applied Arts in Design

To watch any of CPUT’s Smart Graduation ceremonies, you can visit https://bit.ly/3zOF70M or the CPUT YouTube channel

Emerging scholar on the rise

Media Department lecturer Dr Sisanda Nkoala was awarded an Early Career Conference Grant by the Association of Commonwealth Universities to present two papers at the International Association for Media and Communications Research’s (IAMCR) 2021 Conference. The IAMCR is a pre-eminent worldwide professional organisation in the field of media and communication research. The theme for the 2021 virtual conference was ‘Rethinking borders and boundaries’. Dr Nkoala’s first paper was based on her ongoing research on South African television summer news reports on crime and justice called ‘Crimes against children: Evaluative language and news reports on sentences’. “This study explores how South African television news reports on sentence proceedings in criminal cases involving violent acts against children, and was part of my PhD study,” she said. The second paper was co-presented by Dr Trust Matsilele, a colleague in the Journalism programme, and looked at the impact of Covid-19 on journalism education.

Dr Nkoala was also selected as one of 62 emerging researchers to participate in a data science summer school being run by the University of Pretoria, and was awarded a scholarship to participate in this school. “All of this has been through a competitive process of writing an application and providing evidence as to why, as an emerging researcher, I am deserving of these opportunities based on the work I am currently doing, and a track record of publication and other scholarly engagement,” she said. This includes the publication of three book chapters and a journal article this year.

The chapters include ‘A rhetorical analysis of televised and digitised news reports on economic matters’ and ‘An analysis of the content, discourse and programming strategies of South African business radio shows’. The other two publications focus on journalism education, including a chapter relating to the use of multilingualism in journalism education. The journal article looks at how the early South African Black Press, as a multilingual resource, can be used as an instrument to decolonise journalism education. “Both of these studies, I believe, are important in the ongoing conversation that the institution and higher education as a whole is having around how to meaningfully transform and draw on African pedagogies to add to existing knowledge in different fields. Through them, I have been able to bring in the voices of students and get their perspectives on some ways in which this can be achieved,” Dr Nkoala said.

“I am really encouraged by these opportunities because as an emerging scholar, they affirm that the work I have been doing is meaningful and makes a contribution to my field. It also inspires me to continue working diligently and collaborating with colleagues. Finally, it is because of opportunities such as the RIFTAL funding I received to run my study on multilingualism and journalism education, that I have managed to get these outputs, so am particularly grateful to Fundani, and sincerely commend the unit for all of the work that it does to encourage innovation in teaching and learning.”

Dean of FID, Prof Tembisa Ngqondi

Emerging scholar, Dr Sisanda Nkoala

Thuthuka grant award for emerging academic

Department of Media Studies lecturer Dr Adelina Mbinjama-Gamatham was awarded a Thuthuka grant for 2021 to further her research in the field of cyber-ethics. Dr Mbinjama-Gamatham holds a DPhil in Media Studies from the Nelson Mandela University, where she worked as a Communications lecturer and HOD of Public Relations and Communication Studies until 2017, when she and her family moved to Cape Town. She is the author of four book chapters published in 2021. According to the NRF, the Thuthuka Funding Instrument aims to develop human capital and to improve the research capacities of researchers and scholars from designated groups (Black [African, Indian and Coloured] females or persons with disabilities) with the ultimate aim of redressing historical imbalances.

“I am extremely happy to receive this grant for 2021, because it reaffirms that my research project meets Thuthuka’s transformative research agenda. I am also grateful for the grant because it will help me keep to my research focus and support me in producing research outputs tailored towards my research theme of cyber-ethics,” she said. “As a master’s student is attached to the project, I have faith that the grant will help in kick-starting and completing her treatise timeously with the extra resources made available from the funding. I also know that the student will benefit from being exposed to presenting at a national or even an international conference. Applying for the grant has helped me think through some possible research areas and I now have a strategy. During this period, I know things will be difficult, but I firmly believe in ‘you reap what you sow’, and am looking forward to seeing what results emerge from my collaboration with my master’s student under the NRF’s Thuthuka grant.”

Dr Mbinjama-Gamatham’s project is titled ‘The effects of cyber-ethics among digital marketers: A case study on black SMEs in South Africa in the wake of Covid-19’. “The study aims to explore the ethical and moral experiences of 12 digital media marketers or social marketers from black-owned SMEs in South Africa during the wake of Covid-19. To explore what these businesses are doing to reach their markets and to ascertain what informs their choices and decisions, six managers from these businesses will also be interviewed,” she explained.

The four recently published book chapters that she authored relate to social media, black feminism and the representation of women in the media. They are:

• ‘#BlackGirlMagic: How to get away with murder is not evil’, in Dilan Tüysüz’s International Perspectives on Rethinking Evil in Film and Television

• ‘The R in R n B: Rape, race and representation in surviving R Kelly’, in Maria Marron’s Misogyny Across Global Media

• ‘Shonda Rhimes’s Grey’s Anatomy and My Year of Saying Yes to Everything’, in LaToya T Brackett’s Working While Black: Essays on Television Portrayals of African American Professionals

• ‘Black woman: High-powered but not balanced in Shondaland’, in LaToya T Brackett’s Working While Black: Essays on Television Portrayals of African American Professionals

Monsters at the Cape of Good Hope on exhibit

Postdoctoral fellow and artist Dr Anja Venter launched her exhibition titled ‘Monsters at the Cape of Good Hope’ in March. The exhibit was peer-reviewed and submitted as a subsidy-bearing creative output to the DHET. “This is only the second such output that our faculty has produced, and we are very excited about that,” said Prof Izak van Zyl of the Department of Applied Design.

The exhibition was launched during a hybrid event. Dr Venter has been collecting old prints of colonial artworks for years and paints surreal monsters into them. “I’m a big fan of Kaiju [Japanese giant monster media], and really enjoyed envisioning a past where the project of colonialism was thwarted by some dormant supernatural creatures,” she explained. “When I was offered a postdoctoral fellowship, one of the first things my mentor Prof van Zyl mentioned was that I could do a creative output for DHET credits, and I immediately started working on expanding the concept into something a bit more substantial. The process involved working very closely with the Iziko archivists to find public domain images of colonial era Cape Town, researching what kind of local monsters we had in Cape Town, and experimenting with materials.”

Dr Venter said monsters are near universal cultural phenomena, adding that media theorists have argued that the conjuring of monsters is often a metaphor for our own monstrousness; they force us to confront what we perceive as being natural, as being human. “Since the onset of Western colonialism, writers, artists, and explorers reported on encounters with ‘monsters’, whether sea creatures, mermaids, cannibals, troglodytes, fanged demons or simply foreign races. These lurid tales confounded any efforts of acknowledging humanity in the ‘other’. In no place was this truer than in the project of colonising Africa.”

“With ‘Monsters at the Cape of Good Hope’, I wanted to take historical images and challenge the viewer to look at them anew. I placed ancient southern African

monsters as lead characters into these mixed media paintings: Grootslang, Kaggen, Impundulu, Inkanyamba and Dingonek. The work is about invasion, ownership, displacement, the destructive forces of ‘progress’ and the monstrosity of our imperial past,” she said. Dr Venter, who studied graphic design, has always viewed herself as more of a visual communicator than an artist. “But as the years have passed, I’ve dabbled in all sorts of visual outputs – from commercial work, to comics, to video games, animation, graphic design, fashion design, branding and fine arts. I’ve done work for the likes of Apple Music, Nike, Mr Price and Nedbank, and post most of my creations onto Instagram – @ nannaventer – or my website – www.nannaventer. co.za … My style is predominantly inspired by comics and pop art – it’s punk and feminist and defiant.”

AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

Dr Anja Venter’s exhibit was submitted to the DHET as creative output

Dr Adelina Mbinjama-Gamatham

Two young lecturers are rising stars

The careers of two junior lecturers in the Department of Architectural Technology & Interior Design are on the rise. Mr Bongolethu Sandile Busuku and Ms Abigail Roberts had an opportunity to present their research at two high level events during the year. Firstly, at the 2021 Higher Education Learning & Teaching Association of Southern Africa (HELTASA) Extended Curriculum Programme (ECP) Colloquium and secondly, virtually at the 14th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI 2021).

Mr Busuku, an alumnus who graduated in 2016 with a BTech in Architectural Technology, is a former ECP student. He was appointed junior lecturer in the ECP in 2019, where he teaches in the first-year programme. His presentation at the 2021 HELTASA ECP Colloquium: A Diverse Graduate was co-written and presented by the HOD, Mr Rayner Moodley. Mr Busuku said it mainly focused on how educators could help prepare their students for the uncertainty of the job market. According to Mr Busuku, entrepreneurship is a subject commonly taught and researched in business schools, but seldom if at all in design departments. This then leaves unemployed students hopeless after graduation. Introducing a mandatory entrepreneurship subject in the design programme would start to encourage a new way of thinking regarding their chosen profession, not just to be employment driven. His presentation for the ICERI 2021, was titled ‘The promises to a black child’. “The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of the lived experiences of young black graduates who were once hopeful students but now find themselves without employment,” explained Mr Busuku.

Ms Roberts, also an alumnus, joined CPUT staff in 2019 as a part-time lecturer and returned in 2020 as a contract lecturer. The topic of her presentation with Mr Moodley at the 2021 HELTASA ECP Colloquium was ‘A retrospective study: How Covid-19 affected pedagogical practices in extended curriculum programmes’, and the title of their ICERI 2021 abstract was ‘From faceto-face to remote learning’. Mr Moodley, who has been HOD since January, said one of his first priorities was the development of junior staff to obtain their master’s degrees. “Through these conversations, I honed in on the need to expose junior staff to research activities. Following this, I initiated a Research SOS (RSOS) programme, that is supported by our Departmental Research Committee (DRC). The RSOS sought to ascertain research interests of junior staff in order to get them to ‘write for research’. The only way to actually get the idea off the ground was to co-write with these staff members.”

Architectural Technology & Interior Design DRC Chair, Dr Mizan Rambhoros, said the two young researchers were rising stars in the department, “whose interest in research-based teaching and teaching-based research both push and extend our departmental objectives whilst meeting the foci of the institution… Their mentorship by the HOD is instrumental in their development – his initiative is changing the dynamic of our DRC and research profile. As such, our early-career researchers are encouraged and supported within a more enabling and collaborative research environment. We are confident in our growth, thanks to our proactive HOD and enthusiastic researchers like Abi and Sandile.”

Encouraging youth participation in elections

CPUT’s Journalism programme and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Western Cape collaborated in an effort to foster and research youth participation in the 2021 local government elections in the province. CPUT and the IEC have been working together for several years and this year’s collaboration involved several online activities. The Journalism programme assisted the IEC to create content to promote participation by South African youth in the elections. The IEC provided real-life opportunities for students to develop their skills in electoral news media production.

“The collaboration, especially on our side, is born out of a need to emphasise the importance of our young people and their participation in the electoral process, not only as bystanders, commentators, observers even but as active participants, be it as a voter or even as a candidate,” said Mr Michael Hendrickse, head of the IEC provincial office.

Journalism lecturer Dr Sisanda Nkoala said while the youth vote is a very important one, apathy among young people when it comes to electoral matters has been widely acknowledged and is something that has puzzled society. “One of the initiatives that we’re involved with is research that looks at why it is that young people in the province are not engaged, or are thinking of not voting, and then using those findings to craft messaging in the form of public service announcements, etc. that will hopefully prompt young people to see the elections as something that they want to be involved in.”

Ms Abigail Robertson and Mr Bongolethu Sandile Busuku

Mr Michael Hendrickse, head of IEC provincial office

The Afrikan design dream

Dr Ralitsa Debrah recently graduated with a Doctorate of Applied Arts in Design. Her thesis is titled ‘Design for health: Co-designing health information services in the Afrikan context’. What follows is part of her story.

I come from Ghana, West Africa, and studied design for the most part of my academic life in my country. I became the first person and female to obtain a master’s degree in design from my university in Ghana – Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). I learned about CPUT through a senior colleague at KNUST and at the CPUT/KNUST Design and Development Research (DDR) conference in Ghana. I became enthused, highly motivated and curious, and wanted to learn more about design research.

Enhancing solid waste management service delivery

In a partnership between CPUT and the City of Cape Town, Applied Design students worked with the Doornbach community to design a solid waste collection system. Community leaders identified nine shacks where prototype bins were installed on cemented wooden poles. The geostationary positioning of the nine installations was done, and the bins were designed with dimensions that could contain two blue bags.

Applied Design HOD, Ms Monica Di Ruvo, said, “Sustainable design is at the core of the design curricula. There is a need to raise awareness of the challenges faced and the role that design can play in developing solutions with stakeholders.” Ms Di Ruvo added that the project will benefit the Doornbach community where the intervention took place, as well as the staff members and students who took part in the learning activity.

Reflecting on the success of the project, she said the end goal was achieved as students were able to engage and learn with the Doornbach community. “As the Department of Applied Design, we hope that we can take part in more opportunities to apply sustainable design problem solving to make a positive contribution to our communities.”

“I live in Afrika but Afrika lives in me” (President Kwame Nkrumah)

Since I was born and raised in Afrika, I realised that the best place for me to learn about Afrikan design was actually on the continent itself. Studying on the continent would afford me the opportunity to tell the Afrikan design story ‘from the inside out’ as a way of decolonising design. On the flip side, the story of Afrikan design has often been told ‘from the outside in’, which has been the norm of telling the Afrikan story to the rest of the world. Since we live in a global village now, there is the need for the design story to be retold from the Afrikan perspective, which motivated me to study on our continent.

My choice to study at CPUT offered me the opportunity to learn more about Afrikan cultures and how resilient our societies have been and how we have been sustained by design over the centuries. Although my goal was to undertake research, for me it was more of a re-discovery of who I am as an Afrikan designer and an opportunity to learn more about Afrikan design cultures to serve as a source of inspiration for sustainable design solutions in the future. It was a demanding journey, yet fulfilling. I can humbly say that I am once again the first female to hold a doctorate degree in Applied Art in Design from my institution and within the design academic cycles in Ghana.

I have learnt a lot through experiential learning as part of the research process and engaging with the local community. Immersing myself into some of the cultural and historical activities in the research locale provided insights, which helped me to embrace diversity and inclusion in a more holistic way to design for a better world, e.g. the World Design Organisation (WDO). I have learned a lot through the Ubuntu leadership network at CPUT. The skills I have obtained will equip me for a lifelong career in design and enable me to be self-reliant and resilient. I am really grateful to CPUT, the Design Research Activity Workgroup (DRAW), the Faculty of Informatics & Design and my supervisors for their commitment to creating futures to capacitate young people on our continent. I would like to conclude by saying that “I live in Afrika but Afrika lives in me” (President Kwame Nkrumah).

Note: The author spells Afrika with a k “as a way of telling the Afrikan story from the internal point of view to the rest of world”

Ms Di Ruvo continued that the project forms part of teaching sustainable design principles and strengthens CPUT’s relationships with neighbouring communities. She added that the project increased CPUT’s visibility in communities and that she hoped the results would inspire youth to consider design as a career option. “There is a need to raise awareness of the challenges faced and the role that design can play in developing solutions with stakeholders.”

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Prototype bins were installed on cemented wooden poles

Speakers empower aspiring journalists

CPUT’s Journalism Speaker Series has featured some of South Africa’s top journalists and broadcasters, and is inspiring the next generation to reach their goals. This year the series presented via an online platform, and featured Mr Athi Mtongana from Newzroom Afrika, Mr Lester Kiewit from Cape Talk, Ms Abra Barbier from SABC, and Ms Thembekile Mrototo from eNCA/947s.

Journalism lecturer Dr Sisanda Nkoala said she started the series as part of her audio visual journalism courses as the Covid-19 pandemic meant that students could no longer go on field trips to newsrooms as they had previously done. “The field trips have always been a highlight in the course because they allow students to engage directly with developments in the industry and to network with industry leaders such as editors and journalists, to forge relationships that will stand them in good stead as they advance in their professions,” said Ms Nkoala. “The Speaker Series is a way of addressing this, and through it students have an opportunity to hear from key players in South African broadcast journalism and pose questions to them.”

She said the speakers were selected because of their impressive careers as broadcast journalists. “Each is a respected broadcaster and journalist who has been at the forefront of covering some of the most meaningful moments in our nation’s history. Further to that, made a point to bring in some speakers who are also CPUT alumni to showcase to the student audience the kinds of opportunities that the content we teach them can open for them.”

Student Ms Siphosethu Phikelela said the series empowered her as a citizen and as an aspiring journalist “to strive to be the best at everything I do… Nothing is more reassuring to me than being in the same room as someone who was once in a position close to mine but is now living my potential goals. As I prepare for my internship, it was a muchneeded boost to have an established journalist assuring us that there are challenges in this field, but there are also ways to overcome them.”

Another student, Ms Lisalee Solomons, said all the guest speakers had left an impact on her life, “I’ve grown up with all of them on TV and radio. So hearing that they didn’t always have it easy when stepping out into the media world was refreshing, considering some of us students are kind of in the same boat.”

Journalism alumnus authors debut book

Following 21 years of reporting and editing stories for newspapers, Journalism Department alumnus, Mr Gasant Abarder’s debut book tells the stories of South Africans through the eyes of an editor. Mr Abarder drafted the book Hack with a Grenade: An Editor’s Back Stories of SA News when he began with a manuscript ten years ago. Initially, the book was about tabloid journalism. However, after writing a few chapters, his laptop’s hard drive was corrupted. When he recovered the manuscript in 2017, he was motivated to finish the book.

He said, “The project evolved from being a book about tabloids to a book about South Africans doing extraordinary things along the lines of injustices, homelessness, faith and religion, and unsung sporting heroes. It tells the stories of South Africans through the eyes of a newspaper editor, and takes you behind the scenes of newsrooms and where hard decisions get made.” He said the book is interesting to journalists but is actually a book for everybody adding, “If you want to read about contemporary South Africa, and some of the challenges we face like gentrification, then this is a book that I would urge people to read.”

After spending 21 years in the mainstream media – half of which was as editor of newspapers – Mr Abarder is now employed at UWC as Acting Director of the Institutional Advancement Department. Reflecting on his achievements, Mr Abarder said, “You have to set yourself goals and deadlines. Deadlines are important in the world of journalism and also in life. I set myself a deadline to be an editor of a major newspaper by age 35. It happened when I was just 31, making me the youngest editor of the Cape Argus.”

Mr Thembekile Mrototo, one of the speakers

Mr Gasant Abarder draws on his wide-ranging practices as a journalist

Fashion students sparkle at showcase event

Fashion Design students put on an amazing display of creativity during the first- and second-year Fashion Showcase held in November. The venue for the ‘Ultimate Daytime Ready-To-Wear Show’ was the design pathway outside the Design Building on the District Six Campus. Lecturer Ms Nicole Reynolds said that the last two years of the Covid-19 pandemic had proven to be challenging for their students as many of them had to be taught physical skills and techniques without their lecturers being present to demonstrate, guide and correct them. “This can prove to be a mammoth task when students are expected to produce garments while being faced with domestic, financial and technological issues, coupled with mental and emotional struggles – all incurred during Covid,” she said.

“Our students are a very driven, enthusiastic and motivated group, with a strong hunger to learn and create. We, their lecturers, are very excited and keen to teach and journey alongside them,” she noted. She said the students had creatively gone above and beyond any obstacles they had faced. So, putting these pieces on display is really the standing ovation necessary for a group of youngsters who, against the most trying odds, produced incredible pieces. These are achievements that simply have to be celebrated.

Ms Reynolds said fashion designers thrive on the thought that their pieces will come alive on someone and on seeing it in motion. “Once you’ve created something, seeing it on show in the way that you’ve always envisioned is such a great honour and a major confidence booster for you as a designer – and that’s ultimately the objective of the show. Not only to show others the brilliant work our students have produced, but also to evoke a sense of excitement, anticipation and appreciation and love for the craft again that may have been dampened by Covid in some way. We want our students and all those who spectate to celebrate the reignition of art and design, creativity and interpretation.”

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The fashion showcase was a huge success

Prof Nothemba Joyce Nduna ndunaj@cput.ac.za

CPUT’s Centre for Community Engagement (CE) and Work Integrated Learning (WIL) viewed 2021 as a year of implementing new research plans that were developed in 2020 to move CE and WIL research activities towards excellence in the faculties and align their research practice with the university’s Vision 2030.

CENTRE FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND WORKINTEGRATED LEARNING (CCEWIL)

The centre facilitated the implementation of the following recommendations of the WIL Research Group that participated at an institutional WIL workshop held virtually in June last year.

• A university WIL research focus area should be set up within CPUT’s ‘Social’ research niche area for both staff and students to improve the practice of WIL in the institution.

• An enabling environment for data collection should be provided by setting up a unified and central data management system for WIL, as some data is scattered in faculties and some in a Learner Management System (LMS). It was envisaged that a centralised data management system would provide an enabling environment for data collection.

• WIL research project presentations should be hosted to showcase mini-WIL research projects in academic departments that involve data collection for promoting problem solving. WIL students may identify workplace challenges and communicate these to postgraduate students to research. Data collection approval systems should be streamlined so that projects are not delayed.

• WIL conferences, workshops and meetings should be hosted to promote industry research and elicit research opportunities from industry and society. Covid-19 research should be encouraged and processes for industry research should be streamlined, as industry expects answers quickly. Annual exhibitions on industry research should be hosted to coincide with advisory committee meetings to expose industry to university research potential. Research publications that may promote industry research should be included on the university website. A pool of research ideas from industry should be established. CPUT may take a lead in WIL research nationally.

• Funding, online training and statistical support for WIL groups should be provided, so that best practices can be shared and international groups can be joined. The Directorate Research Development should engage with technology stations, research chairs, focus area leaders, faculty WIL coordinators and departmental WIL co-ordinators and encourage them to do WIL research.

plan for WIL research:

Activity Responsible personsDeliverable/output

Establish and connect a WIL research communityAll faculty WIL, research and T&L co-ordinators, CCEWIL, DRD

Start a WIL research reading/journal club Dr Hudson to start this, and the task team to assist with distribution

Ongoing monthly meetings, seminars or ‘catch-ups’ with existing research groups

Audit of current WIL research practices in faculties, research entities

Map WIL research practices against the six research focus areas

Report back to initial stakeholders (October 2020 meeting)

Brainstorm research ‘showcase’ activities and events

Series of events showcasing undergraduate and post graduate research (current, past and future); link with Postgraduate Conference and Research Festival (WIL as aligned to the six research focus areas)

Dr Hudson to schedule this, and the task team to assist with distribution

All faculty WIL, research and T&L co-ordinators

All faculty WIL, research and T&L co-ordinators, CCEWIL, DRD

A ‘capacity map’ of academic and institutional stakeholders

Email list will be co-ordinated by faculty co-ordinators

Join existing research groups at CPUT

Excel document with all research projects

Excel document with projects aligned to research focus areas

All faculty co-ordinatorsOnline meeting presenting findings from audit and research mapping exercise

Stakeholders, CCEWIL, faculty WIL and research and T&L coordinators

Research Directorate, CCEWIL, faculty WIL and research and T&L co-ordinators

Online meeting or schedule a separate workshop

Plan events throughout the academic year (once a term, per faculty) with existing institutional calendar events to pull together preceding events

The director of the centre convened a WIL research meeting with the WIL co-ordinators of the six faculties, and invited Prof Dina Burger and Prof Christine Winberg to establish a WIL Research Task Team to discuss the implementation of the recommendations. An institutional WIL research task team was established under the leadership of Prof Dina Burger and Dr Lizel Hudson. The centre liaised with the Department of Human Capital to offer Dr Lizel Hudson additional responsibility allowance for leading the WIL Research Task Team, using the funds of the ETDP SETA WIL Research Chair.

The Task team developed the following institutional project

Several institutional meetings and workshops that were held by the task team proposed interventions, which included the following:

• A unified institutional research tool

• Project-based WIL (and its implications for undergraduate research)

• Practicalities and processes around the ethics clearance barriers for research as it relates to WIL projects (e.g. students’ and employers’ privacy) and a need for institutional standard operating procedures, including current policies, guidelines, etc. around institutional ethical clearance for WIL research

• Capacity building (due to the limited research capacity and heavy workloads of current faculty WIL co-ordinators)

• A consultative process involving research and teaching and learning co-ordinators, as well as departmental representatives and placement officers could be followed to get ‘buy-in’ from all academic/institutional stakeholders (who are also in liaison with industry); this would enable the task team to consult widely about the current realities, personal interests, classroom and industry needs, as well as possible future endeavours regarding WIL-related research

The task team proposed the following as a way forward:

• The WIL research task team and departmental representatives will join existing research groups hosted by CPGS, PERI, etc. and attend monthly meetings, seminars or ‘catch ups’, followed by once-a-term feedback meetings with Prof Nduna, Prof Burger, and Prof Winberg

• From these engagements, a dedicated WIL research reading/journal club will be established, where co-ordinators and representatives share articles pertaining to a current topic (e.g. project-based WIL) in their field with the WIL/SL/CE community across CPUT

• The task team will participate and contribute to the development of a consolidated CPUT WIL document that will guide and ensure best WIL practice and alignment of WIL with new developments and Vision 2030, in collaboration with other four WIL-related task teams that have been established to move WIL practice towards excellence

These four WIL related task teams are:

• The WIL in Curriculum Task Team set up to give direction regarding WIL design and practice in academic programmes and develop WIL implementation guidelines to suit different contexts of academic programmes

• Task Team for Quality Management and WIL Policy Reviews

• Task Team to Develop a Central Data Management System for WIL

• Task Team to Improve Regional, National and International Partnerships for WIL

Robotics unlock a world of opportunity

The CPUT Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Units held a robotics stakeholder engagement workshop in November, which was attended by VC Prof Chris Nhlapo, DVC: RTIP Dr David Phaho, Director: Advancement Mr Calvin Maseko, CPUT alumnus Mr Tshitso Mosolodi (Snake Nation), along with CPUT students and lecturers. CPUT’s Adaptronics AMTL established a robotics programme towards the end of 2018, and since then its students have been placed in the top three of the Advanced Robotics Championship, held both regionally and nationally. CPUT is further entrenching its position of being a “globally excellent, locally relevant” university by supporting robotics initiatives and strengthening science, technology and innovation in South Africa.

Prof Nhlapo told the gathering that technology-centeredness is in the DNA of CPUT. “We need to let technology be the vehicle to improve our efficiencies and that is why my office is supporting this project. Smart teaching at CPUT needs to be unique to us,” he said. The development of robotics at CPUT is already supported in a multi-disciplinary way through a number of community engagement projects which

aim to strengthen science and technology throughput from schools to university and ultimately in the world of work.

Ms Jacqui Scheepers of CCEWL said that although the traditional home of robotics is in Engineering, it can permeate across all disciplines through community engagement, which her units are driving. Ms Scheepers said, “STEM* is the language of the future and we must move with the requirements of industry and society. It is our responsibility as a higher education institution to make sure that no one is left behind… STEM students have an advantage to access more dynamic professions and more diverse career opportunities.”

The workshop ended with a brainstorming session led by Dr Faiq Waghid, where stakeholders discussed ways of strengthening the Robotics Community Engagement Committee at CPUT and teaching robotics across the university.

* STEM subjects are Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

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Robotics are a vehicle to cultivate interest in STEM subjects

ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT & SUPPORT

It should be noted that CPUT was awarded the following two Research Chairs in WIL because of its WIL best practice that is facilitated by CCEWIL:

1) NRF SARChI Chair in Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) led by Prof Winberg

2) The ETDP SETA Research Chair in Work-Integrated Learning in TVET Colleges (WIL and RPL) led by Prof Nduna

The 2021 activities and outputs of the two research chairs form an integral part of the Faculty of Education’s research reporting, as the research chairs are linked to CPUT faculties.

STAFF MEMBERS

Prof Joyce Nduna Director: CCEWIL

Ms Jacqueline Scheepers Manager: Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Units

Mr Dumisani Xesha SETA Projects Officer: Co-operative Education

Ms Bronwyn Abrahams Administrator: Graduate Recruitment Programme, Co-operative Education

Ms Theresa Burns Administrator: Service-Learning

Mr Rumarques Olyn Admin Assistant: Co-operative Education

Mr Vuyo Mhlontlo Project Co-ordinator: 2nd Chance Matric Project, Service-Learning and Civic Engagement

RESEARCH OUTPUT

2021 publications (submitted to the DHET in May 2022)Units

Journal articles (audited) 0.25

TOTAL 0.25

Prof Nothemba Joyce Nduna [until April 2022]

Prof Lalini Reddy [from May 2022] ndunaj@cput.ac.za reddyl@cput.ac.za

THE CO-OPERATIVE EDUCATION UNIT

Co-operative Education is a philosophy of learning that is based on a partnership between the institution and its external stakeholders, namely industry. The common objective is to provide students with an enhanced learning experience in the workplace.

In essence, this is a three-way partnership. Students alternate academic study with periods of work experience. They apply their learning in real-life situations under the supervision of experienced mentors in the workplace, as well as under the guidance of academic staff from the university. The work that is covered during this period is monitored and assessed according to requirements set out by specific departments. This is known as experiential learning.

Role of the Co-operative Education Unit

• Establishing strategic partnerships that result in the creation of experiential learning opportunities for students in the workplace; collaboration with employers, youth organisations, national and international bodies, and all other interested stakeholders on matters relating to student employment

• Ensuring the Co-operative Education policy is implemented appropriately across the institution

• Ensuring matters that affect the function of co-operative education and experiential learning institutionally are addressed

• Managing information pertaining to co-operative education

• Marketing the experiential lear ning programme (in collaboration with CPUT’s Marketing & Communication Department)

Benefits of a Co-operative Education partnership for employers

• Periods of integrating lear ning and work equip the student with prequalification experience, thus providing employers with the opportunity to recruit work-ready graduates

• Students who respond well to the work environment can be retained as full-time employees on completion of their training periods

• Each discipline has an Advisory Committee and employers have the opportunity to be members of these committees which communicate the needs of industry to the institution; through this membership, industry helps to shape the training that the students receive at the institution

Benefits of a Co-operative Education partnership for students

• Students are able to integrate their learning with real-life work situations

• Students are able to demonstrate their abilities to potential future employers

• Presented with challenging tasks, students are able to develop to their highest potential

• Work experience is often the determining factor as to whether or not new graduates find employment; through Co-operative Education, CPUT students often have work experience on completion of their academic studies

SERVICE-LEARNING AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT (SLCE) UNITS

Ms Jacqui Scheepers

scheepersj@cput.ac.za

CPUT’s Service-Learning (SL) and Civic Engagement (CE) Units provide support to academic departments and faculties to grow the scholarship of engagement. By approaching community engagement activities through a research and scholarly lens, staff, students, government and communities can understand the benefits of integrating community engagement with the other two pillars of higher education, namely teaching & learning and research. Service-Learning conveners and students are encouraged to reflect on their practice so that learning and impact can be realised. Therefore, the notion of the self-reflective practitioner forms part of the project cycle.

Staff and students are encouraged to work in transdisciplinary ways so that knowledge is co-created across disciplines and across sectors (government, community and industry). SL embeds community engagement within the curriculum, and both SL and CE are ideal pedagogical tools to attain graduate attributes which form part of CPUT’s Vision 2030. Many of the projects are aligned with the concept of ‘Smart Engagement’ and contribute towards CPUT’s vision to be an engaged university. The transdisciplinary approach to disciplinary integration dissolves boundaries between conventional disciplines. It organises teaching and learning around the construction of meaning in the context of real-world problems or themes. This approach relies on team members sharing roles regardless of their disciplines. The primary purpose is to collaborate and integrate team members’ expertise, and so provide a more efficient provision of service.

The Service-Learning and Civic Engagement (SLCE) Units strive to grow the scholarship of engagement, which has multiple benefits. Through the lens of scholarship, SLCE promotes the conceptual framework of Boyer’s scholarship of engagement (Boyer, 1990).

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ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT & SUPPORT

Research outputs for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement

i) Digital Storytelling (DST)

Prof Daniela Gachago, Ms Jacqui Scheepers, Ms Pam Sykes and Prof Candice Livingston presented at the International Digital Storytelling Conference, the Storytelling Academy, School of Design and Creative Arts, Loughborough University, United Kingdom in June. Their title was ‘Ethical guidelines for digital storytelling in Higher Education’ (Session 3).

https://tinyurl.com/3bxjzwx7

DST is creating a (personal) narrative that documents culturally and historically embedded lived experiences through sound and images into a short video, developed by non-professionals with non-professional tools within the context of a workshop (Lambert, 2010; Reed & Hill, 2012). Introducing DST has improved digital literacies and student engagement, provided a space for critical reflection and enhanced multicultural learning and engagement which raises ethical concerns. Included are guidelines for an ethical practice of DST in higher education. https://tinyurl.com/2pa59b3d

The presentation at the conference was based on a book chapter in a publication by Prof Gachago, Ms Scheepers and Prof Livingston: ‘Telling stories about stories: Towards ethical guidelines for digital storytelling in Higher Education’, in Challenging the Apartheids of Knowledge in Higher Education through Social Innovation (Stellenbosch: Sun Media)

https://tinyurl.com/mr2dwd3s

ii) CAPE-VET Research Project

The researchers involved in this project are Ms Jacqui Scheepers and Mr Jonas Gebhardt, both PhD students at the Institute of Vocational Education, Work and Technology, Europa University Flensburg (EUF) in Germany.

CAPE-VET: Capacity Building for VET in South Africa is a bi-national research project focused on the professionalisation of TVET lecturers in South Africa. Its goal is to develop scientific, participative and authentic recommendations for the design of academic professionalisation for TVET lecturers. In 2021, research reports were developed into conference presentations and publications such as:

The Tshwane University of Technology TVET Conference Roundtable in October:

• ‘Participatory research on TVET students’ competencies: The view of German companies in South Africa’, with Mr Martin Kuhn and Prof Dr Axel Grim from EUF; Dr Jelena Zascerinska, Ms Regina Krause and Prof Andreas Ahrens from Hochschule Wismar; and Prof Kay Pfaffenberger from Hochschule Flensburg

• ‘The process of building a bi-national community of practice towards the continuous professionalisation of TVET lecturers’, in CAPE-VET Vol 2 by Mr Jonas Gebhardt of UEF and Ms Jacqueline Scheepers The programme can be viewed at: https://tinyurl.com/4j8kdcw7

‘Inside TVET: Challenges and needs for TVETs in South Africa’ was presented at the European Conference on Educational Research (ECER) in September by Ms Scheepers, Mr Gebhardt and Prof Dr Axel Grimm. A peer reviewed article based on this presentation was published in:

• Trends in Vocational Education and Training Research, Vol IV, Proceedings of the European Conference on Educational Research (ECER), Vocational Education and Training Network (VETNET)

• Papers

https://zenodo.org: https://tinyurl.com/3vnpe23p

• Proceedings

https://tinyurl.com/yckuhnz6

• Printed book available on amazon.com in the series Trends in Vocational Education and Training Research

https://tinyurl.com/yc7yz5td or https://tinyurl. com/2p9asv4f

iii) Teaching Advancements and Universities (TAU)

An invitation was received to present at the TAU fellowship programme in July. The topic was ‘Community Engagement in Practice’. Ms Jaqui Scheepers joined Prof Priscilla Daniels (UWC) and Dr Eugene Machimane (UP).

iv) Research collaboration across faculties and units

Mr Shah Singh (FBMS), Prof Desiree Scholtz (FBMS), Prof Hanlie Dippenaar (Education) and Ms Jaqui Scheepers (SLCE Units) presented a paper titled ‘Service-learning during Covid-19: How do we adapt?’ online at the University Social Responsibility Summit, University of Pretoria in February. The abstract was published in the conference proceedings (see booklet cover opposite).

With the Covid-19 pandemic, many SL projects had to be abandoned or restructured. Face-to-face interactions at community sites had to be revised to ensure social distancing while still achieving outcomes.

v) Research collaboration: Faculty of Education and SL Unit:

Ms Jacqueline Scheepers, Ms Valencia Cloete and Prof Hanlie Dippenaar presented at the CPUT Virtual Research Festival (filmed in April). The SL Unit collaborated with the Faculty of Education on ‘Service-learning in the time Covid-19’, at CPUT’s Research Festival in October.

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One Powerpoint slide was requested so a slide was designed to encapsulate the main concepts and definitions related to CE.

The model is being used in future publications and SLCE staff capacity building.

ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT & SUPPORT

The research aims to explore how SL practitioners adapt traditional SL to the Covid-19 context by reimagining practices through e-service-learning and extreme e-SL as illustrated below.

The topic of the presentation was ‘Adapting Service-Learning during Covid-19: Responding to global, national, regional and local imperatives –policies, strategies and practices’. The online presenters pre-recorded their presentations.

An online presentation was made at the 4th European Conference on Service-Learning in Higher Education in September, by the European Association of SL in Higher Education (EASLHE) and the Engage Students Project partnership (see call below).

vi) Conclusion

The SLCE Units cultivate mutually beneficial research collaborations through transdisciplinary projects and programmes. These partnerships stretch across local, regional, national and international boundaries. By integrating CE with teaching & learning and research, a more holistic approach to knowledge generation can be pursued. CE practitioners, including students, are encouraged to reflect on their practice so that learning and impact can be realised. Therefore, the notion of the self-reflective practitioner is critical to improving learning, teaching and engagement practices at the university.

Prof Eunice Ndeto Ivala ivalae@cput.ac.za

academics towards design-based research and teaching & learning scholarship.

The centre mentors

CENTRE FOR INNOVATIVE EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY (CIET)

CIET has been given a mandate to support the academic project through staff development into innovative integration and use of technologies and pedagogies, with the aim of promoting holistic student success.

To achieve this mandate, the centre’s work is informed by designbased research. Results are used to improve staff development training programmes and student learning. Staff development activities include workshops, seminars, a short course on blended learning, learner analytics and various other projects. The centre also mentors academics towards design-based research and teaching & learning scholarship. During 2021, some CIET staff members were involved in designing and delivering some of the short courses offered by the Cape Higher Education Consortium (CHEC).

RESEARCH OUTPUTS

In addition to providing staff development opportunities, CIET staff managed to produce the following research outputs in 2021:

Journal articles

‘Engaging knowledge and the knower: Design considerations for emerging modes of academic staff development’ in Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning (CriSTaL)

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ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT & SUPPORT

Book chapters

• ‘From design thinking to design doing: Experiences from an academic staff development programme for blended course design’, in Conceptualizing and Innovating Education and Work with Networked Learning

• ‘Implementing blended lear ning in classrooms: Educators’ perspectives’, in Handbook of Research on Innovations in Non-Traditional Educational Practices

• ‘Social justice reconsidered: Making a defence for a university of critique again’, in Unyoking African University Knowledges: Voices from the Subaltern

• ‘More than delivery: Designing blended learning with and for academic staff’, in Creating Effective Teaching and Learning Spaces: Shaping Futures and Envisioning Unity in Diversity and Transformation

• ‘Enabling inter-institutional co-teaching of a postgraduate diploma in Educational Technology: Uncovering the sites of struggle, negotiation and accommodation’, in Co-Teaching/Researching in an Unequal World: Using Virtual Classrooms to Connect Africa, and Africa and the World

Edited Books

Prof ZL Sosibo and Prof E Ivala edited Cultural Diversity in Education – Creating Effective Teaching and Learning Spaces: Shaping Futures and Envisioning Unity in Diversity and Transformation (Vernon Press)

Prof Y Waghid, Prof Z Waghid, Prof J Terblanche and Dr F Waghid edited Higher Teaching and Learning for Alternative Futures: A Renewed Focus on Critical Praxis (Palgrave-MacMillan)

COLLABORATION ON RESEARCH PROJECTS

CIET staff members were involved in collaboration with various researchers at CPUT and at other higher education institutions in the region and nationally, as well as three EU-funded projects:

• ‘Personalised engineering education in Souther n Africa (PEESA) III’ project (2013-2021, EU-funded)

• FutureAbility Erasmus+ Project – aimed at investigating how educators teach visual art subjects and use visual arts methods to teach online during the pandemic 2021-2023 (EU-funded)

• ‘Inter nationalisation of the curriculum in order to prepare pupils/students and equip them for their global citizenship (both personal and professional)’ (EU-funded)

REVIEW OF RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS AND GRANT PROPOSALS

CIET staff members were involved as reviewers for DHET-accredited and ISSN journals. They were also involved in the reviewing of NRF grant proposals.

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION

Staff members attended various virtual national and international conferences, where they presented papers. These include, amongst others, the Visual Arts Conference hosted by CPUT in December, and the Digital Story-telling Conference: Story-telling for a Just Future, held in June at Loughborough University, UK.

CPUT LIBRARIES

CPUT Libraries form an integral component of the research activities at CPUT by providing access to relevant world-class information resources, various platforms, tools and services. CPUT Libraries continued to provide essential services to the university’s research community during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, with essential services delivered online.

CPUT Libraries have an important role in Open Sciences and Open Access initiatives, which they make available in the CPUT environment. Open Science is the movement to increase the accessibility and openness of scholarly research based on FAIR principles for all – Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability. On a national level, work is being done towards a South African Open Science Cloud by various stakeholders, including the Department of Science & Innovation and the European Open Science Cloud. This work emphasises the importance of open sciences, and CPUT Libraries contribute by having an institutional repository and research data repository to make CPUT’s outputs as accessible as possible.

The Research Data Management (RDM) initiatives and services continued during 2021, and the review process of the Open Access Policy and Research Data Management Policy, which commenced in 2020, were finalised this year. The revised policies are key in driving the university’s open science activities and were updated in line with current global trends. RDM workshops were offered to all the faculties to highlight the importance of managing research data by researchers and postgraduate students.

In line with the requirement for postgraduate students to submit their research datasets with their theses and dissertations for graduation, a new workflow for eSango, the research data repository, was developed within Figshare and implemented in December this year. The workflow allows postgraduate students to upload their datasets for their submissions, in preparation for graduation and to ensure that a stringent quality review process is followed.

During 2021, work to upgrade the Data Management Plan (DMP) tool to ensure compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) commenced.

Dr Elisha Chiware

chiwaree@cput.ac.za

SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

CPUT Libraries form an integral component of the research activities at CPUT by providing access to relevant world-class information resources, various platforms, tools and services.

ACCREDITED JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS

• Ms Debbie Becker, Ms Joanne Arendse, Ms Veliswa Tshetswa, Ms Zulaiga Davids and Ms Vuyokazi Kiva-Johnson authored ‘The development of LibGuides at Cape Peninsula University of Technology Libraries and the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on their usage’, in IFLA Journal https://doi.org/10.1177%2F03400352211046025

• Ms Janine Lockhart authored ‘Embedding an information literacy course into a learning management system: A case study’ in Library Management https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-09-2020-0129

• Mr Yunus Omar and Ms Zulaiga Davids authored ‘Perspectives of first-year business studies students on the certificate of information literacy: A case study of the Cape University of Technology’ in South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science https://doi.org/10.7553/86-2-1848

FUNDANI CENTRE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT (CHED)

The Fundani Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED) is a strategic unit that serves CPUT. It is a site that initiates and facilitates higher education development in alignment with relevant national and international imperatives. This is accomplished through a number of inter-related strategic initiatives. These involve the various Fundani units working collaboratively and in partnership with colleagues in faculties and other strategic units. This developmental institutional networking is informed and strengthened through engagement with relevant national and international organisations and institutions.

Dr Najwa Norodien-Fataar

norodien-fataarn@cput.ac.za

HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2021

Research outputs

Fundani staff play a significant role in CPUT’s Research Focus Area 5: Human, Health & Social Dynamics, through regular publications in accredited journals and books. In 2021, Fundani consisted of 12 academic staff members. Notwithstanding the small staff size, the centre produced ten book chapters and five accredited journal articles. Academics in the centre regularly review articles for national and international journals. Many are also chosen as external examiners for master’s and doctoral theses. They supervise several CPUT staff members engaged in master’s and doctoral studies that focus on higher education and education in general. Fundani academics are often invited to be keynote speakers at conferences and universities.

Research & Innovation Fund for Teaching & Learning (RIFTAL)

Fundani staff provide a supportive space for research into teaching and learning across CPUT’s faculties. The Research & Innovation Fund for Teaching and Learning (RIFTAL) is an integral part of research development at the centre. The University Capacity Development Grant (UCDG) and the DVC: Teaching & Learning’s RIFTAL Project ensure that each year approximately R650 000 is disbursed to CPUT faculty members by Fundani to conduct classroom-based research. In 2021, projects submitted and approved for funding addressed the impact of Covid-19 on teaching and learning, the role of information communication technologies in teaching and learning, and multilingualism during emergency remote teaching and learning.

Research in Teaching & Learning Conference (RITAL)

CPUT academic staff presented their research findings at Fundani’s second online RITAL Conference via Microsoft Teams. The conference’s theme was ‘Post-pandemic challenges in higher education: Integrating pedagogy and technology-enhanced teaching and learning practices’. The keynote address titled ‘Towards compassionate learning design for the pandemic and beyond’ was delivered by Prof Daniela Gachago. She emphasised the importance of care and compassion, such as humanising pedagogies (Pacanksi-Brock, 2020), pedagogies of equity and care (Bali, 2020), and trauma-informed pedagogies (Imad, 2021). Her presentation asked important questions relating to how to respond to the affective dimension of teaching and learning and the well-being of students and staff.

The conference allowed academics to discuss the challenges that have been experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic regarding integrating technology into teaching and learning practices. The following topics were discussed and debated at the event:

• Lockdown gamification: Teaching Shakespeare using digital breakouts

• Developing an online mathematics diagnostics tool: Levelling the playing field

• Transforming curricula for multi-cultural student engagement

• South African university lecturers’ experiences with multilingual pedagogies and emergency remote teaching amid the Covid-19 pandemic

• Covid-19 pandemic effects on the future of studying tourism management: Perspectives of exit-level students at a university of technology

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Developmental institutional networking is informed and strengthened through engagement with relevant national and international organisations and institutions.

• Online lear ning and peer support: Using WhatsApp to enhance students’ understanding of engineering mathematics concepts

• The development of online English proficiency assessments for pre-service teachers

• Is the new normal an improvement: Reflections on how the pandemic affected the offering of a practical subject

• Exploring the impact of mobile instant messaging on lear ning

• Exploring Diploma Gr R students’ understanding of participatory pedagogical practices during Covid-19

• The feasibility and effectiveness of an Afrikaans academic writing assistant for Afrikaans speaking Education students

• How the move to online work is changing jour nalism internship programmes

• Enhancing teacher education quality: Comparative student reflections on wellbeing

• Using a virtual classroom to mediate collaborative construction of knowledge and consequent work-preparedness in a final-year engineering class

• Digital tools for social engagement in teaching and lear ning in higher education

• ‘Emergency take off and safe landing’: Reflection on using digital space as a supervision pedagogical strategy for BEd Honours in teaching and learning

Feedback from participants at the conference indicated that many enjoyed the online conference because, as one participant stated, “Many colleagues could join the presentations online”. Another participant stated that “the conference theme was relevant, and the presenters were on top of their game”.

Paradigms

All RIFTAL recipients must publish their research in the in-house journal Paradigms. The research findings are presented in the annual Research in Teaching & Learning Conference (RITAL). Paradigms is an internal CPUT journal that focuses on learning and teaching issues in higher education. It is an interdisciplinary journal with a strong publishing history at CPUT. Paradigms aims to stimulate research among CPUT staff, and is an open-access journal published annually. The journal is available both in print and online. The journal is managed at Fundani, and it is published nationally and internationally via the CPUT Open Journal System. All issues of Paradigms can be accessed via: http://online.cput.ac.za/index.php/paradigms/issue/archive

Conference attendance

Fundani staff attended several online national conferences, such as the HELTASA (Un)Conference in December. The conference’s theme was ‘Sivela phi? Siphi? Siya phi? – Being resilient, responsive and relevant in a shifting higher education context’. They also attended the HELTASA National Extended Curriculum Programme (ECP) Colloquium in August, which focused on ‘Promoting scholarship in ECP’. Academics attended national and international first-year experiences conferences – the 6th Annual South African National Resource Centre (SANRC) First Year Experience (FYE) Conference in May, and the 40th Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience in February, hosted by the University of Southern California.

students’ life experiences through the unit’s interventions.

Ms Melanie Marais maraisme@cput.ac.za

HIV/AIDS UNIT

INTRODUCTION

The HIV/Aids Unit falls under the Division of Student Affairs. During 2020, the pandemic taught us to use technology at a much higher level and this filtered down to our Peer Educators as well. We were able to continue with multiple educational virtual interventions during 2021.

HEALTH SCREENING

The HIV/Aids Unit offers social mobilisation, student development and free health screening services to students. During 2021, health screening included testing

for HIV, TB and STIs, as well as blood pressure and blood sugar screening. Other screening and link-to-care services included those focused on helping with issues relating to mental health, gender-based violence, alcohol and substance abuse and unplanned pregnancy.

COVID-19

This year, the unit continued to support the Division of Student Affairs by conducting and facilitating a number of virtual activities including webinars, discussion groups to transition towards a more virtual approach. In that way a wider audience could be reached than with face-to-face interventions.

The HIV/Aids Unit’s staff continued

learning to adjust to a new way of communication and were able to achieve their objectives of improving

The HIV/Aids Unit played a key role in:

• Content creation in terms of awareness and prevention

• Content creation in the institution reaching the 15 000 vaccination milestone

• TikTok Competition to promote the vaccination campaign (over 6 000 views, over 800 comments and over 1 700 likes)

• Social mobilisation for the Vooma Vaccination drive at the District 6 and Bellville Campuses

• Bulk SMSes sent to all registered students at least three times

• Development of a Q&A leaflet on vaccination

PEER EDUCATION

The HIV/Aids Unit continued to develop Peer Educators to be strong student leaders across CPUT campuses and residences. These young people were trained to become change agents, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, raising awareness about holistic health, wellness and social justice. They disseminated accurate information to their peers in such a way that their peers shared this further. Through participation in the Peer Education programme, skills such as time management, critical thinking, planning, project management, facilitating and communication were nurtured to enhance personal development and job readiness. Collaborative work with internal and external stakeholders remained important in the implementation of the Peer Education programme. A total of 94 students were recruited and trained to voluntarily serve as Peer Educators. A total of 80 Peer Educators remained on the programme from the previous year. A virtual award ceremony was held with five students receiving trophies for outstanding achievement.

OVERALL ACHIEVEMENTS

• Training, mentoring and coaching of Peer Educators with the following focus areas:

Health and wellness awareness

HIV, STIs and TB awareness and prevention

First responder training on gender-based violence and rape crisis

Covid-19 awareness, prevention and vaccination

Academic support

Leadership and personal development

Mental health Gender diversity

• Virtual peer–peer discussion groups via WhatsApp

• Webinars

#SafeZone #Equalityforall campaign

Amajita’s Men’s Programme webinar

Alcohol and drug use/abuse awareness campaign and dialogue webinar

Young Women Empowerment ‘In conversation with Rachel Kolisi’

Joint Young Women Empowerment and Amajita’s Men’s Programme webinar

Young Women Empowerment ‘In conversation with Siba Mtongana’

• Self-initiated peer educational video content creation

Know how to wear and dispose of a condom

What is responsible love?

SafeZone, Equality and Inclusivity for all in Higher Education

Gender-based violence awareness

• Peer Education refresher training

Planning for Peer Education activities in the second semester

• E-portfolio development training

• Peer Educators’ Awards Ceremony

• The HIV/Aids Unit’s internship programme

This offered three registered students an opportunity to gain work experience, preparing them for life after graduation - these included one Public Relations student and seven Office Management Technology students (six were placed within the Vaccination Centre)

• Social media promotion

3 031 likes; 3 105 followers; 9 088 engagements; 133 642 people reached in seven months

RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS

Staff from the unit participated in the institutional Research Festival presenting:

• ‘Gender-based violence and young women in Higher Education’ – Ms Melanie Marais

• ‘Tackling gender-based violence social construct amongst men within Higher Education’ – Mr Tumiso Mfisa and Ms Melanie Marais

EXTERNAL FUNDS

The HIV/Aids Unit received funds from two funders:

• Michael & Susan Dell Foundation

• Higher Health

These funds made it possible for the unit to strengthen its virtual interactions and the capacity of students to engage with one another during the pandemic. Training was also provided for students to develop e-portfolios. Over 600 students were reached through engagements and over 70 peer educators and interns developed an e-portfolio.

CONCLUSION

In summary, the HIV/Aids Unit’s staff continued learning to adjust to a new way of communication and were able to achieve their objectives of improving students’ life experiences through the unit’s interventions.

The Young Women Empowerment Programme started in 2017, with various interventions that focus on entrepreneurship, leadership and personal development, and reproductive health awareness amongst young women. This programme is also known to neighbouring universities and TVET colleges. Its hashtag is #YoungWomenLeadingTheChange because the unit believes that the sky is the limit for every young woman, and that they are able to achieve their dreams.

As part of the programme in June this year, the HIV/Aids Unit hosted an interactive hour-long online event titled ‘In Conversation with Rachel Kolisi’. Ms Kolisi is the co-founder of the Kolisi Foundation, a philanthropist of note, a mother, and the wife of our very popular Springbok Captain, Mr Siya Kolisi. She shared her experiences and challenges as a young woman, including a discussion about personal and leadership development.

Head of the HIV/Aids Unit, Ms Melanie Marais, said the event was an insightful conversation and many young women were able to relate to Mrs Kolisi’s experiences. Mrs Kolisi also shared how she and her husband started their foundation, which is aimed at reaching out to communities in need. “Her humbleness and openness about her own experiences and challenges as a young woman were commendable, and it was clear that her intention was to build up young women during this conversation,” said Ms Marais.

She continued, “The questions really helped in steering the conversation to topics that Mrs Kolisi was clearly passionate about, such as the Kolisi Foundation and the work they do related to contributing to the fight against gender-based violence and helping victims, as well as global social issues such as poverty.”

Mrs Kolisi also touched on the racial discord in South Africa, and how people need to become more educated about such topics. She said systematic racism needs to be discussed more in schools, so that young people are better able to think critically about the world around them, and how to behave in a society that is so diverse in race and culture.

Mrs Kolisi reminded the guests that there is a need to continue with programmes aimed at developing and empowering young people. She said this could be through sports programmes and reaching out to those young people living in rural areas and ensuring them that nothing can stop them from fulfilling their dreams. The humble Mrs Kolisi also spoke openly about her own mental health challenges

as a young girl, when she wanted to end her life at the age of 15 years.

She also reflected on the use of social media, saying, “Social media is accessible to everybody all the time and it is also a decision that you make. So if you feel like you can handle what goes on in social media, then by all means go for it, but if you feel like it is affecting you in a bad way, get off and stay off.” Ms Marais said this was an important piece of advice because “we know how important it is to have a healthy balance between social media and your mental health”.

Towards the end of the conversation, Mr Kolisi came to surprise the guests and greeted them. Ms Marais asked if Mr Kolisi would consider talking to the Amajita’s Men’s Programme, and he indicated that he would be open to this.

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‘In Conversation with Rachel Kolisi’

Ms Rachel Kolisi with her rugby star husband, Mr Siyamthanda Kolisi

Chef Siba engages aspiring young entrepreneurs

Mtongana

The HIV/Aids Unit’s Young Women Empowerment Programme hosted celebrity chef Ms Siba Mtongana in an interactive webinar in August. The webinar touched on topics such as young women empowerment and personal development, and was attended by staff and students. Head of the HIV/Aids Unit, Ms Melanie Marais, said the purpose of the event was to empower young women in terms of conversations with influential and well-known women such as Ms Mtongana. “We are proud to know she is a CPUT alumna. She is popularly known as an international multi-award winning chef, culinary extraordinaire, author and entrepreneur,” she remarked.

The fact that Ms Mtongana opened her restaurant during Covid-19 gives students hope and encourages them to work hard, and to remember that anything is possible, said Central Student Representative Council Secretary-General, Ms Nonele Ganyile. She added, “The event was motivational, Chef Siba related well with the audience, her experiences as a student resonated well with our students, the advice she gave was spot on… She is a humble, beautiful woman who has made a mark not only for herself but for many women who look up to her.”

The Young Women Empowerment Programme is an initiative of the Division of Student Affairs, championed by the HIV/ Aids Unit. This initiative started about four years ago after the unit noticed an increase in gender-based violence and the plight of many women in society. Through being relevant and responsive to these problems women face on almost a daily basis, the unit aims to empower young women in terms of entrepreneurship, leadership and personal development, and reproductive health awareness. This programme is also known to the neighbouring universities and TVET colleges, and so CPUT extended the invitation to them as well. The hashtag is #YoungWomenLeadingTheChange.

The end goal is to create opportunities for youth to learn from experienced and influential members of society and give them the platform to engage celebrities and businesswomen of Ms Mtongana’s calibre. Ms Mtongana spoke passionately about the importance of gender equality, personal growth and self-respect. “You need to take care of your body so that it can carry you. Have a holistic feel, find a way to grow holistically so that you don’t have regrets. Invest in yourself, read books and don’t feel unworthy… We as women need to value ourselves. Your background should not be a dictator of your life and it must not determine where you are going… No ‘sugar daddies’ – you are your own bank account, create your own money, work for yourself,” she advised her audience.

Ms Marais said the occasion was outstanding, very motivational and exactly what our students needed. She added, “We as CPUT are proud to be associated with a woman of Siba Mtongana’s calibre, an international multi-award-winning chef and culinary extraordinaire author and entrepreneur.” Ms Mtongana was also thrilled about the event, “I’m super excited as this is my first engagement with CPUT at large. So well done to your team … I had such a fantastic time! It was excellent. It felt very impactful. I could feel the excitement of the students. It really warmed my heart.”

Ms Leanie Brits pienaarl@cput.ac.za

STUDENT COUNSELLING

Student Counselling provides a comprehensive range of services to registered and prospective students in the form of both individual and group interventions. The department serves the CPUT community through various programme activities which focus on the prevention and treatment of mental health challenges and the personal development of students. These activities are supported through various partnerships with academic and support departments, and several student organisations and groups.

As part of the departments’ ongoing programme evaluation and service excellence, professional staff members regularly gather information on student engagement experiences, through qualitative and quantitative methods. The results are presented as research output –some informal (annual reports and newsletters) and some formal (workshops, journal articles, conference papers and poster presentations).

The Individual Counselling Programme conducts an annual client satisfaction survey to assess the level of satisfaction of students who attend counselling and therapy. A Google Forms link was circulated to 529 students, of which 139 completed the survey anonymously during

The evaluations from the various programmes delivered by Student Counselling during 2021 suggest that the online services rendered by the department are accessible, impactful and of a high standard.

ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT & SUPPORT

Creating an inclusive university

The Division of Student Affairs, with support from the Central SRC organised the #SafeZone #Equalityforall webinar to provide a platform for discussion about human rights and the need for an inclusive university. The webinar was attended by academics and class representatives, representatives from political structures, peer educators, the HIV/Aids Unit, DSA Student Development officers and Student Counselling. Championed by the HIV/Aids Unit, the speakers for the event were Ms Nonkosi Tyolwana (Director of Transformation, Social Cohesion & Diversity Unit), Dr Nyx McLean (lecturer in the Department of Information Technology, a Gender Equality and Inclusivity Working Group member) and Mr Naythan Kayser (Coordinator: The Office of Leadership and Social Responsibility at UWC and a gender and inclusivity activist). “Each and every student entering CPUT must feel a sense of belonging and experience our institution as a safe zone,” said Ms Melanie Marais, head of the HIV/Aids Unit.

The main messages were:

• Inclusivity means providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be marginalised or excluded based on their disability, sexual orientation, mental health, HIV status or as a result of gender-based violence.

• Why is an inclusive university necessary? Because quite simply, it is the right thing to do.

• These conversa tions need to be part of teaching and learning in curricula and not separate. It is important that student leadership form part of such conversations, and inclusivity should be represented on various committees. Engagement with NGOs is also necessary as various stakeholders need to work together to create a transformed community.

• Make no assumptions, use the correct pronouns and, if you do not understand, engage and ask so you can learn. Often we may have to unlearn. Pronouns are part of the lived experience and respect required for all people. We need open minds as we move forward and create an inclusive environment.

• In order to establish a successful ‘Safe Zone’ programme or society at the institution, we need students to become actively involved.

“An inclusive university is an ethical university. It recognises that exclusion on the basis of identity and lived experience is an act of harm, and so it works to include everyone in its conception of community,” said Dr McLean. “CPUT is truly a beacon for us all in the higher education sector with regards to becoming more equitable and inclusive! The comments from this webinar should be noted for the finalisation of the policy,” said Mr Kayser.

January and June 2021. This was the second survey which evaluated students’ experiences of online counselling, which was implemented with the advent of lockdown in 2020. Results from the survey indicated that most respondents (82%) received an appointment within one week of sending their request to the Counselling email line, and a few (18%) waited for a week or longer. Most respondents (87%) found it easy to make an appointment for counselling and a majority (76%) indicated that they felt the online counselling service was easily accessible. Most respondents (86%) found the sessions helpful, and a vast majority (91%) indicated that they would return for counselling if they needed it again. Narrative comments from respondents indicated that counsellor attributes such as helpfulness, professionalism, expert input about their problem, listening skills, non- judgmental attitude, patience, kindness, friendliness, counsellor effort, sensitivity and empathy were very helpful. Respondents listed the limitations of online counselling as mostly related to access to data, connectivity challenges, and waiting periods for some students. Limitations to the counselling process included counsellor aspects such as cultural differences which impact the clients’ experience of feeling understood, changes to appointment dates/times, and a limited number of counsellors being available.

The Career Preparedness Programme offered by Student Counselling is run in partnership with WIL faculty officers. Through this programme, counselling staff present career preparedness topics such as interview preparation, personal brand management, and job search skills to second- and third-year students who are preparing to enter work placements. A total of 24 class groups participated, and 1 226 students completed the WIL workshop series during 2021. The students’ experiences of the online workshops were evaluated using a Google Forms link, and 216 students completed the evaluations anonymously. The respondents indicated a very high (97%) satisfaction level, with a vast majority (96%) of the respondents indicating that they would recommend these workshops to others. The content was deemed very relevant

by respondents and 100% indicated that they found the information to be relevant and useful.

The Student Leadership and Development Programme offered by the department offers training and development activities to different student leadership groups, aimed at developing and enhancing students’ leadership skills. During 2021, a total of 373 students attended the various training activities hosted by Student Counselling. The students’ experiences of the online workshops were evaluated using Google Forms. A total of 69 Peer Mentors completed the evaluations anonymously. The satisfaction level of the training was indicated to be high (80%), with almost all (98%) of the respondents indicating that they found the content informative and useful. A 100% satisfaction level was indicated for presenter knowledge and experience.

The evaluations from the various programmes delivered by Student Counselling during 2021 suggest that the online services rendered by the department are accessible, impactful and of a high standard. The continuation of services to all students amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown is indicative of the department’s commitment to offering student development opportunities and studentcentred learning.

Prioritising healthy relationships

The Department of Student Counselling encouraged the CPUT community to let 2021 be the year that they prioritised healthy relationships. “There is no such thing as a perfect relationship,” said counselling psychologist Ms Lynn Fick. “Just as you need to water a plant to help it blossom to its full potential, so you will need to engage in certain actions to create and maintain a healthy relationship.”

There are various characteristics that can describe a healthy relationship, but Ms Fick outlines the following few key characteristics that stand out:

• Communica tion – Being able to communicate your feelings and thoughts in a constructive, honest and open way is important for a healthy relationship. Actively listening and being listened to are good ways to show one’s partner or friend that one cares about what they have to say.

• Trust – Knowing that you can rely on one another is essential in creating a feeling of safety and security within the relationship. Honest communication can help to establish this trust.

• Respect – Respect for oneself, one’s partner or friend and the relationship are essential. This demonstrates that one feels valued and that one values the other and the relationship.

• Support – Feeling supported and giving support are important in creating an atmosphere of encouragement and unity.

A healthy rela tionship is one in which one knows one can go to one’s partner or friend for assistance or guidance.

• Boundaries – It is important to communica te boundaries to one another. Explaining what one likes and dislikes helps one’s partner or friend to understand what one is okay with, and when they overstep one’s boundaries. This includes one’s physical, emotional and sexual boundaries.

• Independence – As much as one might enjoy time together, it is equally important to make time for one’s own friends, hobbies and interests. We need to respect each other’s independence.

• Ha ving a good time – It is important to have fun in a relationship. To laugh, explore and make new memories can help bring partners or friends closer together. Life can become very serious, so a moment to break away from that and enjoy oneself is important.

Ms Fick added that a healthy relationship requires time, effort and a willingness by both partners to make it work. “It is not easy, and you might need to try and try again until you eventually succeed.” She emphasised that the above healthy characteristics should be part of one’s relationship with one’s partner, one’s family members and one’s friends. “You deserve to have more than one healthy relationship. You deserve to be loved, respected and supported.”

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CPUT RESEARCH FOCUS AREAS

The CPUT focus area programme is one of the outcomes of the institution’s strategy for research and innovation, as described in the institution’s Research & Technology Innovation 10-year Blueprint (2012-2022).

In order to build critical mass and make effective use of limited resources, CPUT has resolved to develop clear areas of focus over a period of ten years. The institution’s research, technology and innovation efforts along with its resources are concentrated on these focus areas.

Each of these areas provides a basis upon which research and innovation niche areas are developed within faculties, centres of excellence and units.

The choice of these focus areas and associated niche areas has been informed by:

• CPUT’s strengths

• Areas likely to make strong contributions to strategic imperatives and national priorities

• A need to support a multidisciplinar y approach to research and innovation

Focus

Note:

FOCUS AREA

BIOECONOMY & BIOTECHNOLOGY

INTRODUCTION BY PROF MARILIZE LE ROES-HILL

leroesm@cput.ac.za

Biotechnology-based research and innovation at CPUT is aimed at achieving the objectives of the RTI Blueprint, and contributing towards the South African Bio-Economy Strategy. This will be achieved with knowledge production that is aimed at benefiting local and national communities, and ultimately also supporting the growth and development of a global bio-economy.

The goals of the South African Bio-Economy Strategy are to address: health challenges; food nutrition and security; clean water; clean renewable energy with a reduced reliance on fossil fuels; a shift from a resourcebased economy to a knowledge-based economy with

sustainable resource management; and protection of biodiversity. The research taking place in Focus Area 1 aims to enhance strategic partnerships, facilitate knowledge exchange and capacity building, and stimulate socio-economic development in these target areas.

South Africa has vast natural resources and a wealth of indigenous knowledge. Biotechnology, as part of this focus area, will play a key role in the development of the ‘Farmer-to-Pharma’ value chain – the development of bio-based products from natural resources – while ensuring that the rights of indigenous people are respected. The scope of research is wide and entails several multidisciplinary niche areas.

A number of the UN’s Strategic Development Goals are addressed through these niche areas:

Goal 2 – Zero hunger

Goal 3 – Good health and well-being

Goal 5 – Gender equality

Goal 9 – Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Goal 12 – Responsible consumption and production

Goal 14 – Life under water (biodiversity management)

Goal 15 – Life on land (biodiversity management)

In addition, the niche areas also address South Africa’s National Development Plan:

Chapter 3 – Economy and employment

Chapter 10 – Promoting health

The Research Niche Areas that form part of this focus area include:

• Biocatalysis and enzyme production

• Chemoprevention

• Community-based knowledge translation

• Energy from bioresources

• Functional foods

• Oxidative stress in health and disease development

• Natural products chemistry

• Sports performance and supplementation

Awards for young investigators

Two young researchers from AMHBI made CPUT proud at the 1st Joint Conference of the Pan African Environmental Mutagen and Genomics Society and the Society for Free Radical Research – Africa. PhD candidate Mr Oiva Kamati was the winner of the Young Investigators Award: Best e-poster for his poster ‘Effect of dietary rooibos on exerciseinduced oxidative stress, performance and recovery’. Transdisciplinary postdoctoral fellow Dr Donné Minné was the winner of the Best Short Oral Presentation by a Young Investigator category for her talk ‘Long term implications of Covid-19 for dementia risk: In the context of early life stress – A proposal’.

The online conference was held in September, and Director: AMHBI Prof Jeanine Marnewick said each category was judged by conference session chairs from Egypt, Mauritius and/or South Africa. Mr Kamati said his winning poster described the research project he completed to address the question of whether rooibos has a role to play as a possible ergogenic aid. “The study entailed a randomised, single-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover human intervention trial, where participants consumed a standardised rooibos beverage and snack before completing a set of exercises,” he explained. “Blood samples were collected at various time points during this process to assess the potential protective and modulatory effects of rooibos on the exercise-induced oxidative stress, with an additional aim to also assess if rooibos may improve exercise performance and/or recovery after completion of the exercise regime.”

He said he was surprised when his poster was announced as the winner, as it was his first time participating in an international conference. “It really has motivated me and confirmed that the extra work and effort I had put into designing and making this poster paid off at the end of the day. This was the first-ever poster made, and I used all resources at my disposal as well as YouTube to learn about scientific poster making and how to successfully convey my message to the reader.”

Dr Minné said her talk introduced one of their research proposals regarding the long-term implications of Covid-19 for dementia risk in the context of early life stress. She said the Covid-19 pandemic has several important implications for the field of Alzheimer’s. “Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia in old age, and it is linked to an accumulation of amyloid plaques and tangles of a protein called tau within the brain. There is still no cure, and although its causes are exceedingly complex, the past few decades of research have really spotlighted the role of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress,” she explained. “Particularly pertinent to South Africa is that numerous findings suggest that early-life adversity constitutes a critical underlying mechanism through which cells in the brain alter the sensitivity of the inflammatory response that goes on to influence later-life risk for developing the disease,” she added.

Dr Donné Minné and Mr Oiva Kamati

RESEARCH INSTITUTE

APPLIED MICROBIAL & HEALTH BIOTECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE (AMHBI)

The Applied Microbial and Health Biotechnology Institute (AMHBI) has a mandate to conduct excellent research with a strong multiand transdisciplinary focus in line with CPUT’s RTI Blueprint and V2030. The institute’s research is aimed at exploring South Africa’s vast microbial and indigenous flora biodiversity in finding innovative solutions aimed to improve the overall health of the country’s communities. AMHBI strives to achieve this through integrated research in Biotechnology while encouraging the development of key scarce skills in the realisation of the country’s Bio-Economy Strategy. The core business is focused around postgraduate training in the scarce skills areas of Biocatalysis, Biomarkers, Biotechnology, Chemoprevention, Oxidative Stress, Proteomics and related research fields, securing funding to allow for this research to take place, and the creation and dissemination of new knowledge related to these niche areas.

PROF JEANINE L MARNEWICK Chair: Biotechnology and Director: AMHBI marnewickj@cput.ac.za

MESSAGE FROM THE RESEARCH CHAIR: BIOTECHNOLOGY AND DIRECTOR: AMHBI, PROF JL MARNEWICK

In 2021, we found ourselves still in the company of the Covid-19 pandemic, with our research activities again severely impacted. Despite this ongoing challenge, our researchers, staff, postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows adjusted and took a ‘smart’ approach to ensure business continued. A number of AMHBI members presented at virtual meetings, took part in symposiums, workshops and research conferences, while also keeping the academic programme moving forward with duties performed on institutional- and faculty-level committees.

We celebrated many proud moments in 2021, including:

• A newly obtained Y2 rating by researcher Dr Thandekile Mthethwa

• The graduation of two master’s students

• Conference awards won by two postdoctoral fellows, Dr Donné Minné and Dr Tandeka Magcwebeba

• A conference award won by a PhD student, Mr Oiva Kamati

• 24 jour nal article publications

• R4 million exter nal funding being secured

I wish to thank everyone who contributed to another year successfully completed, and to dedicate this to the two colleagues we sadly lost during this year, Prof Wentzel Gelderblom and Dr Sedicka Samodien.

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FOCUS AREA AND NICHE AREAS

The focus area and relevant niche areas within the AMHBI are aligned to address CPUT’s 10-year RTI Blueprint. Focus Area 1: Bio-economy & Biotechnology is featured within AMHBI via the following niche areas:

Niche areas within AMHBI

• Biocatalysis and enzyme production

• Biomarkers

• Chemoprevention

• Oxidative stress in health and disease development

• Wastewater remediation and reuse

Niche areas located within faculties and departments outside AMHBI

• Natural products chemistry

• Functional foods

• Sport performance and supplementation

• Health and well-being

• Environmental (air, soil and water) assessment and monitoring

RESEARCH OUTPUT

During 2021, AMHBI staff, postgraduates and postdoctoral fellows contributed to 24 peer-reviewed journal articles, one conference proceeding, as well as 9 virtual conference presentations, while contributing 15 presentations to the CPUT Research Festival programme.

POSTGRADUATES AND POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

In true multi- and transdisciplinary nature, AMHBI staff in collaboration with CPUT faculties and other regional and national HEIs, successfully supervised and/or co-supervised several postgraduate students. This resulted in two master’s degrees, Ms Victoria Kibangou cum laude (MEng: Chemical Engineering) and Mr Calvin Kaela (MSc: Agriculture), as well as others who will graduate in 2022. We currently supervise/co-supervise a total of 35 postgraduate students, with 24 at master’s level and 11 at doctoral level. AMHBI researchers are hosts to 13 postdoctoral fellows including one transdisciplinary fellow we share with host, Prof Penelope Engel-Hills from the Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences.

PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATION

During 2021, AMHBI members strengthened their strategic partnerships with institutions across Europe (seven countries), USA, Mexico, Japan and Africa (three countries) to ensure alignment with CPUT’s Vision 2030.

RESEARCH FUNDING AND GRANTS

AMHBI was successful in attracting research funding to the value of R3 734 921 for 2021 from external funders, which include the South African Medical Research Council, the South African Rooibos Council, the Agriculture Research Council, the NRF (under various funding programmes), the Water Research Commission and CSIR/DSI.

RESEARCH AWARDS

The Young Investigator Award for Best Short Talk was awarded to Dr Donné Minné (AMHBI transdisciplinary postdoctoral fellow), Prof Penelope Engel-Hills and Prof Jeanine Marnewick – ‘Long term implications of Covid-19 for dementia risk in the context of early life stress: A proposal’, at the 1st Joint Conference of the Pan African Environmental Mutagen and Genomics Society and Society for Free Radical Research: Africa, online in September.

The Young Investigator Award for Best Poster was awarded to Mr Oiva V Kamati (AMHBI PhD candidate), Dr Naeem Abdul, Dr Dirk Bester, Prof Simeon Davies and Prof Jeanine Marnewick – ‘Effect of a dietary rooibos beverage on

exercise-induced oxidative stress, performance and recovery’, at the 1st Joint Conference of the Pan African Environmental Mutagen and Genomics Society and Society for Free Radical Research: Africa, online in September.

The runner up for Best Poster was awarded to Dr Tandeka Magcwebeba (AMHBI postdoctoral fellow) – ‘Characterisation of protective mechanisms of Honeybush extract against Atopic dermatitis (AD)-related barrier dysfunction and inflammation’, at the VIIIth Conference of the South African Immunology Society, virtual in September.

INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS

The first virtual Joint International Conference of the Pan African Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society (PAEMGS) and the Society for Free Radical Research: Africa (SFRR-A) was held in September, and chaired by Prof Marnewick (President-elect PAEMGS) with co-chair Prof Theeshan Bahorun (University of Mauritius and President SFRR-A). Prof Marnewick was also an invited speaker at the Natural Products for Healthy Aging: From Molecular Targets to Therapy virtual symposium in November. This symposium was co-hosted by the University of Strasbourg, Stellenbosch University and the University of Adelaide, and sponsored by The Academic Consortium for the 21st Century (AC21).

NICHE AREAS WITHIN THE FOCUS AREA: BIO-ECONOMY &

BIOTECHNOLOGY

A. Biocatalysis and enzyme production

Research projects in the area of marine actinobacterial biodiversity, enzyme and antibiotic discovery, and biocatalysis continued during 2021, taking on a hybrid approach with both virtual/in silico and laboratory-based work. Big data analysis continued to feature strongly this year. Next-generation sequencing data generated across the various research projects led to the continued collaboration with Dr Gwynneth Matcher at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB). Big data also featured in our enzyme work, resulting in Prof Marilize le Roes-Hill being invited to present at a three-day virtual international workshop organised by Prof Dr Jürgen Pleiss (University of Stuttgart), Dr Carsten Kettner (Beilstein Institute) and Prof Santiago Schnell (University of Michigan), where the focus of the workshop was mainly on the handling of data: recording, curation, storage, and following approaches that will make the data findable, accessible, interoperable and re-usable, thereby following the FAIR principles of open access data. Funding awarded for research in 2022 will allow for the continued collaboration with the University of Stuttgart, Rhodes University and Durban University of Technology, where data management approaches and digitisation will play a key role in everyday laboratory practices. In addition, Prof Le Roes-Hill was also invited to present at the Antibiotic Accelerator Initiative project (UK Newton Fund, UK MRC, and SAMRC) virtual research symposium, jointly organised by Prof Rosemary Dorrington (Rhodes University) and Prof Matthew Upton (University of Plymouth), in which she highlighted the need to search for novel antibiotics in order to combat the ‘silent pandemic’ caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

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PROF MARILIZE LE ROES-HILL

Leader DR LIANA VAN DER WESTHUIZEN

B. Biomarkers

Biomarker development research is integrated in the Rooibos and Heart Health CPUT Prestigious Project within the Oxidative Stress in Health Promotion and Disease Development niche area of the Focus Area: Bio-economy & Biotechnology. Dr van der Westhuizen attended several virtual conferences, workshops and webinars on biomarkers, supervision, writing and other related fields. She is the Cochairperson of the Institutional Animal Research Ethics Committee, a member of the Faculty Research Committee as well as a member of the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences. She is the supervisor of four MSc students and she supervised two BHSc IV students in the Department of Biomedical Sciences this year.

International award for postdoctoral fellow

Postdoctoral fellow Dr Naeem Sheik Abdul has added another accolade to his name – the prestigious ColgatePalmolive Postdoctoral Award in In Vitro Toxicology. The award supports research to advance the development of alternatives to animal testing in toxicological research.

Last year Dr Sheik Abdul, a postdoctoral fellow at AMHBI, won first place in the science poster awards of the virtual Summer School on Innovative Approaches in Science. Commenting on his recent accolade, Dr Sheik Abdul said, “I felt ecstatic and grateful to receive this prestigious award. The funding will be instrumental in advancing my research here at CPUT. I also felt deeply honoured to be recognised by scientists in the field who acknowledge the novelty and importance of the study. It is also very encouraging to receive this award at such an early stage in my research career.”

His project is titled ‘Role of non-coding RNAs in fumonisin B1-induced metabolic toxicity: An alternate mechanism of action’. “Mycotoxin contamination of staple, dietary crops such as maize, pose a serious threat to food safety and nutrition security in Africa. Despite this, there remains a dearth of knowledge on the effects that these toxins have on metabolic pathways. The present study will look to explore and validate the impact of fumonisin B1 (FB1) on cell energy metabolism, with a strong focus on non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) that play important roles in regulating gene expression and regulatory loops that function in maintaining metabolic homeostasis,” he explained.

Director: AMHBI Prof Jeanine Marnewick said Dr Sheik Abdul’s work was chosen for being outstanding and cutting-edge. “The Society of Toxicology Awards Programme has been honouring the excellence of those in toxicology for the past 50 years. am extremely proud of Naeem for setting his sights high, making the effort, and achieving the goal. I know the hard work and dedication he has put in to secure this award. The competition was stiff. I wish him continued success as this achievement will definitely contribute positively to his career path as a scientist here at CPUT, and we look forward to supporting him and his work here at AMHBI.”

Dr Naeem Sheik Abdul

DR STÉFAN ABEL

C. Chemoprevention

The research focus in this niche area concerns the investigation of dietary constituents as chemopreventive agents to prevent/reduce the outcome of cancer. Currently, the main emphasis is on rooibos and honeybush and dietary oils containing omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. This niche area also focuses on using proteomics and physiological data to further open new opportunities in the medical as well as the agricultural fields, where investigations on Fusarium verticillioides-maize interactions related to fumonisin production under drought stress conditions using a proteomic and selected metabolomics approach is ongoing.

Investigations into the inhibition of mycotoxigenic fungi by South African herbal teas in order to develop bio-control models are also underway. New collaborations were formed in this niche area between Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT), the South African Agricultural Research Council and Infruitec-Nietvoorbij when funding was received to investigate ‘Honeybush as preventive strategy for allergy: Evaluation in in vitro and in vivo models’ via the SA/Japan JSPS Grant. Collaboration with Dr Thomas Grupp (Bayern Genetik, Germany) and Dr Carel Muller (Agric-Sciences, SU) regarding the health properties of eland milk is ongoing. A working group meeting was held in April to identify eland breeding stock to increase sampling size. Prof Alf Botha (Microbiology, SU) also attended the meeting and will canvas for students to assist in the project. In August, Dr Stéfan Abel and Dr Celeste Abrahams initiated the formulation and development of a phenolipid with rooibos tea extract. The formulation is being evaluated with various types of lecithin.

Due to Covid-19, laboratory activities were again severely curtailed in 2021. However, Teams and Zoom meetings were held to keep work continuity going. Once again, opportunities were taken to attend online webinars such as those presented by Lipids Online hosted by ISSFAL. Findings on the anti-fungal activities of rooibos and honeybush tea extracts on fusarium species (Dr Beauty Omoruyi) as well as the effect of fumonisin B1 (FB1) and hydrolysed fumonisin B1 (HFB1) on intestinal growth and inflammatory indices (Dr Mariska Lilly) were presented at the 42nd Virtual Mycotoxin Workshop in June, as well as at the International Conference of the PAEMGS and International Conference of the SFRR-Africa in September, where Dr Hapiloe Maranyane also presented the characterisation of the molecular effects of rooibos tea extracts on UVB-irradiated skin keratinocytes. A comparative study on the prevention of UVB-induced inflammation in human keratinocytes (HaCaT) by green tea, rooibos and honeybush herbal aqueous extracts was presented by Dr Lilly at the 5th International UV and Skin Cancer Prevention Virtual Conference in September. Characterisation of protective mechanisms of honeybush extract against atopic dermatitis (AD)-related barrier dysfunction and inflammation was presented at the VIIIth Conference of the South African Immunology Society (virtual) in September, and Dr Tandeka Magcwebeba was awarded runner up for best poster. Dr Lilly also presented on the variation in fumonisin production by different clonal isolates of Fusarium verticillioides MRC 826 in maize in planta virtually at the Australasian Plant Pathology Society (APPS)

DR MARISKA LILLY

23rd Biennial Conference on ‘Stay Connected for Plant Health’ in November.

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An article by Dr Naeem Sheik Abdul and Prof Jeanine Marnewick of AMHBI focuses on the supportive role South Africa’s indigenous herbal tea, rooibos, could play during the Covid-19 pandemic. The article published in the Journal of Functional Foods outlined how rooibos could potentially play a supportive role by modulating the risk of some of the comorbidities associated with Covid-19 in order to promote general health during infections.

Dr Abdul and Prof Marnewick analysed peer-reviewed scientific studies published on rooibos stemming from all over the world during the past 20 years, and found several bio-activities being reported on that are pertinent to the Covid-19 pandemic. “The bio-activities reported on include the antioxidant capacity of rooibos stemming from its composition of unique polyphenols and other bio-active compounds, it also reported on the anti-inflammatory properties, as well as the beneficial effect on blood glucose levels, aberrant cholesterol profiles, reshaping the gut microflora, decreasing oxidative stress and increasing the body’s own antioxidant molecule, glutathione, all aspects that have been identified as being affected in one way or another by the SARS-COV-2 virus and/or disease,” the two scientists explained.

They added that scientists from DUT have done computer simulation and cell culture studies and suggested the use of rooibos compounds as a promising platform for developing anti-viral drugs in the future. “When considering all these rooibos bio-activities reported on, it can be put to good use as a supportive dietary mechanism to assist our bodies to strengthen our antioxidant defences and ensuring a redox balance is maintained within our bodies. By modulating certain risks, it is proposed to promote general health,” the scientists stated.

The CPUT researchers pointed out that rooibos is not a substitute for any clinical treatment, but rather falls within the realm of a ‘functional food’, a term first coined by the Japanese in the 1980s, being a food or beverage with additional function than originally proposed. “The next step will be to put rooibos to the test and confirm these bio-activities within the context of the current pandemic.”

D. Oxidative stress in health and disease development

The research focus of this niche area is oxidative stress and its involvement in the aetiology of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes and their prevention and/ or delay via the use of indigenous medicinal plants, including the proudly South African rooibos herbal tea. In 2021, this niche area continued collaborative projects across different niche areas and focus areas within CPUT, including close collaborations with Phytochemistry, Sport Performance & Supplementation, Health and Well-being, Functional Foods, Biocatalysis and Enzyme Production, Biomarkers, Environmental (air, soil and water) Assessment & Monitoring and Food Technology. Laboratory activities were continued for projects involving the elucidation and substantiation of various bio-activities for Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) and its main polyphenolic constituents, Sneezewood (Ptaeroxylon obliquum), and Cannabis (Cannabis sativa), with collaborators from the University of Vienna (Austria), University of Kaposvar (Hungary), Ankara University (Turkey) and a number of national institutions.

PROF JEANINE L MARNEWICK

Highlights include the successfully held virtual two-day international conference 1st Joint PAEMGS and the Society for Free Radical research: Africa in September, chaired by Prof Marnewick (President-elect PAEMGS), featuring a number of international keynote speakers, plenary speakers, invited speakers and eleven young investigators. We also welcomed the approval of an upgrade to PhD request by CPUT Senate for MSc candidate Mr Oiva Kamati with a project titled ‘The modulatory role of rooibos in exercise-induced oxidative stress and inflammation: An ‘omics’ approach’.

We continued our research uptake efforts with Prof Marnewick as an invited guest speaker on the monthly Annique Health and Beauty Facebook live session. In February, she was interviewed by Eliska, and was also a guest on Pretoria FM’s radio programme ‘Ek wil weet/I want to know’ with host Mr Pienaar Lochner. In August, she was a guest speaker on RSG Radio on the programme ‘Spektrum’ with Ms Mariette Kruger, where she spoke about the latest rooibos and exercise study outcomes. Prof Marnewick was also the invited speaker at the Natural Products for Healthy Aging: From Molecular Targets to Therapy Symposium, held virtually in November, with a talk titled ‘Rooibos, a complementary approach to cardiometabolic health’.

AMHBI article focuses on benefits of rooibos as a functional food

Rooibos plays a supportive role during the pandemic

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E. Wastewater remediation and reuse

The group focuses on the remediation and/or valorisation of solid and liquid waste. The year 2021 saw a continuation of projects in collaboration with various stakeholders including the edible oil, tannery, winery and sugar industries, and local and international academic partnerships, including with Limerick Institute of Technology, Ireland and Aalborg University, Denmark. The research conducted by this group is being funded by the Water Research Commission, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the NRF. The researchers in this niche area mentored two post-doctoral fellows and supervised seven masters and three doctoral students in 2021. Ms Victoria Kibangou graduated cum laude (MEng) for her project ‘The relationship between reactor performance and functional microbial communities in the anaerobic digestion of tannery wastewater’.

F. Animal Ethics Committee (AEC)

The CPUT Animal Ethics Committee (CPUT AEC), which has been approved by Senate, resides within the Applied Microbial and Health Biotechnology Institute (AMHBI). The AEC is in the process of complying with all relevant regulations and laws to be accredited by the National Health Research Ethics Council (NHREC). Besides the CPUT committee members, additional members, such as a veterinarian and animal welfare organisation representatives are required to be part of the AEC. In 2021, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, no new applications were received. The CPUT committee members met with the administration officer of the Office of Integrity in December to discuss ongoing interaction with the CPUT faculties.

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Leader DR PAMELA WELZ

Chairperson

DR DIRK BESTER

Co-Leader

DR THANDEKA MTHETHWA

Co-Chairperson

DR LIANA VAN DER

WESTHUIZEN

RESEARCH UNIT FUNDING

Source

Agricultural Research Council 496 924

CSIR-DST Waste RDI Roadmap 380 000

National Research Foundation (NRF): Grant-holder Linked 1 274 798

Research Technology and Innovation (RTI): CPUT Prestigious Project 1 000 000

Rhodes University 556 500

South African Rooibos Council 1 142 351

CRYSTAL

ENGINEERING

UNIT

|

Faculty of Applied Sciences

Staff members in the Crystal Engineering Unit are Prof Ayesha Jacobs, Prof Nikoletta Báthori, Dr Elize de Vries and Prof Merrill Wicht.

Bio-economy and Biotechnology

Despite limitations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, research continued in the unit during 2021. Unfortunately, one of our staff members, Mr Mawonga Mei, passed away during the year, shortly before his PhD thesis had been examined. However, he graduated posthumously with the thesis titled ‘Mechanism of enantiomeric resolution’, supervised by Prof Ayesha Jacobs and Prof Luigi Nassimbeni.

PROF MERRILL M WICHT wichtm@cput.ac.za

Significant research in the field of solid crystalline and inclusion compounds has continued. The crystal structures of drug-related compounds and host-guest co-ordination complexes are interpreted using x-ray diffraction. The stability and energy of the materials formed are studied by thermal, optical and kinetic measurements. Non-covalent interactions which form synthons, for example, those resulting from hydrogen bonding lead to framework structures which are correlated with the compounds under study. Both organic and inorganic compounds are synthesised, and their discrimination towards one of a mixture of isomers is an objective being investigated.

This year, the Crystal Engineering Unit published on research into chirality and the comparison of racemic crystals for solubility and structure. Four papers were published in peerreviewed journals by staff members and their postgraduate students. Prof Báthori concentrated her expertise on racemic and chiral compounds, and Prof Jacobs considered the synthons of co-crystals in organic compounds. Prof Wicht broadened the research of Werner complexes by incorporating zinc and cobalt as the central metal in the host molecules for inclusion compounds.

Two students graduated with their Master of Applied Science in Chemistry, namely Ms Junia Malapile cum laude under the supervision of Prof Báthori, and Ms Lucie Mevoe Obiang, supervised by Prof Wicht.

Prof Báthori served as a chair at the International Union of Crystallography Congress (IUCr XXV) in Prague in August, and was a guest lecturer at the 6th European Crystallographic School in Budapest in July – both virtual events. Prof Jacobs attended the CrystalForms2021 online conference in September, and Prof Wicht also attended the virtual IUCr XXV Congress. Other events attended by Prof Báthori were the virtual conferences Crystal Engineering: From Molecule to Crystal in India and the 11th Crystal Forms UniBio in Bologna.

Prof Báthori is also a member of the Molecular and Materials Structure Working Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and has served as the Chairperson of the South African Chemical Institute (SACI), and is currently the Executive Secretary of SACI.

FUNCTIONAL FOODS

RESEARCH

| Faculty of Applied Sciences

UNIT (FFRU)

The Functional Foods Research Unit (FFRU) was established in 2009 and is part of the Faculty of Applied Sciences, Department of Biotechnology & Consumer Science. The FFRU’s aim is to translate results of research on essential fatty acids and micronutrients into new and improved functional food products or premixes with functional food characteristics for health promotion and disease prevention in South Africa.

THE FFRU TEAM

oppermanm@cput.ac.za

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Ms Buhle Mpahleni (laboratory technician), Prof Maretha Opperman (Head: FFRU), Mrs Angie van Niekerk (administrative assistant), Dr Ayodeji Oyenihi (laboratory manager, innovation fellow)

PROF MARETHA OPPERMAN

PUBLICATIONS IN DHET-ACCREDITED JOURNALS

• ‘A total cost perspective of type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus during 2015 and 2016 for two South African public sector entities’, in South African Medical Journal

• ‘Impacts of alkaline-electrolyzed water treatment on physicochemical, phytochemical, antioxidant properties and natural microbial load on ‘Granny Smith’ apples during storage’, in International Journal of Food Science & Technology

• ‘Characterization of Moringa oleifera leaf powder extract encapsulated in maltodextrin and/or gum arabic coatings’, in Foods

• ‘Unravelling the anticancer mechanisms of traditional herbal medicines with metabolomics’, in Molecules

• ‘Strawberry fruit (Fragaria x ananassa Romina) juice attenuates oxidative imbalance with concomitant modulation of metabolic indices linked to male infertility in testicular oxidative injury’, in Andrologia

• ‘Moringa oleifera through the years: A bibliometric analysis of scientific research (2000−2020)’, in South African Journal of Botany

• ‘Alter native postharvest pre-treatment strategies for quality and microbial safety of ‘Granny Smith’ apple’, in Heliyon

• ‘Toxicity assessment of watermelon seed supplemented diet in rats’, in Drug and Chemical Toxicology

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

An oral presentation titled ‘nutritional status assessment and the subsequent intervention with a red palm oil biscuit on the nutritional status of pre-school children attending informal crèches, in the Eastern Cape, South Africa’ was made at the 8th International Conference on Nutrition and Growth, in Geneva in August.

INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH COLLABORATION

FFRU is in an ongoing research collaboration with Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Marine Biodiversity, Exploitation and Conservation (MARBEC University of Montpelier) and the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries until 2022. The project is titled ‘nutritional value of marine organisms for the development of sustainable, nutrition-sensitive marine aquaculture in South Africa’, with funding of €30 000.

INTERNATIONAL STAFF AND STUDENT EXCHANGE

This year saw the establishment of a staff and student exchange agreement between FH Muenster, University of Applied Sciences, Department Food, Nutrition, Facilities and CPUT’s Department of Biotechnology and Consumer Sciences.

INTERNATIONAL JOINT LABORATORY

LIMAQUA is an African interdisciplinary laboratory in sustainable, nutrition-sensitive marine aquaculture. It involves partnership between Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Marine Biodiversity, Exploitation and Conservation (MARBEC University of Montpelier), the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, CPUT, UCT and other South African universities. Approval has been gained for the establishment of an interdisciplinary laboratory on sustainable marine aquaculture in southern Africa to gather a multi- and interdisciplinary team specialising in marine aquaculture, nutrition, food science and socioeconomics from several French and South African institutions. The main platform for food science and human nutrition research of LIMAQUA will be based at the facilities of the FFRU, the Department of Biotechnology & Consumer Science as well as the Department of Food Science & Technology (Bellville campus). The initial funding is €200 000.

RESEARCH GROUP

BIORESOURCE ENGINEERING RESEARCH

Faculty of Applied Sciences

GROUP (BIOERG)

Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

PROF MARSHALL SHELDON sheldonm@cput.ac.za

The Bioresource Engineering Research Group (BioERG) was conceptualised and established under the leadership of Prof Seteno Ntwampe together with two co-principal investigators, Dr Moses Basitere and Prof Vincent Okudoh. The departure of Prof Ntwampe in December 2019 led to Prof Marshall Sheldon overseeing the research work by Dr Basitere, appointed as a co-principal investigator responsible for Water & Wastewater Treatment and Agricultural Waste Recovery research; and Prof Okudoh as the co-principal investigator responsible for the Waste-to-Energy research.

BioERG has continued to operate according to the same vision and mission. The vision is to be a research centre of excellence (COE) committed to technological innovation through bioresource engineering for economic and environmental wellbeing in Africa. The mission is to commit to the advancement of applied natural resources knowledge through excellent teaching, learning and research. This can only be attained by the dedication of all stakeholders who support the initiatives of the research group.

DR MOSES BASITERE

Co-principal Investigator: Engineering & the Built Environment

Responsible for sub-units: Agrifood/Agrowaste Wastewater/Water Engineering –Poultry Slaughterhouse and Dairy Wastewater basiterem@cput.ac.za

PROF VINCENT OKUDOH

Co-principal Investigator: Applied Sciences

Responsible for sub-units: Waste2Energy Biofuels Materials Sciences Environmental Biotechnology okudohv@cput.ac.za

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HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2021

Some of the highlights for this group for 2021 include:

Dr Basitere was recognised by the South African Young Academy of Science. Dr Basitere was the recipient of the NRF Early Career/Emerging Researcher Award during the 2021 Research Excellence Awards ceremony.

During 2021, the research approach was adapted to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown regulations. Students were allowed to enter the research laboratory under strict health and safety regulations. During the year, the research group continued to show its resilience. More publications were achieved than the previous year through

its expanded collaboration and networking. Ten journals papers were published under Dr Basitere, and five journal papers and one book chapter under Prof Okudoh. Funding secured showed good recognition of the quality of the outputs from the research group.

During 2021, BioERG graduated its largest group of master’s degree students since its inception.

The year also showed collaborative research outputs with both local and international universities such as North-West University, University of Mpumalanga and UCT.

Publications by Dr Basitere and his research team

• ‘Multi-integrated systems for treatment of abattoir wastewater: A review’, in Water

• ‘Assessment of an integrated and sustainable multistage system for the treatment of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater’, in MDPI Membranes

• ‘Poultry slaughterhouse wastewater remediation using a bio-delipidation pretreatment unit coupled with an expanded granular sludge bed reactor’, in Processes

• ‘Treatment of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater using an expanded granular sludge bed reactor coupled with a membrane bioreactor and UV systems’, in MDPI Membranes

• ‘Performance evaluation of a biological pre-treatment coupled with the down-flow expanded granular bed reactor (DEGBR) for treatment of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater’, in Applied Sciences

• ‘Kinetics and thermodynamics of oil extraction from South African hass avocados using hexane as a solvent’, in South African Journal of Chemical Engineering

• ‘Performance comparison of three high rate anaerobic bioreactors for poultry slaughterhouse wastewater treatment’, in International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology

• ‘Influence of diffuser design on selected operating variables for wastewater flotation systems: A review’, in Water Practice & Technology

• ‘Performance evaluation of an integrated multi-stage poultry slaughterhouse wastewater treatment system’, in Journal of Water Process Engineering

• ‘Biofoam formation and deformation in global wastewater treatment systems’, in Water Practice and Technology

Publications by Prof Okudoh and his research team

• ‘Fractionated digestive juices of Nepenthes mirabilis for reducible sugar release and phenolic compound’s reduction from mixed agro-waste pretreatment’, in Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Applied Energy 2021, in Applied Energy

• ‘Biological stoichiometric analysis during substrate utilization and secondary metabolite production by non-saccharomyces yeasts using grape pomace extract as fermentation medium’, in Fermentation

• ‘Lignocellulosic waste pre-treatment solely via biocatalysis as a partial simultaneous lignino-holocellulolysis process’, in Catalysts

• ‘Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Pediococcus pentosaceus non-alcoholic pearl millet beverage enriched with Moringa oleifera leaf powder: Nutritional and sensory characteristics’, in Processes

• ‘non-alcoholic pearl millet beverage innovation with own bioburden: Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Pediococcus pentosaceus and Enterococcus gallinarum’, in Foods

• ‘Physiological and antagonistic properties of Pichia kluyveri for curative and preventive treatments against post-harvest fruit fungi’, in Polish Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences

• ‘Biological stoichiometric analysis during substrate utilization and secondary metabolite production by non-saccharomyces yeasts using grape pomace extract as fermentation medium’, in Fermentation

• ‘Evaluating input parameter effects on the overall anaerobic co-digestion performance of abattoir and winery solid wastes’ in Bioresource Technology Reports

• ‘Anaerobic co-digestion of environmentally recalcitrant abattoir and winery solid wastes’, in Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Engineering for Waste and Biomass Valorisation, in WasteEng

• ‘Suitability of crop residues as feedstock for biofuel production in South Africa: A sustainable win-win scenario’, in Journal of Oleo Science

• ‘Utilization of complementary and alter native medicine as potential immune boosters for the prevention and treatment of Covid-19’, in Covid-19: A Global Pandemic, A Namibian Perspective, University of Namibia (in press)

wins at the NRF Awards

The 2021 NRF Awards to celebrate South Africa’s top researchers and scientists were hosted in November this year, as a hybrid event livestreamed to over 500 virtual attendees, with limited guests attending in person in Pretoria. CPUT research fellow Dr Moses Basitere received an award in recognition of exceptional performance in research at national level for an emerging researcher.

The ceremony celebrated 68 awardees across 10 categories. The annual ceremony recognises outstanding accomplishments produced by individuals and teams, whose excellence has appreciably enhanced science for the benefit of society. This includes their internationally competitive work, which is assessed for, among other things, the contribution to the field of study focusing on quality and impact. One of the objectives of the awards is to encourage the continued culture of advancing South Africa’s scientific knowledge and technological innovation by rewarding those that make use of research for the advancement and betterment of humanity.

Chair of the NRF Board Dr Nompumelelo Obokoh said, “Amidst the despair and grief brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic are also many stories of selflessness, kindness and courage that continue to restore our faith in humanity and inspire us to dream of a better tomorrow. Even during this turbulent time, our researchers have continued to nurture the country’s knowledge economy in scientific fields as well.”

Dr Basitere, one of the leaders of BioERG, said it’s the first time that CPUT has received this award. He continued, “I’m happy to have placed the work that is happening at CPUT at national level. This reminds me of the time when I was also accepted to the South African Young Academy of Science… I am grateful to my postgraduate supervisors, Prof Marshall Sheldon and Prof Karabo Ntwampe, who laid a firm foundation and passion for meaningful research that contributes to the development of our country. Hard work, dedication to both research and contributing to community development, through mentoring and creating awareness of science, were key values that contributed to this award. The support from my family, the Basitere and Brown family, cannot go unnoticed as this was my pillar of strength, propelling me to always strive for excellence.” The pursuit of knowledge, the need to solve new challenges and his passion for research excellence is what keeps Dr Basitere going.

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Dr Nompumelelo Obokoh (NRF Chair), with CPUT’s Dr Moses Basitere, Dr Tebogo Mashifana (UJ) and Dr Fhulufhelo Nelwamondo (NRF CEO)

CONFERENCES AND PLENARY ADDRESSES

• Dr Basitere chaired a conference session for the Virtual 12th Eastern Europe Young Water Professionals Conference held in Latvia in March

• Prof Okudoh delivered a talk titled ‘Enhancing biogas production from abattoir and winery solid wastes’, published in Proceedings of the 2021 Value of Biogas Virtual Conference by the Canadian Biogas Association in April

• Dr Benjamin Okeleye attended the 8th edition of Merck Foundation’s Annual Conference on Fertility, held via video conference in April

• Dr Elizabeth Omodanisi presented ‘Moringa oleifera proven efficacy’ at Soapbox Science in September

• Dr Omodanisi delivered a talk titled ‘The impact of Covid-19 on the mental health and performance of health care workers (nurses) at a hospital in South Africa’ at the 2nd Postdoctoral Research Conference of Southern Africa, organised by Stellenbosch University in November

• Dr Omodanisi presented at a Webinar on ‘Moringa oleifera proven efficacy’ at Soapbox Science in September

• Dr Omodanisi attended a Webinar on STEM Girls, organised by AGE Network in September

• Dr Omodanisi attended the World Biogas Association’s and the World LPG Association’s conference titled ‘Biogases: Driving the transition from fossil to green’ in October

• Dr Maxwell Mewa-Ngongang’s student Mr Zukisani Gomomo presented an abstract at the online virtual SASM Conference titled ‘Using yeasts as biological control agents against fruit spoilage mould’ in May

• Dr Mewa-Ngongang’s student Mr Gomomo presented ‘Effectiveness of yeasts as biological control agents against fruit spoilage mould’ at SAAFoST’s 24th Biennial International Virtual Congress in September

• PhD student Ms Oma Angadam presented at the 12th International Conference on Applied Energy 2021 (ICAE 2021) in Bangkok, an international virtual conference in November and December, and the full paper will be submitted for a special issue with impact factor 9

FUNDING, AWARDS AND OTHER RECOGNITIONS

• Dr Basitere received an award for NRF Thuthuka post PHD Track Grant of R300 000

• Prof Okudoh received a UCDG CPUT Transdisciplinary Grant for Emerging and Early Career Academics for ‘Valorisation of winery wastewater and solid wastes: The case of Agricultural Research Council (ARC), Stellenbosch’ of R100 000

• Prof Okudoh was recognised by Elsevier as one of its Ambassadors for Southern Africa

• Prof Okudoh attended a 12-month leadership training course titled ‘Creating the Leadership Edge’ organised by the Council for Higher Education Consortium (CHEC) at CPUT (online)

STUDENTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT (2021 GRADUATES)

• MEng Chemical Engineering summa cum laude

Mr Derrick Dlamini

Ms Phumeza Dyosile

Mr Honeil Meyograduated Mr Cebisa Mdladla

Mr Sandisile Mgobo Mr Shaun Mgoma

• MEng Chemical Engineering cum laude Ms Ntombii Bingo

• MEng Quality summa cum laude Mr Nazaire Nsanzimana

• Ms Oma Angadam, a summa cum laude master’s graduate, received the prestigious Vice Chancellor’s Award

• Ms Carrelle Gabrielle Ossinga, a master’s candidate and Mwalimu Nyerere African Union Scholarship recipient, completed her degree and graduated in April

• Mr Sandile Charles Khumalo, a master’s candidate and recipient of an NRF Thuthuka linked grant, completed his degree cum laude and graduated in April

RESEARCH GROUP

NATURAL PRODUCTS CHEMISTRY RESEARCH GROUP | Faculty of Applied Sciences

Green chemistry is developed to monitor and solve problems related to the environment and to health. Accordingly, new strategies are being developed and active scientific research is taking place to deliver new innovative solutions for current problems.

South Africa contains some of the most diverse and important flora in the world. Knowledge abstracted from South African traditional medicine represents one of the most important sources for the development of new medicine and for treatment of grave diseases like HIV and Aids.

biological system. The group intends to design new conjugates for biomedical applications, especially relating to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

PROF AHMED MOHAMMED

The Natural Products Chemistry Research Group is dedicated to unlocking the potential of Cape flora and to discovering new active agents as new scaffolds for developing new safe and potent drugs.

The group works with traditional natural products chemistry for the isolation and identification of new bio-active compounds, covering different biological activities such as neuroprotection, anticancer and skin related diseases. The group also has research projects covering the synthesis of metal nanoparticles using pure natural products for biomedical applications. Some of the natural compounds (called capping agents) have the ability to reduce metal salts and stabilise formed nanoparticles. Additionally, these capping agents contribute to the final bioactivity and biodistribution of the nanoparticles in the

During 2021, the group published over 20 research outputs, including articles and book chapters, and also celebrated two graduates, Dr Umar Badeggi (PhD) and Ms Selena Orango Adewinogo (master’s summa cum laude). One of the group members, Mr Akinfenwa Akeem Omolaja, has been recognised by the South African Chemical Institute (SACI) for his excellent output and received a prestigious Young Innovative Chemist Award for 2021. Mr Omolaja has also been recognised as a potential candidate for the VC’s Prestigious Award. The principal investigator of the group, Prof Mohammed, participated in the African Union webinar ‘African traditional/indigenous knowledge and science in the 21st century’, and presents updates on traditional medicine in the southern African region, especially in South Africa.

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RESEARCH GROUP

PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH GROUP

| Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences

The principal investigator for the Phytotherapy Research Group is Dr Samantha Meyer (CPUT). Collaborators are Dr Lulama Mciteka (UWC), Prof Mervin Meyer (UWC) and Prof Martin Onani (UWC). The research activities of this group are funded by the NRF’s Competitive Support for Unrated Researchers (CSUR) Grant awarded to Dr Meyer for 2018−2021, an amount of R1 114 250.

The aim of this research group is to investigate the potential antimicrobial and wound-healing properties of indigenous South African plant extracts and biogenic silver nanoparticles produced from these plant extracts.

HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2021

Publications

• Ms Caroline Tyavambiza, Dr Abdul Elbagory, Prof Abram Madiehe, Prof Mervin Meyer and Dr Samantha Meyer published ‘The antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects of silver nanoparticles synthesized from Cotyledon orbiculata aqueous extract’ in Nanomaterials

• Ms Caroline Tyavambiza, Dr Phumuzile Dube, Dr Mediline Goboza, Dr Samantha Meyer, Prof Abram Madiehe and Prof Mervin Meyer published ‘Wound healing activities and potential of selected African medicinal plants and their synthesized biogenic nanoparticles’ in Plants

• Dr Nicole Sibuyi, Ms Koena Moabelo, Dr Adewale Fadaka, Dr Samantha Meyer, Prof Martin Onani, Prof Abram Madiehe and Prof Mervin Meyer published ‘Multifunctional gold nanoparticles for improved diagnostic and therapeutic applications: A review’ in Nanoscale Research Letters

DR SAMANTHA MEYER meyers@cput.ac.za

The group’s objectives are to:

• Identify indigenous South African plants used in traditional medicine to treat skin infections and wounds

• Investigate the antimicrobial and wound-healing properties of plant extracts produced from these plants

• Assess whether these plant extracts can be used to synthesise silver nanoparticles

• Investigate the antimicrobial and wound-healing properties of silver nanoparticles produced from these plant extracts

• Isolate the bio-active compounds present in the plant extracts

Conference presentations

• Ms Caroline Tyavambiza, Prof Mervin Meyer and Dr Samantha Meyer presented ‘The antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects of metallic nanoparticles synthesized from indigenous South African plants’ at the Nano4Youth Seminar in June

• Ms Caroline Tyavambiza, Prof Mervin Meyer and Dr Samantha Meyer presented ‘The antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects of silver nanoparticles synthesized from Cotyledon orbiculata’ at the 11th Annual BRIP Symposium in October

Postgraduate supervision

Dr Samantha Meyer is the main supervisor of the following postgraduate students registered at CPUT: Ms Caroline Tyavambiza (PhD), Ms Lucille van Schalkwyk (MSc) and Ms Chidimma Esther Obidigbo (MSc).

TECHNOLOGY STATION

AGRIFOOD TECHNOLOGY STATION

| Faculty of Applied Sciences

The Agrifood Technology Station (ATS) platform provides a range of interdisciplinary technological services to the agrifood sector. It focuses on existing smaller and medium enterprises with a view to improving competitiveness and innovation as well as research and development capacity in a sustainable manner. It is funded by the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) initiative of the Department of Science & Innovation (DSI). ATS offers a wide range of services that can assist food and related companies in developing, enhancing and maintaining safe, efficient and cost-effective food production and processing. Situated at the Department of Food Science & Technology (DFST) on the Bellville Campus, ATS offers their clients access to the pilot plant, analytical and research laboratories, processing areas, and general and cold stores.

MR NDUMISO MSHICILELI

mshicilelin@cput.ac.za

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INTRODUCTION

BY PROF ROBERT VAN ZYL

2FOCUS AREA

SPACE SCIENCE, ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

vanzylr@cput.ac.za

Over the past decade, South Africa has become increasingly dependent on space-based applications to manage its national resources and security objectives. Space Science is indeed one of the five Grand Challenges defined and addressed by the Department of Science & Innovation in its 10-year Innovation Plan.

The establishment of the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) signalled a formal and coherent approach to the development of spacebased research, engineering and technology innovation in South Africa. This focus area serves as a catalyst for expanding current research in order to leverage the societal benefits that can be derived from multidisciplinary space-based services.

The focus area is informed and guided by national and regional developmental imperatives, primarily the National Development Plan (NDP). Operation Phakisa is an initiative by the South African government to fast-track the implementation of critical solutions that address issues highlighted in the NDP. The first initiative of Operation Phakisa focuses on the South African ocean economy and is sub-divided into four areas, one of which focuses on Marine Protection Services and Governance.

The main thrust of research within this focus area is creating space-based solutions to enhance the maritime domain awareness (MDA) of the South African exclusive economic zone.

ZACube-2 was the first mission to validate technologies for the MDA. The satellite was launched in 2018, and represented a precursor mission for an ambitious constellation of nanosatellites – the MDASat constellation – now under development. The first three satellites in this constellation are scheduled to be launched early next year as the MDASat-1 mission.

The generic implementation of the comprehensive space programme at CPUT, as guided by its ZACube-1 mission five-year development plan, is summarised below:

Phase 1 - Development of technological capability

Phase 2 - Leveraging the capability to derive research benefits

Phase 3 - Development of production capability

Phase 4 - Development of a sustainable vehicle for research through nanosatellite technology

Phase 5 - Managing a constellation of nanosatellites to the benefit of CPUT and South Africa

The focus area has now reached phase 5 of its development.

Key institutional arrangements providing a solid foundation for growth of this focus area are:

• The French–South African Institute of Technology (F’SATI), which emanated from a partnership between the governments of the two countries

• The Africa Space Innovation Centre (ASIC) hosted by F’SATI, which serves as an innovation hub to take research to the marketplace through its international industry partnerships

• The South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) Chair in Innovative Small Satellite Technology and Applications for Africa, which embodies the approach set out in this focus area

• Amaya Space, a spin-off company designed to commercialise the intellectual property developed in the CPUT satellite programme, primarily within ASIC

The focus area comprises the following research niche areas and staff:

Space Segment

Prof Robert van Zyl, Prof Robert Lehmensiek, Mr Francois Visser, Mr Clive Whaits, Mr Charl Jooste, Mr Nyameko Royi and Mr Leon Steenkamp

Space Applications

Prof Robert van Zyl, Mr Siddique Motala and Mr Kevin Msungu

ICT for Space

Dr Laban Mwansa, Prof Elmarie Biermann, Dr Angus Brandt and Dr Vipin Balyan

Industrialisation of Space

Prof Stephen Bosman, Prof Mellet Moll, Prof Graham Oliver and Ms Patricia Khwambala

Space Science

Dr Kessie Govender, Mr Rory Pentz and Prof Pierre Cilliers

CPUT prepares to launch third satellite mission

CPUT plans to launch the first South African constellation of three satellites for maritime domain awareness (MDA) towards the end of this year/beginning of next year. The mission, named MDASat-1 is CPUT’s third satellite mission, following the successful development, launch and operation of ZACube-1 (TshepisoSat) and ZACube-2. The head of ASIC and the CPUT node of F’SATI, Prof Robert van Zyl, said the MDASat-1 will use Automatic Identification System (AIS) data to monitor ship movements within South Africa’s Exclusive Economic Zone. AIS is a radio system used for the tracking of maritime traffic, primarily for collision avoidance. The location messages received by the satellites from ships in the ocean beneath is downloaded daily from the satellite when it passes over the ground station at CPUT.

The three flight models (FMs) of the MDASat-1 constellation recently reached the flight acceptance review (FAR) milestone. “The primary objective of the FAR is to confirm that the verification processes used during this mission demonstrate that the satellites are free of workmanship errors and are subsequently ready for operational use in space,” Prof van Zyl remarked. The FAR was attended by various stakeholders in the local space industry.

To achieve this milestone, the MDASat-1 constellation had to go through various assembly, integration and testing phases. Firstly, the satellites had to be assembled by the mission engineers in CPUT’s cleanroom facility. A cleanroom is a room that has a controlled level of pollutants, such as dust, and it is used to integrate the satellite’s sensitive subsystems. After all the satellite subsystems were integrated, functional tests were performed to verify that the satellites were working as designed. “The satellites also went through an environmental testing campaign to prove to the launch providers that the satellites will survive the mechanical shocks during the launch campaign,” Prof van Zyl explained. “For example, the MDASat-1 constellation underwent mechanical vibration testing to demonstrate that the satellites can withstand the vibration environment encountered during launch.”

Thermal cycling of the MDASat-1 constellation was performed in the thermal chamber at CPUT. Thermal cycling tests are performed to verify that the satellites can operate within their designed temperature range. Prof van Zyl stated that the MDASat-1 constellation also underwent a bakeout test. “The purpose of bakeout is to reduce to an acceptable level the outgassing rates of flight equipment associated with instrumentation that is sensitive to molecular contamination and the verification that this level has been achieved.”

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MDASat-1a, MDASat-1b and MDASat-1c in the CPUT cleanroom after integration

Hard work pays off for Thuthuka grant recipient

Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering lecturer Mr Rory Pentz was delighted to receive a Thuthuka grant for 2021. The aspiring academic in the field of quantum communication and technologies said, “It was [initially] difficult to find funding for my research project… [but now] with this grant, I can buy most of the equipment required to construct an experiment to study quantum key distribution systems.”

These types of systems will be used in the future to distribute encryption keys to protect valuable information over communication channels like computer networks. With the increasing transfer of data across the internet, Mr Pentz said the need for data security is becoming more important.

Classically, data is encrypted using one-way mathematical functions that depend on the difficulty level to safeguard information. “With the increasing computing power and the development of quantum computers, these one-way mathematical functions will be solved very fast. Current encryption techniques will not be able to protect information and therefore it is important to develop new methods to protect the information,” said the PhD candidate.

He added that the secondary function of this experiment is to develop the bases for other students doing similar research in this field and that this would be done in a lab dedicated to research in quantum communication. “This will be the second lab focusing on investigating and developing expertise in quantum-based technologies in the Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering at CPUT.”

Reflecting on the grant, Mr Pentz said, “As a lecturer developing students, it gives me great pleasure… Technology is constantly changing, and being able to research cutting edge technology makes it possible to keep on improving myself. This will also allow me to complete my studies and support my aspirations to become a researcher.”

INSTITUTE FRENCH–SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (F’SATI) | Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

RESEARCH

PROF ROBERT VAN ZYL

vanzylr@cput.ac.za

Since its establishment in 2009, the F’SATI Postgraduate Programme in Satellite Systems Engineering at CPUT has received over a decade of sustained funding from the Department of Science & Innovation (DSI) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) for the development of human capacity and skills required by the South African space industry.

F’SATI hosts the CPUT Research Focus Area: Space Science & Technology, with a programme aimed primarily at postgraduate research and training. It offers international master’s and doctoral dual qualifications in partnership with institutions in France. The CubeSat nanosatellite platform facilitates practical training, which typically spans four phases: Theory, Research, Development and Innovation. The last two phases take place within ASIC, where engineers are employed in a professional environment.

The combined vision of F’SATI and ASIC is to be a world-class African innovation and support hub with end-to-end capability in the design and manufacture of nanosatellites and their components, space operations and ground-based support. The institutes also undertake data acquisition and handling for the provision of cost-effective satellite-based solutions tailored to the continent’s specific socio-economic needs.

Among the relevant applications are space weather research, marine vessel tracking, wildfire detection and monitoring, and communications and technology validation.

Mr Rory Pentz of FEBE

CPUT getting ready for MDA satellite mission launch

CPUT is getting ready to launch the first South African mini-constellation of three satellites for Maritime Domain Awareness (MDASat-1) towards the end of 2021/beginning of 2022. This mission, named MDASat-1, uses Automatic Identification System (AIS) data to monitor the waters off South Africa’s coast for shipping movements within our Exclusive Economic Zone. AIS is a radio system used for the tracking of maritime traffic, primarily for collision avoidance. The location messages received by the satellites from ships on the ocean beneath it is downloaded from the satellite when it passes over the ground station at CPUT.

The data gathered by the mission will be used by the government to contribute to the effective management of South African territorial waters. An important development is that the country will now possess the home-grown capability and know-how to acquire this vital information, and no longer be solely dependent on foreign companies for this. A team of 12 engineering graduates from F’SATI at CPUT is making excellent progress on this project.

CPUT has already produced two satellites that were launched successfully in 2013 and 2018, ZACube-1 and ZACube-2. The data from MDASat-1 will augment that already received by ZACube-2. The university has identified Space Science, Engineering & Technology as one of its strategic research focus areas. Prof Robert van Zyl is the leader of ASIC and the local node of F’SATI. The centre’s emphasis is on postgraduate research and innovation relating specifically to nanosatellite technology and innovation that produces commercially viable nanosatellite communications subsystems to be marketed to the international CubeSat community.

CPUT’s next mission, the most advanced to date, will see three nanosatellites placed in orbit for the purpose of MDA, in line with the endeavours of the South African government’s Operation Phakisa. Prof van Zyl said, “MDASat-1 (which will be the country’s first mini-constellation) is a major achievement and milestone for CPUT, South Africa, and the continent as a whole, not only providing strategically significant vessel tracking data to the government but also developing skills and advanced technologies. I am very proud of the CPUT students and staff who work hard to grow the South African space industry for the good of its people. We express our appreciation to the DSI which has funded this wonderful programme since its inception in 2008.”

CPUT, with continued financial support from the DSI and its agencies SANSA and TIA, has been successful in producing state-of-the-art satellite missions. “With the additional support from the NRF, we have also produced more than 65 master’s and doctoral graduates over the course of a decade,” Prof van Zyl remarked.

EQM of MDASat-1 being tested

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RESEARCH CENTRE

AFRICA SPACE INNOVATION CENTRE (ASIC)

| Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

ASIC was established as a formal RTI research centre within CPUT in 2013. It has since evolved into a vibrant innovation hub, where its graduates and engineers develop cutting edge nanosatellite technologies in high-tech facilities. These technologies help to support space-based applications such as space weather research, marine vessel tracking, wildfire detection and monitoring, communications and technology validation.

Over the past few years, the ASIC team of engineers has developed a suite of communications products with proven space heritage on a growing number of missions. These products span VHF, UHF, S- and X-band for telemetry and payload data communications.

PROF ROBERT VAN ZYL vanzylr@cput.ac.za

ASIC is also responsible for the full lifecycle development of nanosatellite missions. This year, work continued on the design and manufacture of three MDASat nanosatellites that will be the next step in the South African government’s Operation Phakisa and its oceans economy and biodiversity initiatives. This project is a precursor to a larger constellation of similar satellites.

All intellectual property developed in ASIC is licenced to an industry partner, and the products are sold internationally through Clyde Space AAC of Scotland.

The ASIC engineering team members are Prof Robert van Zyl, Mr Francois Visser, Mr Nyameko Royi, Mr Charl Jooste, Mr Leon Steenkamp, Mr Stephen Cupido, Mr Donovan Cogan, Mr Etnard Louw, Mr Morné Roman, Mr Kanyisa Mtshemla, Ms Lilie Leopold, Mr Sinamandla Maqina and Mr Shane Martin. Mr Ian van Zyl provides operational support to the centre.

Playing a leading role in growing space science and technology

During March, the ASIC team completed the integration of the three flight model (FM) satellites for the MDASat-1’s upcoming mission. ASIC chief engineer at F’SATI, Mr Francois Visser, said MDASat-1 consists of three satellites that will be launched simultaneously into space. “This will relay location beacons and other short messages via radio waves from ships on the ocean below the satellite to CPUT’s ground station at its Bellville Campus.” The project has received almost R20 million in funding from the DSI.

The DSI announced that a further investment of almost R19 million is being made for the development of two additional nanosatellites (M2MSat-1) towards increased maritime domain awareness (MDA). Head of ASIC and the local node of F’SATI at CPUT, Prof Robert van Zyl, said the M2MSat-1 will build on the technology of MDASat-1. The DSI stated that the funding would be channelled through the TIA, and that CPUT is an institution that is playing a leading role in growing space science and technology in South Africa. The university has developed cutting-edge nanosatellites and CubeSats over the years, demonstrating advanced technological capabilities in the country’s space industry.

“The team put in extra time to complete this momentous milestone a few days before the DSI’s end-of-March deadline. The occasion was significant as it marks the first time in South

Three flight models of the MDASat-1 mission in the CPUT clean room

Africa that three satellites are built at the same time,” he said. The next step in the project was the functional testing of the three satellites, including environmental testing that ensured that they survive the rocket launch and harsh space environments. CPUT plans to launch the first South African mini-constellation of three satellites for MDA (MDASat-1) at the end of 2021.

The department stated that South Africa needed a more strategic and coordinated approach to ensure optimal surveillance of the waters off its coast, including shipping movements within the country’s exclusive economic zone. This will promote improved MDA and enhanced maritime security. It is the first such initiative for the country to provide communication services to the maritime industry. The two maritime industry nanosatellites will be powered by M2MSat technology, in the form of cutting-edge VHD Data Exchange System (VDES) software-defined radios for machine-to-machine (M2M) communication.

RESEARCH CENTRE

CENTRE FOR INSTRUMENTATION RESEARCH (CIR)

| Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

The Centre for Instrumentation Research has a long-standing history within the Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering. It is based in the new Electrical Engineering Research Building on the Bellville Campus.

The research group consists of a number of master’s students, together with staff members Dr Ben Goenewald, Mr Jacques Wheeler and Mr Khaleel Jooste.

The main projects currently undertaken are novel electronics for direct current technology. A 350V direct current house project is in process. Household appliances are moving towards direct current, which makes the conversion from alternating current to direct current unnecessary and wasteful. The CIR has developed a focus group which is conducting research into a DC micro-grid and 350V direct current house model that will hopefully set the trend for the future domestic landscape.

This is a collaborative project involving a number of local and international partners including De Haagse Hogeschool Delft and Technische Universiteit Delft in the Netherlands, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, and industrial experts in the Netherlands.

DR KESSIE GOVENDER govenderk@cput.ac.za

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QUANTUM PHYSICS RESEARCH GROUP | Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

The Quantum Physics Research Group was established within the Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering in 2014. Led by physicist Dr Kessie Govender, the group currently conducts investigations and develops expertise in quantum-based technologies. A quantum optics laboratory has been established for the purpose of cooling atoms and the subsequent development of quantum information processing components.

Current projects include the development of an atomic clock for satellite applications, generation and characterisation of entangled photons for quantum key distribution, and fundamental studies of laser–atom interactions.

laser rental pool grant, and CPUT’s Directorate Research Development and the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment. Additional financial support is also provided by F’SATI.

DR KESSIE GOVENDER

govenderk@cput.ac.za

The group has established collaborations with researchers at the Laser Physics group at Stellenbosch University, the National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA) and the Quantum Physics Research Group at UKZN. The group is funded by an NRF Thuthuka grant, a CSIR-NLC

Currently there are two doctoral students and three master’s students in this research group.

More information on the activities of the group, its members and publications can be found at: http:// www.cput.ac.za/academic/faculties/engineering/ research/quantum_physics

INTRODUCTION BY PROF MOHAMED TARIQ EKERAMODIEN KAHN khant@cput.ac.za

3

FOCUS AREA SMART ENERGY

This focus area’s research vision may be defined as an aspiration to provide innovations in the field of Energy that improve quality of life and create value. This vision relates directly to these UN 2030 high impact Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy; SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities; SDG 13 Climate Action; and thus indirectly as well SDG 3 Good Health and Well-Being.

The concept of ‘Smart Energy’ involves leveraging synergies among innovations across all sectors of the electrical, chemical, thermal and fossil fuel energy systems. It encompasses transdisciplinary collaboration and technologies. This focus area requires all energy-related research in any centre across departments and faculties to collaborate with a vision for excellence. This is crucial to a sustainable energy future.

Focus Area 3: Smart Energy encourages extensive use of the ‘smartness’ that digital innovations enable across areas such as energy production, transportation, efficient use and transfer of energy, and the general power system improvement to meet the UN’s SDGs. Providing cost-effective integration of smart energy systems at scale requires balancing present needs, existing fossil fuel resource optimisation and renewable energy deployment in line with future needs.

Difficult trade-offs exist between quick wins and long-term strategies, which is a challenge in the energy sector. The innovative exploratory research areas mapped by the research under this focus area will achieve solutions tailored to South Africa’s National Development Plan and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

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The following research niche areas are among those broadly encouraged in this focus area:

E-mobility and transportation

Increased efficiency in fossil fuel-based transportation, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and extended range electric vehicles are key players in transportation. This research area is relevant to SDGs 3, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17.

Energy production, use and access

Sustainable, renewable and alternative energy sources – including cleaner fossil fuel generation, oceans’ energy and waste management approaches – are being investigated across the disciplines of electrical, chemical and mechanical engineering, as well as through interfaculty collaborations.

The key elements in improving energy efficiency would be in reducing the 67% rejected energy on the user side, as well as optimising the demand-side use of energy. This is achievable with power electronic systems and improvements in advanced metering and sensor/communication technology applied across the sector. This research area is relevant to SDGs 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 16.

Energy efficient agriculture and human settlement

Water is essential for agriculture and human settlement. Researchers are looking at developing improved methods of renewable energy-based desalination, pumping and energy efficient water purification. The mechanised agriculture sector, including aquaponics, depends on effective use of energy in the forms of strategic solar and wind farm placement, smart sensor deployment and electromechanical interface development.

In addition, the expansion of smart sensor technology helps to monitor operations, crops, and livestock with IoT and ambient intelligence, which can also branch out to include green buildings and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) climate control in buildings and warehouses. This research area is relevant to SDGs 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 15, 16 and 17.

Power system improvements, smart grids and microgrids

Energy management systems (EMS) were introduced to combine both the power system hardware and the intelligent software systems that monitor, control and plan for the operation of power systems. EMS is a concept used to identify the systems that forecast, monitor, measure and control energy generation and energy consumption for a reliable and stable operation of modern smart electrical grids.

Development of techniques for assessing customer accountability for harmonic distortion across a ring main network, maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for PV Systems under different meteorological conditions, stability assessment of interconnected IPP renewables to the utility grid, and improvements in microgrids and smart grids are investigated in this research area.

Real-time distributed systems, advanced digital technologies, energy modelling – including big data in load forecasting – and blockchain techniques in electricity from generation to load utilisation are explored. This research area is relevant to SDGs 1, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 17.

During 2021, fifteen researchers and four postdoctoral fellows continued participation in ongoing research projects linked to niche areas in this focus area. Research supervisors in the well-established MEng Energy programme experienced a steady uptake in students. Despite the uncertainties arising as a result of the pandemic, research projects and publications from the various research centres with an energy focus remained on par and even grew considerably. These are reported on in the sections that follow.

RESEARCH INSTITUTE

ENERGY INSTITUTE | Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

The focus area leader for Smart Energy, Prof Mohamed Tariq Kahn, is the Director of the Energy Institute and CPUT’s Research Chair: Energy. Dr Atanda Raji began serving as Deputy Director of the institute in November 2021.

The Energy Institute links various researchers in these research centres:

• Centre for Distributed Power & Electronic Systems (CDPES)

• Centre for Research in Power Systems (CRPS)

• French–South African Schneider Electric Education Centre (FSASEC)

The Energy Institute bases its research on the 2030 SDGs adopted by CPUT and on the institution’s RTI Blueprint. Focus Area: Energy is promoted within the Energy Institute via various niche areas.

Megatrends like urbanisation, globalisation and digitalisation are stimulating change in our world, and the energy sector must be driven toward a more sustainable future. A key aim of the Energy Institute’s research is to enhance the prosperity and quality of life for all people by championing the cause of energy access.

MOHAMED TARIQ KAHN

khant@cput.ac.za

Through its research, the institute strives to enhance the energy value chain, from power generation and distribution, energy usage in buildings, industry and mobility, to products, solutions and the services sector. The institute’s energy research has high and medium impact on numerous SDGs, including ones most affected by the pandemic, namely SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being, SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, and SDG 13: Climate Action.

The Energy Institute’s aim is to foster collaboration among energy researchers and groups by building a network of expertise to shape the future course of energy development in southern Africa. A focus on interdisciplinary world-class research and advancing novel research in energy is at the heart of the institute.

rajia@cput.ac.za

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

PROF

DR ATANDA RAJI

The institute’s objectives are to promote technologies for efficiency and sustainability and integrate these into smart city applications in South Africa; to support the introduction of sustainable energy solutions and energy access into urban and rural areas; and to create awareness and be at the forefront of new techniques, processes and developments in energy technology.

The year 2021 was indeed an extraordinary year for research, and for all of us as people. Despite the pandemic, the following outputs can be positively reported.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2021

Prof Seun Oyakola 7 5

Dr Marco Adonis 4 1 5 2

Prof Khaled Aboalez 1 4 7 1

Dr Atanda Raji 4 1 14 4

Dr Ali AlMaktoof 5

Prof Mohamed Tariq Kahn7 2 10 9 2

Dr Balyan Vipin 10 3 3

Dr Efe Orumwense 2 2

Dr Fareed Ismail 1

Dr Ouasini Nemrauoi 1

Dr Eric Simpeh 3 1 2

LABORATORY LAUNCHES AND UPDATES FOR 2021

The French–South African Schneider Electric Education Centre (FSASEC) Laboratory was upgraded and a new lab extension space was added. An initiative to have a new FSASEC agreement with Schneider was launched towards the end of the year and should be completed next year.

During 2021, the Laboratory for E-Mobility and Battery Testing (LeBaT) continued work with senior graduate students, amidst strict protocols due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The laboratory is proud to house the unique NEP-funded Chroma Battery Test and Simulation System. Increased interest in the laboratory was shown by battery manufacturers.

The Laboratory for Advances in Converter and Inverter Design (LACID) continued with development work during 2021. Dr Akim Moussavou continued as postdoctoral fellow overseeing the laboratory’s work.

Under principal researcher Prof Kahn, the Energy Institute, in conjunction with CDPES, undertook an Africa-Japan Collaborative Research (AJ-CORE) research initiative, titled ‘Development of a transactive energy solution for a smart stand-alone system in rural areas

Researcher Master’s supervision completed Doctorate supervision completed Journal articles Conference proceedings Book chapters

and isolated communities’. This was done in conjunction with a collaboration with Dr Clement Nyerenda of UWC and Prof Kazushi Okamoto of Japan. A doctoral student, under the joint supervision of Prof Kahn and Dr Nyerenda, has registered for a project in line with this.

Dr Ali Almaktoof and research students incorporated a second annual digital event of the Institution for Engineering and Technology (IET) Student Conference at CPUT in July.

The Master in Energy degree, the biggest postgraduate degree programme at CPUT, continued to attract positive enrolments during 2021. This MEng Energy degree is unique in that it attracts students from interdisciplinary research sectors, and students that graduate can be registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa upon application. Funding for bursaries was obtained via Hysa and LT to the value of R1 million and R3.2 million respectively.

Some staff of the Energy Institute were involved in the operations and review committees of a number of digital event conferences during 2021.

Home-grown solutions for Africa’s energy problem

Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering master’s student Mr Ridaa Manuel was selected as one of 12 finalists in the national finals of the 2021 Young Talent Challenge. The Young Talent Challenge is a competition for postgraduate students enrolled at universities in Africa. Four students are selected to represent their university to complete a series of challenges that gives them an opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the Enlit Africa digital conference and exhibition. This is an opportunity to positively disrupt the industry with innovative and new ways of thinking.

The competition gave his start-up business, Green New World, some good exposure. “My vision is to build a low-cost integrated system that accesses as many renewable energy sources as possible,” he said. As Green New World develops this system, each part of it can be sold as products to the general public. This will fund the building of more of these systems in Africa. “It is, therefore, run both as a full-on business and a vehicle to serve the people of Africa. Any investors who wish to be a part of this journey and vision may contact me. In the meantime, we work with whatever resources we have to move the cause forward,” he added.

Mr Manuel’s research aligns completely with his purpose in designing an off-grid renewable energy system to solve the energy access problem in Africa. “Once we discover our purpose, everything including our studies must be in line with it and must serve that higher purpose,” he continued. “[In the finals] most contestants spoke about the use of very high tech renewable energy technology and expensive plans. spoke of solving the energy issue using renewable energy technology that is built using low-cost materials, powered by resources that are freely found all over Africa, and are built by the people of Africa – a low-cost, home-grown solution.”

Department of Electrical Electronic & Computer Engineering senior lecturer and researcher Dr Atanda Raji described Mr Manuel as a very hard-working, passionate individual and a creative thinker. “He already had a vision for the future, and this competition was a platform for him to express that vision… I am indeed delighted and proud that one of my postgraduate students has been honoured in this way. It is good to know that his hard work has been recognised and acknowledged.” Dr Raji said Mr Manuel has always portrayed dedication and passion in his research endeavours. “My research team, the Centre for Distributed Power & Electronic Systems, is indeed proud of the achievement of one of our own students who has received such worthy recognition.”

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

Mr Ridaa Manuel envisions local development of low-cost technologies allowing Africa’s people to access nature’s renewable free energy

RESEARCH CENTRE

CENTRE FOR DISTRIBUTED POWER & ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS (CDPES)

| Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

Through its research, CDPES aims to:

• Develop power conversions for renewable energy sources and investigate the interconnectivity of distributed resources with microgrids and electric power systems

• Apply such technology in multidisciplinary applications in the energy sector, especially commercial and industrial

• Investigate and apply optical fibre and wireless communication techniques over large-scale power systems for telemetry and control of microgrids, both AC and DC, and deploy into smart grids

• Improve control schemes for power converters and drives

• Develop instrumentation for complex alter natives such as the wind, solar and nuclear energy sectors, including environmental protection and sustainable development

CDPES TEAM MEMBERS

Prof Tariq Kahn (head), Dr Marco Adonis (deputy head), Dr Atanda Raji, Mr Deon Kallis, Mr Achmat Fish, Dr Akunle Ayeleso, Dr Balyan Vippen, Dr Effe Orumwense, Dr Martial Giraneza, Dr Aminu Mousavo and Dr Ali Almaktoof. During 2021, Mr Christopher Wills provided technical support.

DR MARCO ADONIS adonism@cput.ac.za

khant@cput.ac.za

RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

During 2021, CDPES members published numerous peer-reviewed national and international conference papers. A total of 53 journal papers and 37 conference papers were produced. Just a few are listed below for the sake of brevity:

PROF MOHAMED TARIQ KAHN

• ‘Simplified thermoelectric generator (TEG) with heatsinks modelling and simulation using Matlab and Simulink based-on dimensional analysis’, in AIMS Energy

• ‘Maintenance and disposal of the solar panels’, in Proceedings of the 2021 International Conference on Electrical, Computer and Energy Technologies (ICECET)

• ‘Design of IIoT device to parse data directly to Scada systems using Lora physical layer’, in International Journal on Smart Sensing and Intelligent Systems

• ‘Review of Blockchain Technology: Enhancing the services of distributed energy systems’, in Academia Letters

• ‘Statically-sun-tracking PV configurations: Theory, models and applications’, in International Journal of Applied Engineering Research

• ‘Development of a dual device for solar water purification and energy conversion’, in International Journal of General Engineering and Technology (IJGET)

• ‘Smart use of lithium-ion-based static UPS system: Impact of storage capacity and utility tariff on the total cost of ownership’, in IEEE Open Journal of Industry Applications

• ‘A proposed power transformers failure assessment method for resolving harmonic distortion problem’, in Proceedings of the 2021 IEEE PES/IAS PowerAfrica

• Prof Kahn and Dr Almaktoof were editors of Proceedings of the 2nd Energy and Human Habitat Conference

• ‘Lead-acid versus lithium-ion battery energy storage system: Usable energy density and storage capacity analysis’ in AIUE Proceedings of the 2nd Energy and Human Habitat Conference

• ‘Simplified thermoelectric cooler (TEC) with heatsinks modelling and simulation using Matlab and Simulink based-on dimensional analysis’, in AIUE Proceedings of the 2nd Energy and Human Habitat Conference

• ‘Proposing LEAN in the development of Smart Energy Vision 2030 compliant education’, in International Journal of Advanced Research in Electrical, Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering

• ‘Design of 3-phase static modular double-conversion lithium-ion-based UPS system’, in Journal of Energy and Power

• ‘Investigating the value of energy storage systems on a utility distribution network’, in Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Sustainable Technologies for Computational Intelligence (ICTSCI-2021)

• ‘Power converters and EMS for fuel cells CCHP applications: A structural and extended review’, in Advances in Science, Technology and Engineering Systems Journal

• ‘LIB-based static vs LAB-based rotary UPS: Total cost of ownership’, in Proceedings of the ISASE 2021 Conference

• ‘Implementing the P&O algorithm for a stand-alone small wind turbine system’, in Proceedings of the ISASE 2021 Conference

• ‘Hardware simulator for microgrid systems’, in Proceedings of the ISASE 2021 Conference

• ‘Electrical energy systems and electric transportation’, in Proceedings of the ISASE 2021 Conference

• ‘Harmonic source detection for an industrial mining network with hybrid wind and solar energy systems’, in the book Control and Operation of Grid-Connected Wind Energy Systems

• Team members published chapters in the following Springer books:

- Advanced Technologies for Solar Photovoltaics Energy Systems, Green Energy and Technology (editors: S Motahhir and AM Eltamaly)

- ‘Development of a down-converter for a software-defined radio environment’, in Micro-Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

MASTER’S AND DOCTORAL SUPERVISION

• Prof Kahn: 26 MEng and 8 DEng

• Dr Aboalez: 2 MEng (1 co-supervised) (under CDPES)

• Dr Adonis: 26 MEng and 2 DEng students

• Dr Raji: 25 MEng and 6 DEng

• Dr Vipin: 6 MEng and 2 DEng (1 co-supervised)

• Dr Almaktoof: 8 MEng and 1 DEng (co-supervised)

The total of graduate students with active theses in CDPES during 2021 were 93 in MEng and 20 in DEng programmes.

POSTGRADUATE GRADUATION

A total of 4 DEng and 23 MEng students graduated from CDPES during 2021.

ADVISORY BOARD AND REVIEWER BOARD MEMBERSHIP

CDPES members participated on the following boards/committees of the Energy and Human Habitat Conference in July, which was held as Digital Event in conjunction with Enlit Africa:

• Dr Adonis was a member of the Advisory Board

• Dr Raji was a member of the Advisory Board

• Dr Almaktoof sat on the Advisory Board and the Reviewer Board

• Prof Kahn was part of the Operations Committee and was a co-editor of the proceedings

CPUT-IET ON CAMPUS

CPUT’s Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) On Campus was created in 2019, but officially launched as a student community in 2020. It is the first such establishment in South Africa. Dr Almaktoof represents CDPES, and he and Prof Kahn are full members of IET and hosted the IET on Campus 2021 Student Conference, which was held as a virtual event.

WORKSHOPS, STAFF DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING

Ongoing Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) Specialist Certification developed by Typhoon HIL took place during July, and included the following modules:

• HIL for Power Electronics

• HIL for Microgrids

• Communication Protocols

• Typhoon HIL Control Center

• Modelling Fundamentals

Dr Almaktoof received the 2021 Teaching Excellence Award. Dr Raji and Dr Adonis continued their work in research in the field of engineering education. They both participated in the curriculation of the new Bachelor of Engineering Technology (BET) honours qualification. Dr Adonis became HOD of the Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering this year.

CENTRE FOR RESEARCH IN POWER SYSTEMS (CRPS) | Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

CRPS team members are Prof Tariq Kahn (head), Prof Khaled Aboalez (deputy head) and Mr Christopher Wills (technical support).

The research centre’s aims are to:

• Develop integrated HVAC/HVDC networks within power systems

• Study and improve power quality problems, efficiency and energy saving techniques

• Expand grid studies in line with moder n protection and control systems and the implementation of 4th Industrial Revolution-ready systems

• Evaluation, application and comparison of moder n industrial grade frequency and time–domain software packages

• Grid frequency support with a high penetration level of wind energy generation systems

• Advanced protection systems for smart grids

• Energy management systems for hybrid energy systems for different applications

• Modelling and advanced control strategies for grid connection and islanded operation

• Demand-side management impacts on distribution networks

• Model predictive control in power systems

• Power systems and energy engineering education research

MOHAMED TARIQ KAHN

• ‘A charging technique for sensor nodes in wireless rechargeable sensor networks for cyber-physical systems’, in Proceedings of the IEEE 2021 International Conference on Electrical, Computer and Energy Technologies (ICECET)

• ‘Maintenance and disposal of the solar panels’, in Proceedings of IEEE 2021 International Conference on Electrical, Computer and Energy Technologies (ICECET)

• ‘Sensor node selection technique in wireless rechargeable sensor networks for cyber-physical systems’, in Proceedings of IEEE 2021 4th International Symposium on Advanced Electrical and Communication Technologies (ISAECT)

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

PROF

DR KHALED ABOALEZ

• ‘Mitigation techniques for noncompliance challenges of a gridconnected photovoltaic plant’, in Proceedings of IEEE 2021 4th International Symposium on Advanced Electrical and Communication Technologies (ISAECT)

• ‘A proposed power transformers failure assessment method for resolving harmonic distortion problem’, in Proceedings of 2021 IEEE PES/IAS PowerAfrica

• ‘Modelling and performance analysis of grid connected PMSG based tidal generation system’, in AIUE Proceedings of the 2nd Energy and Human Habitat Conference

• ‘Energy efficiency policy and standards’, in AIUE Proceedings of the 2nd Energy and Human Habitat Conference

• ‘Irradiance impact on the PV power output’, in Proceedings of the International Symposium on Applied Sciences and Engineering (SASE)

PEER-REVIEWED

JOURNAL PAPERS

• ‘Energy growth and sustainability through smart grid approach: A case study of the Nigeria electric grid’, in International Review of Electrical Engineering (IREE)

• ‘Energy management in a cloudbased cyber-physical system’, in IET Cyber-Physical Systems: Theory & Applications

PEER-REVIEWED BOOK CHAPTERS

• Dr Marco Adonis, Dr Atanda Raji, and Prof Khaled AboAl-Ez authored ‘Introduction to the application of social justice theories in energy engineering education for sociotechnical design’, in Knowledge Beyond Colour Lines: Towards Repurposing Knowledge Generation in South African Higher Education (UWC Press)

• Dr Rosalia Sinvula, Prof Khaled Abo-Al-Ez and Prof Mohamed Kahn authored ‘Harmonic source detection for an industrial mining network with hybrid wind and solar energy systems’, in Control and Operation of GridConnected Wind Energy Systems (Springer, Cham)

MASTER’S AND DOCTORAL GRADUATION IN 2021

• Dr Rosalia Sinvula, DEng ‘Development of techniques for assessing customer accountability for harmonic distortion across a ring main network’

Supervisor: Prof Kahn, co-supervisor: Prof Aboalez

• Mr Olivier Cyubahiro, MEng Energy ‘Building integrated solar PV-wind and battery hybrid system’

Supervisor: Prof Aboalez, co-supervisor: Prof Kahn

• Mr Thomas Makosso, MEng Energy ‘Design of harmonic filters to improve the operation of a PV system’

Supervisor: Prof Aboalez, co-supervisor: Dr Almaktoof

• Mr Moteane Melmau, MEng Energy ‘Modelling and control of hybrid photovoltaic and microhydro system’

Supervisor: Prof Aboalez

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

Prof Aboalez mentored two postdoctoral fellows:

• Dr Efe Orumwense, with project focus: Cyber-physical energy systems

• Dr Martial Giraneza, with project focus: Energy trading in future smart grids

MASTER’S AND DOCTORAL SUPERVISION IN 2021

• Prof Kahn supervised 5 master’s students and 1 doctoral student

• Prof Aboalez supervised 13 master’s students and 2 doctoral students

RESEARCH FUNDING

Prof Aboalez secured Eskom TESP funding of R60 000. The fund is intended for capacity development. The project focus is ‘Distributed generation system real-time modelling and simulation for reliable and stable operation in smart grids’.

INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL RESEARCH COLLABORATION

Research collaboration took place with researchers from:

• University of Benin, Nigeria

• University of the Western Cape (UWC)

• University of Cape Town (UCT)

• CPUT’s Centre for Distributed Power & Electronics

RESEARCH CENTRE

CENTRE FOR REAL-TIME DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS (CRTDS) | Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

The CRTDS team members are Dr Mkhululi Mnguni (leader), Dr Carl Kriger (deputy leader), Dr Senthil Krishnamurthy, Mrs Nomzano Tshemese, Mr Mukhove Ratshitanga, Mr Haltor Mataifa and Dr Yohan Mfoumboulou.

The centre strives to make a theoretical and application-based contribution to advances in real-time distributed systems. It works on the development of novel models, design methods, software, hardware and their integrated application for real-time monitoring and control. It also aims at insightful and focused determination of proper areas of application and research through appraisal and reappraisal of emerging control technologies. The core activities are:

• Design and implementation of nonlinear controllers

• Design and implementation of adaptive controllers

• Distributed control based on the IEC61499 standard for function block programming

• Design and implementation of networked control systems

• Optimisation of complex interconnected systems and development of algorithms for parallel computation

DR MKHULULI MNGUNI

mngunim@cput.ac.za

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2021

Achievements in 2021 in research, development and applications of the IEC 61499 standard and technology to various industrial processes include:

1. Novel theoretical methods, software and real-time implementation of these methods using PLCs and the RTDS simulator were developed and tested:

• A multivariable controller of an industrial debutaniser distillation process together with its mathematical and simulation models was developed and validated using a data acquisition system with a Beckhoff PLC by MEng student Mr Andisiwe Mbadamana, with supervisor Dr Kriger and co-supervisor Dr Mfoumboulou. This student completed his studies this year and will graduate next year summa cum laude.

DR CARL KRIGER

krigerc@cput.ac.za

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

• A method for the design of an optimal nonlinear controller based on Lyapunov’s theory for the control of interconnected power system and its real-time implementation using an RTAC controller, PMUs and the Real-Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) was developed by MEng student Mr Tswa-wen Banga-Banga, with supervisor Dr Kriger and co-supervisor Dr Mfoumboulou. This student completed his studies this year and will graduate next year summa cum laude

2. The Erasmus+ Mobility for staff and student exchange collaboration agreement with the Department of Automation and Control at Yildiz Technical University in Istanbul is ongoing. However, due to the restrictions on travel, no staff or student exchange took place during 2021.

3. Funding secured ESKOM TESP programme R120 000 (awarded) Note: Due to the pandemic, all funding from Eskom although awarded, has not yet been received

4. Outputs

Members from the centre published two journal articles this year.

- Dr Yohan Darcy Mfoumboulou authored ‘Design of a model reference adaptive PID control algorithm for a tank system’, in International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering

- Mrs Nomzamo Tshemese-Mvandaba, Prof Raynitchka Tzoneva and Dr Mkhululi Mnguni authored ‘Decentralised PI controller design based on dynamic interaction decoupling in the closed-loop behaviour of a flotation process’, in International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering

RESEARCH CENTRE CENTRE FOR SUBSTATION AUTOMATION & ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (CSAEMS)

| Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

CSAEMS team members are Dr Carl Kriger (leader), Dr Senthil Krishnamurthy (deputy leader), Dr Mkhululi Mnguni and Mr Mukhove Ratshitanga.

DR CARL KRIGER krigerc@cput.ac.za

The CSAEMS aims to address the need in South Africa for research infrastructure development that supports human capital development as well as research and innovation in the field of the metering, monitoring, protection, automation and control of smart power systems, with a focus on current and emerging standards in this domain. The centre has attracted investments from numerous industrial partners and donations from some of the vendors of equipment due to its visionary approach.

The main activities that contribute to the theory and practice of substation automation, energy management systems and smart grids include:

• Continuation of the MEng Electrical Engineering Smart Grid qualification under the Erasmus+ K2 DAMOC project

• Training, development and knowledge transfer through equipmentorientated courses, which are aimed at both industry engineers and postgraduate students at other collaborating universities

• Interpretation, modelling and implementation of the IEC61850 standard functions at all levels for the control, protection and automation of smart grids

• Development of innovative protection schemes for different applications

• Integration of the distributed energy resources (DERs) to the power grid

DR SENTHIL KRISHNAMURTHY

krishnamurthys@cput.ac.za

• Development of test-bench facilities for the testing of ideas, project solutions and new developments in the field of power systems

• Real-time simulation and provision of innovative solutions to the energy management problem in the conditions of smart grids

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2021

Achievements of the CSAEMS during 2021 include:

1. Novel, innovative theoretical applications and methods, algorithms and practical implementation with embedded system development, computers, intelligent electronic devices (IEDs), data networking switches, real-time automation controllers, programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and a realtime digital simulator (RTDS) were designed, built, tested and validated by postgraduate students. A number of these solutions were tested and validated in real-time using the hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test bed capability offered by the RTDS. The results showcase excellent performance compared to conventional solutions. The outputs are listed below:

• A power quality device compliant with the IEC 61850 standard was developed and implemented on an embedded system platform by MEng student Mr Mayamiko Hara, with supervisor Dr Kriger. This is the first student to successfully complete the new MEng Electrical Engineering Smart Grid course-based programme, and he received a distinction for his research project. Mr Hara graduated at the virtual ceremony in May.

• Mr Hara, the first graduate of the MEng Smart Grid programme, has been employed at the United Kingdom-based UK Power Networks, within their Innovation Programme. He started there in December 2021. The projects he will be working on mainly focus on deploying smart grid technologies and innovative solutions to solve current and future problems in the energy industry related to the deployment of distributed energy resources, system monitoring and control, and advances in substation automation systems. This speaks to the value of this master’s programme at CPUT.

• An IEC 61850-based embedded system device has been developed for applications within the process instrumentation and control fields by Mr Roderick Domingo. Mr Domingo has developed novel condition monitoring logical nodes which was validated on a Linux-based BeagleBone development board. Mr Domingo will be graduating next year summa cum laude.

• Method for IEC 61850 standard-based integrated protection and power quality control of a traction network was developed by MEng student Mr Simon Kwenda, with supervisor Dr Krishnamurthy. This student will complete his studies next year.

• IEC 61850 standard-based recloser control schemes for a distribution system was developed by Mr Sikho Ntshiba, with supervisor Dr Krishnamurthy. This student completed his studies this year and will graduate next year.

• New schemes for IEC 61850 standard-based protection of the coupling point of a wind farm to the power grid were developed by MEng student Mr Sinawo Nomandela, with supervisor Mr Ratshitanga. Mr Nomandela graduated in December.

• The role of distributed energy resources in smart grid stability was developed by MEng student Mr Mkuthazi Mditshwa, with supervisor Dr Mnguni. This student graduated in December.

• A meeting with co-ordinators from the Eskom Power Plant Engineering Institute (EPPEI) programme took place, where the new rules, procedures and processes were outlined for funding. Dr Kriger presented the work done by the CSAEMS staff in the renewable energy sector.

2. Erasmus+

K2 Capacity building and Erasmus+ K1 Credit mobility international projects:

• The requirement of the Erasmus+ Capacity building project for development of a new MEng in Electrical Engineering in Smart Grid qualification was registered at CPUT in March 2019, and classes continued this year, with five new part-time students registering. The small group could be attributed to the ongoing global pandemic. The prospective number of applicants for next year seems to have increased significantly.

• The final DAMOC project meeting took place at Stellenbosch University in June. Due to the ongoing travel restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the meeting took place online and also at the campus venue.

• An important event during the final meeting was the Dissemination Conference held on 9 June. The aim of the Dissemination Conference was to showcase the DAMOC Project, its successes and identified challenges in the development of human capacity for the diffusion of smart grid technology in the African context.

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

• Dr Kriger presented on the completed final DAMOC Technical Report and the Master in Engineering Electrical Engineering Smart Grid programme at CPUT, together with the challenges, successes and final results for the project.

• The two keynote speakers, Mr Martin Adolph (ITU, Switzerland) and Prof Germano LambertTorres (FIEEE, Gnarus Institute, Brazil) presented technical discussions around the area of Smart Grids at the Dissemination Conference.

• The two inter national keynote speakers at the DAMOC Dissemination Conference had very positive feedback for the MEng Smart Grid programme at CPUT.

• The Quality Assurance report, which was externally evaluated, indicated high praise for the MEng Smart Grid programme at CPUT. These reports were received as part of the final project assessment.

• The DAMOC project was evaluated by the European Union funding organisation. It obtained the highest rating possible and received all of the funds claimed.

• Dr Kriger was requested to present the DAMOC project with results at the International Capacity Building in Higher Education Virtual Fair in October to showcase CPUT’s MEng Smart Grid project. The project results were commended for including not only the successes but also the challenges.

• A new project pre-proposal in the area of Distributed Energy Resources was submitted as part of a BRICS call for proposals. The project partners include universities in Russia and India, with CPUT as the host and Dr Krishnamurthy as the project leader. The pre-proposal was approved and the full proposal submission will take place next year.

3. The CSAEMS website containing all the activities and research information of the research group was completed and launched this year. This is linked to the CPUT website and provides more visibility for the centre and all of its activities, while raising the profile of the university as a whole. The Master of Engineering: Smart Grid programme has been advertised using the newly launched website and has already shown a significant increase in postgraduate applications for next year. The website can be visited at https://www.csaems.com.

4. Funding secured

• ESKOM TESP programme R240 000

• ESKOM TESP Energy Reserves Project, in collaboration with Stellenbosch, R1 000 000

Note: Due to the pandemic and structural reform within Eskom, some funding although awarded has not yet been received

5. Outputs

• Mr Mayamiko Hara, supervised by Dr Kriger, graduated with distinction at the virtual ceremony in May as the first graduate of the MEng Smart Grid programme

• There were three journal publications

- Mr Mayamiko Hara and Dr Carl Kriger authored ‘Implementation of an IEC 61850-based metering device using open-source software’, in Universal Journal of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

- Mr Mkuseli Lwana and Dr Mkhululi Mnguni authored ‘Development of a new test method for alpha plane differential protection characteristic using IEC61850 standard based numerical relays’, in International Journal of Engineering Research and Technology

- Mr Mkhutazi Mditshwa, Dr Mkhululi Mnguni and Mr Mukovhe Ratshitanga authored ‘The benefits of an automatic generation control in an interconnected power system under various system conditions’, in International Journal of Electrical Engineering and Applied Sciences (IJEEAS)

• There were five conference publications

- Mr Mkhutazi Mditshwa presented ‘The role of distributed energy resources (DERs) in smart grid stability’, at CPUT

- Mr Sinawo Nomandela presented ‘IEC 61850 standard-based protection of the coupling point between a wind farm and the power grid’, at CPUT

- Mr Sinawo Nomandela, Mr Mukovhe Ratshitanga and Dr Mkhululi Mnguni presented ‘Wind power plant modelling for the conditions of grid-connected mode: Integration’, on the EasyChair platform

- Mr Mkhutazi Mditshwa, Mr Mukovhe Ratshitanga and Dr Mkhululi Mnguni presented ‘Integration of Wind Power Plant (WPP) for primary frequency regulation’, at IEEE PES/IAS PowerAfrica 2021

- Dr Carl Kriger, Prof Raynitchka Tzoneva, Prof Paul Barendse and Prof Alex Apostolov presented ‘Motor condition monitoring and fault classification using artificial intelligence in an IEC 61850-based system’, at the PAC World Conference 2021

• There were four Master in Engineering graduates

FOCUS AREA

THE ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE & SUSTAINABILITY

INTRODUCTION

BY PROF BEATRICE OPEOLU

opeolub@cput.ac.za

The need for sustainable utilisation of natural resources has come to the fore again during this second year of the Covid-19 pandemic. The entrenched inequalities in communities across the globe became more evident and pronounced. Critical resources for mitigating the effects of the disease, including necessities such as water, sanitation and shelter, were inadequate or completely absent for many. Rising global temperatures, extreme weather events, and conflicts within and among nations are indicators of climate change and the struggle for survival on planet earth. Sustainable wealth creation using renewable and nonrenewable natural resources, sustainable environmental management, and developing innovative ways of production with lesser water and energy footprints are very important for the health of our climate-changing world.

Design students tackle waste in Swellendam

Faculty of Informatics & Design students had an exciting opportunity to engage with a real-world challenge and to use biomimicry as a lens to propose alternative ways to manage organic waste in Swellendam. This involved 4th year Visual Communication Design students and staff staying in Swellendam for a week on a deeply immersive learning experience, in an unfamiliar context, to learn a new design approach.

Using biomimicry as a lens and methodology, students were shown how to develop a wider set of questions around how waste is managed in natural systems, and how to learn from the R&D that is evident in nature’s evolutionary processes. Natural champions were identified to inspire design proposals that drew on key principles evident in how certain species have evolved to learn, organise, communicate and manage waste.

The outcomes of the module are a set of design proposals and concepts produced by design teams that can be used to shift behaviour within targeted sectors in Swellendam. Students visited and interviewed stakeholders from five sectors to develop proposals focused on how to manage organic waste within their operations, and to prevent this waste from ending up in the municipal landfill.

From the feedback gained during this module, students found it to be a highly inspirational experience that challenged them not only

as young designers, but as human beings too. They commented on how the module created a space where they learnt new things about themselves and their ability to respond to a wide variety of challenges while considering multiple stakeholders in both the formal and informal sectors of Swellendam. Encounters with new experiences, sights, sounds and smells, enabled students to discover that becoming a sustainable designer is about understanding yourself as part of a wider ecology of actors, human and non-human.

A video documentary was commissioned to be used for academic research and reporting purposes. We are Earth can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/8aFjp9XUBD4

This module was funded by the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills as part of a DesignBRICS partnership with two other universities, The Oslo School of Architecture and Design and Hunan University. Postgraduate Studies in Design Coordinator Dr Bruce Snaddon said, “CPUT is very grateful as this has enabled us to offer another in a series of innovative pedagogical interventions that build student and staff capacity as designers and educators engaging with climate change work”.

For further information regarding this module please feel welcome to contact Dr Bruce Snaddon at snaddonb@cput.ac.za.

The Environment, Climate Change & Sustainability Research Focus Area (RFA) actively promotes and supports sustainability-oriented activities. These include research, teaching and learning, and community engagement. Some of the 2021 activities have also focused on gender issues relative to sustainable development and climate change.

In addition to the several published articles and research grants obtained under this RFA (reported under various research entities in this report), a symposium was organised to commemorate World Environment Day and World Oceans Day in June. Five presentations were delivered at the symposium. These included:

1. ‘The ocean: Life and livelihoods – Bridging ocean wealth and ocean health’, by Prof Ken Findlay

2. ‘One earth: The jour ney to environmental sustainability’, by Prof James Odendaal

3. ‘Water, food, the environment, and us: What is the connection?’, by Dr Bongani Ncube

4. ‘Restoring pollinator migration routes: Reconnecting plants, birds and people’, by Prof Sjirk Geerts

5. ‘Whales and climate change – Influences of climate change on population recoveries of humpback whales’, by Dr Elisa Seyboth

Prof Beatrice Opeolu was privileged to visit the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) in Nigeria during the year. The visit strengthened the existing MoU between CPUT and FUNAAB. Prof Opeolu’s time at the university provided opportunities for knowledge transfer through workshops. Topics delivered included ecotoxicology and career-progression workshops for emerging scientists, postgraduates and undergraduate students.

This visit further opens the platform for staff and student exchanges between the two universities. It is Prof Opeolu’s hope that other colleagues from CPUT will consider visiting FUNAAB to explore collaborative teaching and learning activities, research and community engagement projects.

Staff and students across disciplines at CPUT are invited to contribute to The Environment, Climate Change & Sustainability Research Focus Area. For more information on how to be part of this RFA, please feel welcome to contact:

Niche Area 1: Climate Change and Sustainable Development – Prof Ken Findlay findlayk@cput.ac.za

Niche Area 2: Climate Change and Sustainable Environment – Prof James Odendaal odendaalj@cput.ac.za

Niche Area 3: Cyclical Economy and Design for Sustainability – Prof Beatrice Opeolu opeolub@cput.ac.za

CPUT establishes a Centre for Sustainable Heritage

CPUT is establishing a Centre for Sustainable Heritage in partnership with the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA). This centre will undertake research and consultancy to develop various guidelines to protect and restore heritage sites and structures. In October, head of the Diploma in Civil Engineering programme, Dr Pallav Kumar, was invited to a SAHRA webinar together with Ms Ashaadia Kamalie, HOD Civil Engineering and Geomatics, to take part in the Heritage Resources Management Co-ordination Seminar. Dr Kumar, an expert on heritage structures and their materials, said, “The purpose of the seminar was to bring together various role players in heritage resources protection to discuss the status of heritage resources coordination in the country, issues impeding effective coordination and how we can improve the coordination process for the benefit of South Africans.” At the seminar, Dr Kumar presented his research, performed by his students, PhD candidate Mr Maphole Loke, and two master’s students Mr Riaan Victor and Ms Monique Mentor.

The work comprises characterisation and development of heritage mortar for the Castle of Good Hope and Robben Island, both UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Heritage Sites. “In this work, we propose to develop a Primary Heritage Material Card (PHMC) for each of the heritage structures in South Africa. This PHMC will help in the restoration work of these edifices. Further work has also been initiated at Dal Josafat in Paarl, to perform non-destructive testing and estimate the mechanical properties of the masonry wall,” said Dr Kumar.

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FUNAAB’s Dean of College of Environmental Resources Management, Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology staff, and workshop facilitators

Dr Pallav Kumar, an expert on heritage structures and materials

Alumna makes her mark in the agricultural sector

RESEARCH CHAIR

CPUT alumna, Ms Keatlegile Mnguni, is making her mark in the male-dominated agriculture sector. The young entrepreneur manages her family’s farming operation in Bronkhorstspruit, and was elected as the African Farmers Association of South Africa’s (AFASA) youth chairperson in 2020. In 2019, she was the youth representative of AFASA in Gauteng, and was later nominated to take over the role as chairperson. “I was honoured, I could not believe that an organisation such as AFASA would believe in me, find me capable as a leader, and entrust me to fulfil this important role. I make my mistakes and l learn from them. I have a great supporting team from the organisation,” she remarked.

OCEANS ECONOMY and THE CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABLE OCEANS | Faculty of Applied Sciences

Keatlegile Mnguni

She said her role as AFASA Youth Chair is to understand the challenges that young farmers are faced with nationally, and provide a platform for them to engage with the relevant stakeholders to assist them in meeting their needs. “This platform is given by having roadshows, district workshops, nationally and our Annual Young Farmers Summit,” Ms Mnguni added.

She continued, “As a young woman in the industry, I used to feel intimidated by the male dominance of the industry and being looked down on by the men… That would instil fear, touch on my confidence and self-esteem. I would underestimate my ability to be a good role player in agribusiness. But being surrounded by other young female farmers and older female farmers, other female role players with industry experience, I derived my confidence from there.”

Ms Mnguni has many fond memories of her time at CPUT. These include having a close relationship with her lecturers Ms Beverley Seager and Ms Kate Lategan, “who motivated, advised, encouraged and played an important role in shaping the person that I am today. They believed in me.”

PROF KEN FINDLAY findlayk@cput.ac.za

The primary focus of this Research Chair and the Centre for Sustainable Oceans is the regional expansion of oceans economies in line with global trends, and the need for associated ocean governance to balance increased human ocean resource uses with ocean health, sustainability and inclusivity. Both the chair and the centre underwent extensive reviews in 2021, and both entities will continue for the next fiveyear period. In view of the role the centre plays in international ocean sustainable development programmes, it aims to obtain CPUT institute status next year.

Increases in global oceans resource uses are being advanced by coastal nations turning to their sovereign ocean space to foster economic growth and ensure food, energy and other diverse ocean resource security in what are often referred to as oceans economies or blue economies. Adequate ocean governance is critical within the management of ocean resource uses, and often involves trade-off decisions that are in

Ms

turn dependent on valuation processes. Ocean economies have been largely valued for their contribution to market ocean resource use sectors (e.g. fisheries, mining, tourism, shipping and transport) to national GDP metrics. However, there is an increasing global trend to advance blue economies that focus on ocean sustainable development, going beyond GDP to embrace sustainability and inclusivity, to measure more holistic contributions of oceans to equitable societal well-being.

GDP and national accounting metrics remain critical measures of economic production for macroeconomic development, investment and strategic planning within a country’s ocean space. However, GDP metrics do not account for changes in natural capital declines in ocean wealth or the distribution of ocean benefits. Inclusivity measures the distribution of economic opportunities, resource use access and costs, and sharing the proceeds of production in an equitable way as improvements in well-being across a nation’s population. Sustainability centres on balancing the use of ocean wealth with the ocean health that underpins ocean wealth, ensuring opportunities for future resource use. Many countries are now turning to ocean sustainable development that requires more holistic valuation approaches across the environmental, economic and social domains than those provided by economic metrics alone.

How then can information from across the diverse economic, environmental and social domains be integrated for informed and evidence-based ocean governance processes? CPUT’s Centre for Sustainable Oceans is a leader in the development of ocean accounting to measure and advance ocean sustainable development in this arena. Ocean accounting utilises an integrated and complex framework of systems (in a system of systems approach) to measure both environmental, social and economic stocks within systems and flows between systems, with the flows allowing the necessary system integration. The system of systems framework draws on both existing and established accounting systems, such as Ocean Economy Satellite Accounts within the System of National Accounting, the System of Environmental Economic Accounts (SEEA) Central and Ecosystem Accounts Frameworks, and novel accounting frameworks in risk and ocean governance. Through regular measures (as with any accounting system), relative processes across time allow for benchmarked indicators within and across the relevant domains. In this regard, the centre works closely with the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP), of which CPUT is a member, leading the GOAP Africa Community of Practice. Under this Africa programme, the centre is funded to drive three African local pilot studies – in Table Bay in Cape Town, Bazaruto Archipelago in Mozambique, and Kilifi County in Kenya.

The Research Chair has provided considerable technical input as one of four lead authors in the development of the GOAP ocean accounting Technical Document which underpins the UN SEEA Ocean development (of which the Research Chair is a Working Group member). The Centre for Sustainable Oceans is playing a further important role in the advancement of ocean accounting in Africa through several other Communities of Practice (CoP). These include the Western Indian Ocean Governance Exchange Network (WIOGEN) CoP, the Africa Natural Capital Accounting CoP, as well as a National Research Foundation Oceans Accounting CoP. CPUT postdoctoral research fellow Dr Tainã Loureiro plays an important role in these initiatives and provides considerable input into seven project reports which will be submitted to GOAP early next year.

One critical aspect of ocean accounting is that of ecosystem accounting to measure the extents and conditions of ocean ecosystems. Importantly, the centre has been heavily invested in earth observation in this area in 2021, utilising satellite imagery to identify coastal ecosystem extents through both pixel- and object-based automated image analyses. This work has sparked recent discussions with the South African National Space Agency for the establishment of a SAGeo oceans natural capital CoP. Ground truthing of resultant analyses and associated large dataset architecture are further critical aspects of this work, and the centre has engaged CPUT’s drone capacity to provide high resolution multi-spectral images to advance such ground truthing, as well as informatics and design to develop the necessary data architecture. Both areas are of considerable interest to other GOAP members, and are being investigated as three postdoctoral research fellow positions under the Global Ocean Accounting Partnership funding/ UK Blue Planet funding:

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• Post-Doctoral Fellowship: Ocean Accounts Data Systems, Architecture and Structures

• Post-Doctoral Fellowship: Spatial Marine Ecosystem Accounting and Remote Sensing

• Post-Doctoral Fellowship: Linkages in Ocean Accounts Frameworks – Natural Asset Input and Sectoral Pressure Accounts in Relation to Ocean Economy Satellite Accounting and Marine Ecosystem Accounting

whales are considered important indicators of ocean health. Whaled almost to extinction last century, southern hemisphere humpback whale populations have showed rapid recoveries that may now be impacted by global ocean change. Largely led by CPUT postdoctoral research fellow Dr Elisa Seyboth, the CPUT component of this project analyses historic and contemporary whale distribution patterns to model changes in relation to recent ocean environmental changes. Significant field work in 2021 centred on the supergroup feeding aggregations off the Western Cape coast. This project is due to go into its second phase over the 2022–2024 period. Four master’s postgraduate students are undertaking studies as part of this project.

The Research Chair also remained involved in several other important projects during 2021.

The centre plays a lead role in the Nelson Mandela Universityled NRF Community of Practice Project on Ocean Accounts Frameworks, leading Work Package 3 (accounts structures) and coleading Work Package 8 (ocean governance from ocean accounts). This project was originally developed by CPUT, SAEON and NMU, and has been funded over two years (2020–2021) to investigate the applicability and efficacy of ocean accounts frameworks in the Western Indian Ocean and has so far concentrated on Algoa Bay. Eight work packages have identified project research aspects in this region, with the expectation to extend the project to the Western Indian Ocean in phase II next year.

A current multi-national project across the southern hemisphere includes the Griffith University Climate Change Response Programme (Australia), CPUT, UCT, Stellenbosch University, the Federal University of Rio Grande (Brazil), the Pontific Catholic University of Ecuador, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Panama) and the CEQUA Foundation (Chile). This project investigates how climate change affects the recoveries of humpback whale populations from historic whaling pressure. As highly migratory marine mammals, moving between polar feeding grounds and sub-tropical and tropical breeding grounds each year, humpback

The CPUT–Fisheries Economic Development, Research, Advisory and Training Initiative (FEDRATI) MoA is a strategic partnership agreement between CPUT and the South African Fisheries Development Fund (through their FEDRAT initiative) which is aimed at upskilling the South African small scale fishery sector and their coastal communities through industry support. The agreement, signed in 2021, aims to build University–Industry engagement within South African small-scale fisheries co-operatives and communities with respect to skills development. Funding has been received for 2022 WIL stipends and master’s bursaries, as well as for the running of skills capacity short courses for small scale industry sectors.

PUBLICATIONS

Eleven multi-authored academic articles were published and a further four peer-review contributions were submitted for publication in 2021. In addition to these, nine technical documents were produced. Four keynote presentations were delivered at international conferences, and one international workshop was convened.

Published or accepted peer reviewed journal articles

• ‘Strong and lasting impacts of past global warming on baleen whales and their prey’, in Global Change Biology

• ‘Social exploitation of extensive, ephemeral, environmentally controlled prey patches by super groups of rorqual whales’ in Animal Behaviour

• ‘Predator scale spatial analysis of intra-patch prey distribution reveals the energetic drivers of rorqual whale super-group formation’, in Functional Ecology

• ‘Oceanographic anomalies in the Souther n Benguela coinciding with humpback whale super-groups’ in Scientific Reports

• ‘Marine spatial planning and ocean accounting: Two synergistic tools enhancing integration in ocean governance’, in Marine Policy

• ‘The emerging intersection between marine spatial planning and ocean accounting: A global review and case studies’, in Marine Policy

• ‘The role of environmental drivers in humpback whale distribution, movement, and behaviour: A review’, in Frontiers in Marine Science

• ‘Year-round acoustic monitoring of Antarctic blue and fin whales in relation to environmental conditions off the west coast of South Africa’, in Marine Biology

• ‘Abundance and distribution of Antarctic blue whales Balaenoptera musculus intermedia off the Queen Maud Land coast of Antarctica’, in African Journal of Marine Science

• ‘Combining regional habitat selection models for large-scale prediction: Circumpolar habitat selection of Southern Ocean humpback whales’, in Remote Sensing

Technical reports

• ‘Significant further input into the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership Oceans Accounts Technical Framework Guidance Document’, Version 1

• ‘Re-evaluation of the IUCN Red Listing Status of Dugongs of the Western Indian Ocean’

• GOAP Report One: ‘Marine Ecosystem Accounting, Bazaruto, Mozambique’

• GOAP Report Two: ‘Marine Ecosystem Accounting, Table Bay, South Africa’

• GOAP Report Three: ‘Marine Ecosystem Accounting, Kilifi County Kenya’

• GOAP Report Four: ‘Ocean Accounts for Africa – A Roadmap for the Table Bay Pilot Study’

• GOAP Report Five: ‘Ocean Accounts for Africa – A Roadmap for the Bazaruto Bay Pilot Study’

• GOAP Report Six: ‘The GOAP African National Pilot Study Programme –Draft Diagnostic Report and Project Plans’

• GOAP Report Seven: ‘Africa Community of Practice – Academic Outputs (2021–2022)’

FUNDING

Collaboration Agreements (AECOM Mozambique/African Environment/Nelson Mandela Metropolitan)

CPUT–Fisheries Economic Development, Research, Advisory and Training Initiative (FEDRATI)

Griffith University – Whales and Climate Change

063 Nelson Mandela University NRF Community of Practice Project –Ocean Accounts Frameworks

University of New South Wales – Global Oceans Accounting Partnership Pilot Study Project

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RESEARCH CENTRE

CENTRE FOR WATER & SANITATION RESEARCH (CWSR)

The Centre for Water & Sanitation Research (CWSR) is the hub of CPUT’s water and sanitation research.

CWSR focuses on three main objectives:

• Identification and establishment of water-related activities based on regional and national priorities

• Facilitation and execution of interdisciplinary research projects which generate outputs, income and postgraduate opportunities

• Development and maintenance of partnerships on behalf of CPUT in the water sector regionally, nationally and internationally

HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2021

Dr Ncube was a facilitator during the Conference on Women in Water and Science and the Impact of Covid-19, facilitating the session: Women in Water & Sanitation.

Three master’s students graduated after receiving funding and supervision through CWSR: Ms Olwethu Pili graduated with a Master of Environmental Health cum laude ‘Coping and adaptation strategies for agricultural water use during drought periods in the Overberg and West Coast Districts, Western Cape, South Africa’ Supervisor: Dr Ncube

Mr Colridge Paul Recardo Carelsen graduated with a Master in Agriculture ‘Understanding the roles and effectiveness of extension services on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers during drought periods in the Western Cape’ Main supervisor: Dr Ncube

DR BONGANI NCUBE

ncubeb@cput.ac.za

Most fieldwork was still suspended during 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

CPUT was awarded the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) Chair in Governance and Economics for Water & Sanitation Sector Institutions (2022–2026), to be led by Dr Bongani Ncube.

In September, the Water Research Commission awarded Dr Ncube the Water Legends Award in recognition of the “contribution as a WRC partner, researcher and leader that brought national and global recognition for the South African water sector”.

Mr Olwetu Antonia Sindesi graduated with a Master in Agriculture, ‘Water and nutrient retention under Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris Var. cicla) and cabbage (Brassica oleracea Var. capitata L) cultivated in soil amended with zeolite Main supervisor: Dr Ncube

RESEARCH OUTPUTS

DHET

• ‘Classification and characterisation of smallholder farmers in South Africa: A brief review’, in South African Journal of Agricultural Extension (SAJAE)

• ‘Mineral composition of potted cabbage (Var. L.) grown in zeolite amended sandy soil’, in Agriculture (Pol’nohospodárstvo)

• ‘Soil pH, nitrogen, phosphatase and urease activities in response to cover crop species, termination stage and termination method’, in Heliyon

• ‘Smallholder farmer coping and adaptation strategies during the 2015-18 drought in the Western Cape, South Africa’, in Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C

DHET ACCREDITED PEER-REVIEWED BOOKS AND BOOK CHAPTERS

• ‘Socioeconomic research on water in South Africa: Trends, strengths, and impacts’, in WRC 50-Year Celebration Special Edition (book chapter)

• Towards the Blue-Green City: Building Urban Water Resilience (book)

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

• Dr Ncube was invited as a panel speaker in one of the preconference workshops on Transdisciplinary and Engaged Scholarship in advance of the SDGs at the Africa Summit hosted by the University of Cape Town.

• Dr Ncube was one of the presenters in the CPUT World Environment Day and World Oceans Day Symposium, with the topic ‘Water, food, the environment and us: What is the connection?’

• Ms Awelani Sadiki and Dr Ncube presented at the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) –Water Alternatives Webinar Series. Their presentation was titled ‘Challenges of accessing water for agricultural use in the BreedeGouritz Catchment Management Agency, South Africa’

NEW RESEARCH COMMISSIONS

The South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI): Chair in Governance and Economics for Water & Sanitation Sector Institutions was commissioned (2022–2026). This is funded by the Department of Science & Innovation (DSI), the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Water Research Commission (WRC).

A Water Research Commission-funded research project titled ‘Water governance, institutions and infrastructure integration for climate-resilient pathways for smallholder farming systems in the Western Cape, South Africa’ was commissioned and will commence in April 2022.

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RESEARCH CENTRE

FLOW PROCESS & RHEOLOGY

CENTRE (FPRC) | Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

The Flow Process & Rheology Centre (FPRC) was founded in 1995. It applies the fundamental principles and techniques of rheology to solve industrial problems such as deformation and flow under different shear, material structure and process flow conditions. Since its inception, the group has produced more than 100 peer-reviewed publications.

The centre’s core activities include:

HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2021

Rheology is a huge field and holds potential for improving products and processes, and FPRC has been a major force in promoting the science of Rheology over the decades.

The Rheology Laboratory has offered services to several companies this year, and plans to increase this essential service.

PROF VERUSCHA FESTER

festerv@cput.ac.za

• Rheological characterisation and modelling of concentrated emulsions, suspensions, solutions and polymer melts and wastewater sludge, and modelling of the phenomena of micro- and nanostructural evaluation involved in the mixing, pumping, transportation and storage processes of multiphase systems

• Modelling non-Newtonian flows in pipes, fittings, open channels, tanks and pumps

• Instrumentation systems to measure in situ concentration and particle velocity in settling slurry and coarse particle flow, and visualisation in pipes and complex geometries

The team members are Prof Veruscha Fester, Dr Morakane Khahledi (nGAP) and Dr Nsenda Tshilumbu (on contract).

Dr Morakane Khahledi started work on granular flows from tanks. This work promises to provide valuable insights to industry. Further work is also being conducted on nonNewtonians flows from tanks.

Dr Nsenda Tshimlumba continued with research on water-in-oil (w/o) emulsion with a dispersed phase concentration of approximately 90 wt%. The new work relates to finding alternative approaches to stabilise this w/o emulsion by using polyhedral oligomeric oilsesquioxane (POSS) nanomolecules with different functional groups.

Prof Veruscha Fester started an exciting project on the flow behaviour of heat transfer nanofluids for application in solar-thermal collectors. These nanofluids are produced from nanopowders synthesised at CPUT.

RESEARCH GROUP

ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY, TOXICOLOGY & REMEDIATION

| Faculty of Applied Sciences

The Environmental Chemistry, Toxicology & Remediation research group focuses on chemical and biological assessment and monitoring of environmental pollution. It also focuses on the development of remediation techniques to manage environmental pollution, as well as environmental and human health risk assessment. The assessment and monitoring research projects focus on the identification, characterisation, monitoring and effects of chemical and microbial pollutants in the environment, while the remediation research projects focus on the development of appropriate techniques to remediate and manage polluted sites.

This research group has a number of projects that are conducted by staff members and postgraduate students in different academic disciplines, from environmental sciences to biology. Certain projects zoom in on the impacts of metal pollutants on water quality and riverine biodiversity. Plants and animals are used as biomonitors to assess the effects of pollution on the biological component of the environment. Some student projects are done in the aquatic environment, where they investigate metal pollution and bioaccumulation of certain urban rivers and estuaries.

Other research conducted by this group is aimed at studying the effects of pollutants on the terrestrial environment. Too little research is done in South Africa on the impacts of pollutants on the terrestrial environment. One such project is underway along the west coast and is investigating the toxicity of metal contamination in the soil in proximity to metal pollutant emitting industries. In this project, soil organisms are used to determine the effects of pollutants on

soil quality. A postdoctoral investigation is aimed at determining the impacts of metal pollutants in afromontane forest pockets, in order to investigate if there are relationships between the impacts of metal pollutants on forest pockets and their ability to act as carbon sinks.

This research group aims to contribute to the body of scientific knowledge with regards to a variety of crucial environmental concerns. Its researchers hope that their projects will contribute to the understanding of the impacts of human activities on the functioning of the natural environment. Ultimately, their goal is to eventually, through their research activities and outputs, contribute to the development of environmental policies, legislation and environmental guidelines and standards for South Africa.

PROF JAMES ODENDAAL odendaalj@cput.ac.za

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RESEARCH GROUP

[Note: This research group is also involved with projects in FA 5]

NANOMATERIALS RESEARCH GROUP | Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

The nanomaterial Research Group (NRG) is the first established research group at CPUT that focuses on studying both the fundamental and applied aspects of synthesis, characterisation and application of various metal oxide (MOXs) nanomaterials. NRG developed MOXs find applications in, but not limited to, environmental remediation, sensing and energy generation.

The vision and mission of NRG is to transform into a world-leading research hub that develops cutting-edge solutions to societal challenges. The group’s vision, mission and goal are to contribute to society through using nanoscience and nanotechnology tools for the improvement of lives.

RESEARCH OUTPUT HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2021

• Eight master’s students graduated under Dr Chowdhury’s supervision

RESEARCH THAT MATTERS

NRG is also proud of the following research activities that took place this year:

PROF VERUSCHA

FESTER

Principal Investigator: FEBE

Responsible for sub-units:

Nanomaterial-based

Environmental Remediation

Nanomaterial Synthesis

Naomateriasl for Energy Generation festerv@cput.ac.za

• Mr Maghmood Palmer (MEng) published three papers

• Mr Ariel Ndala and Mr Neville Corry (MEng) published in high impact jour nals (IF ~7)

• Ms Edith Younguep (MEng) published two journal papers

• A total of 11 jour nal articles were published by the group

Publications from the group can be found via the links below:

• Prof Veruscha Fester http://tiny.cc/6o6puz

• Dr Mahabubur Chowdhury https://scholar.google. co.za/citations?hl=en&user=uK8PixoAAAAJ&vi ew_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate

• Amino acid functionalisation together with hydrothermal treatment has been found to increase oxygen vacancy in Co3O4

• Plasma assisted nitrogen doping has been found to be an effective phase tuning technique in CuO materials

• Simple ammonia-based etching of thin films allowed control band gap tuning of CuO materials

• The relationship between the cobalt hydroxide polymorph and the catalytic performance of the resulting Co3O4 has been demonstrated for the first time

• Green-synthesised ZnO nanoparticles can be a better and eco-friendly alternative to commercially produced ZnO for catalytic ozonation of the azo disperse dye, Coralene Rubine-S2G

DR MAHABUBUR CHOWDHURY

Principal Investigator: FEBE

Responsible for sub-units:

Functional Nanomaterials

Electrochemical Sensors

Photoelectrochemical Sensors

Fuel Cell chowdhurym@cput.ac.za

Master’s student invents glucose sensor

Chemical Engineering master’s student Mr Neville Cory has developed a sensor powered by a cellphone flashlight to measure blood glucose. The Klerksdorp born student, who grew up in the small village of Geita in Tanzania, says diabetes is an untreatable disease that has been affecting people for centuries.

“I have had first-hand experience of the effects of diabetes, due to my grandfather who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes many years ago. This therefore sparked the interest to challenge the traditional way of glucose testing, which involves pricking your finger and depositing drops of blood onto a single use enzymatic testing strip. This strip is then analysed by a glucose-metre, which is an electronic device that determines the amount of glucose present in your blood,” said Mr Cory.

“I have therefore synthesised a non-enzymatic photo-electrochemical (PEC) glucose sensor, with the use of a standard 6-Watt LED light, that can be found in most modern-day smartphones. It achieves superior photocurrent generation with a linear range of up to 29mm,” he continued. Moving around the country and especially to another country granted Mr Cory the opportunity to experience a host of different cultures and communities, which opened his eyes to see how wonderfully diverse the world is. He says his enrolment at CPUT was made possible with the assistance of former ECP senior lecturer Dr Moses Basitere, who assisted him through the registration process. “I will never forget his kindness and willingness to assist,” he remarked.

For his master’s degree, Mr Cory is supervised by Dr Mahabubur Chowdhury. “It was under his expert guidance and mentoring that I am on my way to reaching my goal of attaining a Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering,” he said. He added that the CPUT staff members that he was in direct contact with were always extremely helpful and kind.

Mr Cory mentioned Ms Hannelene Small, Mr Derrick Dlamini, Ms Ntombifuthi Bingo and Mr Alwyn Bester, who assisted him with “small and great things without any hesitation”.

Master’s student publishes in top electrochemistry journal

Chemical Engineering master’s student Mr Ariel Ndala’s research on nitrogen doping has been accepted for publication in one of the top electrochemistry journals, Electrochimica Acta. This publication is an official peerreviewed scientific journal of the International Society of Electrochemistry, covering all aspects of the field. Mr Ndala’s research topic was ‘Amperometric detection of nitrite using cobalt oxide thin film’. The primary focus of his research was to develop a new soft chemical route for the simultaneous nitrogen doping and surface chemical functionalisation of thin films.

Mr Ndala explained that nitrogen doping in metal oxides has been proven by several researchers to improve electronic properties via various doping techniques, such as thermal treatment, hard chemical route and plasma treatment. Apart from nitrogen doping, surface chemical functionalisation of metal oxides has also been reported to tune their electronic properties, he said. “I treated a cobalt oxide thin film with an amino acid, and showed that the amino acid partially dissociates to provide the necessary nitrogen for doping in the metal oxide lattice structure, while the undissociated amino acid molecules chemically functionalise the metal oxide surface.”

Dr Mahabubur Chowdhury added, “He is a brilliant chap who is disciplined and can think out of the box, which is an essential skill in postgraduate students.” Reflecting on his journey which comprises hard work, discipline and consistency, Mr Ndala said he is “just a human being striving to become a better version of himself”. He is also pursuing music as his hobby, learning music theory, and practicing on a trumpet. The young man who appreciates the support from his parents aspires to make a positive impact on his community. “I would say their [parents] support has been invaluable and unfailing. My achievement is also theirs... All the rewards will mean nothing if I am not able to contribute to the well-being of the community I am from. All I can give as advice is ‘the sky is the limit’. Everything is possible here on earth. It might not be easy, but it is possible. Hard work works.”

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Mr Neville Cory with parents, Mr & Mrs Neville & Leonie Cory

Mr Ariel Ndala’s research has been published in Electrochimica Acta

FOCUS AREA

HUMAN, HEALTH & SOCIAL DYNAMICS

INTRODUCTION

condyj@cput.ac.za

BY PROF JANET CONDY

The Human, Health & Social Dynamics (HHSD) research and innovation focus area at CPUT intersects with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 16 and 17. These address an array of social, economic, health, political, legal, scientific and technological issues. They stimulate trans/multi/interdisciplinary thinking to challenge South African researchers, industry and policy developers to answer existing questions, and to create new disciplines and develop new, relevant and applicable technologies.

This focus area contributes to greater global understanding and builds knowledge of shifting human, health and social dynamics. This supports trans/multi/interdisciplinary collaborative research, and responds to the needs of our South African society. Opportunities include the integration of strong theoretical and empirical links, enabling the following multidisciplinary research approaches to integrate personal, societal and environmental transformation in order to:

• Promote humanity and humaneness in the 21st century

• Create spaces where researchers collaborate and conduct research in a trans/ multi/interdisciplinary manner across disciplines, faculties and units at CPUT

• Develop the capacity to deconstruct boundaries and interrogate the ways in which members of society may intersect with and reinforce one another

• Create a social and structural justice orientation which enables work towards a transformed society

In addition, and more specifically, the word ‘technology’ in our One Smart CPUT brief provides us with a special focus in research into human, health and social dynamics. Technology necessarily entails a close relationship between the university and society, which includes working life and creating a sense of human-centredness. Technology enables this new description.

Human, health and social science research at a UoT would then, firstly, serve to problematise and improve the relationship between university curricula and practices and those of broader society, e.g. through integrated learning initiatives. Secondly, research can highlight how technology and new ideas may be taken up by society in different ways (i.e. accepted, changed, shelved or rejected), and how changes in human, health and social innovations can be harnessed for the benefit of society.

Potential research niche areas

• Connecting societies: Crossing boundaries, inside and outside the university, developing and bridging people for well-being and social cohesion

Sustainable Development Goals: 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 16 and 17

National Development Plan chapters: 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 15

• Empowerment: Purposive agency, care and the ethics of care, services and practices, transformation and 21st century innovations, such as the 4th Industrial Revolution

Sustainable Development Goals: 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 16 and 17

National Development Plan chapters: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 15

• Human Rights: Freedom, health, equality, dignity, ‘ubuntu’, access to service and justice, and ethics

Sustainable Development Goals: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 16 and 17

National Development Plan chapters: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 15

• Health and Well-being: Quality of life, wellness in communities, service delivery, social determinants of health, food security and technology for well-being

Sustainable Development Goals: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 16 and 17

National Development Plan chapters: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 15

Functional fitness for Down syndrome adults

Dr Pieter-Henk Boer is a professor in the Department of Human Movement Science, Faculty of Education, Wellington Campus. He is also an NRF-rated researcher who is involved with interesting and helpful research on the effects of functional fitness for adults with Down syndrome. “I have a brother with Down syndrome. He’s named Rory, and he is 32 years old. I have a natural feel when working with individuals with Down syndrome. I really enjoy it. They see all the small things in life. They are very loving. They enjoy exercising with loud Afrikaans music playing in the background. Nothing provides me with more pleasure being in their company,” said Dr Boer.

He explained that Down syndrome (DS) is a condition caused by a genetic abnormality that negatively impacts on the physical and intellectual development of an individual. Most people with DS are born with or develop conditions or illnesses that affect their quality of life. Many adopt a sedentary lifestyle, possibly due to these medical conditions or the lack of advice and assistance from health and fitness professionals. Consequently, a large percentage of adults with DS are overweight or obese. Although life expectancy of individuals with DS has increased vastly due to improved medical interventions, the population ages prematurely and their quality of life deteriorates even further with age. Unfortunately, most adults with DS have low functional fitness when compared to the general population and even those with intellectual disability (ID) but without DS.

This year, Dr Boer published Functional Fitness for Adults Living with Down Syndrome through AOSIS Books. The work presented in this book is original and represents research which has resulted from the author’s master’s, doctoral and post-doctoral investigations. The book’s purpose is to provide adults living with DS their own unique instrument to assess functional fitness. Previously, individuals living with DS were pooled with individuals living with ID without DS, even though various academics and researchers have demonstrated that the presence of DS negatively affects test performance.

Functional fitness for adults living with Down syndrome

PIETER-HENK BOER

Functional fitness includes parameters such as flexibility, balance, aerobic capacity, functional capacity, and muscular strength and endurance. The 14-test items presented in this functional fitness test battery were carefully selected after numerous literature studies and consultations with academic scholars and specialists who are experienced in working with adults living with DS. Also, extensive pilot studies were conducted in order to select test items best suited to the needs of this segment of the population. This book also provides norm- and criterion-referenced tables that can be used by academic scholars, or adapted for physical activity specialists to provide the adult living with DS a report

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Cover picture taken in Kylemore, Western Cape

continued from p165

Language activism campaign

So many people seem to have become used to the fact that English is the default language of academia. However, the majority of CPUT staff and students have knowledge of another language, in fact, they have even more fluency in that language than they do in English. How very challenging it must be to forge creative and convincing arguments in a language in which one is not most comfortable. With these concepts in mind, the Language Working Group (LWG) has launched a campaign that celebrates, affirms and creates awareness of the academic achievements of CPUT graduates and postgraduates in spite of or because of multilingualism. Featured in this blog and on CPUT’s official YouTube channel, are the experiences and research foci of graduate and postgraduate students.

has gone before. As students, we are introduced to a canon of authors that have contributed to whatever field of study we pursue. We may or may not agree with their words, but acknowledge them we must. We learn the rigours of academic research – that of searching effectively, making astute evaluations, and integrating the work and words of those who have gone before. Often our endeavours are plagued by fears of plagiarising, and so we learn to cite and give credit where it is due.

estimated 2 000 languages, it goes without saying that the majority of CPUT students are polyglots (speakers of more than one language). In fact, for many if not most of our postgraduate students, English is neither a first or a favourite language. Whether arranged in numerical order (first, second, third, etc.) or in order of comfort (home, mother, community), English seldom appears at the front of the queue. And yet our students, our giants, manage to succeed.

The book is dedicated to Mr Rory Boer, the author’s brother

card and the necessary comments or exercise prescriptions needed to maintain or improve functional fitness.

In summary, this book provides a simple, economical and field-based list of test items that can be used to assess, evaluate and monitor functional fitness for this segment of the population. In doing so, many of the functional limitations seen in adults living with DS may be prevented or reversed before more serious physical conditions such as walking difficulties and dependency on others arise.

Visit https://books.aosis.co.za/index.php/ob/ catalog/book/252 to download an Open Access sample copy of the PDF or order a copy of the book.

Visit https://aosis.academy/course/view. php?id=174 to view a short insights presentation by Dr Boer.

Standing on the shoulders of giants in scholarship means giving due credit to those whose work we build upon. Raising giants means giving due credit to those in our ranks, often mistaken as ‘mere’ graduate or postgraduate students. They are in fact future giants; they are CPUT. Higher education and any form of further study requires an understanding and acknowledgement of what, and sometimes who,

Yet, with all our focus on giving due acknowledgement to scholarly giants, we seldom acknowledge the giants being raised among us or their gigantic efforts. Now, however, we also wish to acknowledge and celebrate that we are raising giants. The postgraduate students featured in our celebration are giants not simply because they have proven their mettle as academics. We are celebrating them because their academic achievements are often in spite of, and because of, their multilingualism.

As an institution based in a country with 11 official languages, and based on a continent with an

CPUT’s LWG reached out to postgraduate students within each of the university’s faculties to share experiences of becoming giants. They share the focus of their research in multilingual videos, which you can find here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbvBy4XRy4vd0cqpebHUIyXLTHAOqBml

And their stories of overcoming and becoming giants can be found here: https://blogs.cput.ac.za/ languageunit/language-activism/we-are-creatinggiants/.

We are creating giants / Sikhulisa iinganga / Ons skep reuse

RESEARCH CHAIR

CENTRE FOR

INTERNATIONAL TEACHER EDUCATION

The SARChI Chair in Teacher Education and CITE, with Prof Yusuf Sayed as its Chair and Director, was established in 2014. It successfully completed its first phase of operations in 2018, and a second cycle of funding was awarded in 2019. This SARChI Chair is funded by the NRF and housed in CPUT’s Faculty of Education.

(CITE) (NRF SARCHI CHAIR) | Faculty of Education

Now, in this second cycle of funding, the SARChI Chair in Teacher Education continues to generate knowledge in its selected knowledge domains and maintains its objectives to:

• Design, generate and contribute to large-scale research projects generating state-ofthe-art research into teacher education in South Africa and internationally

• Support capacity development in the field of teacher education, generating a critical mass of new and emerging scholars

• Deepen the knowledge base and field of teacher education to contribute to research and policy dialogues about education policy and teacher education

PROF YUSUF SAYED

CITE is focused on generating knowledge about initial teacher education, continuous professional development, public private partnerships, and teaching and learning during crises and disruptions. The centre is invested in the development of research capacity among emerging and established researchers in the faculty, as well as postgraduate students, postdoctoral fellows and research fellows. The centre comprises the Research Chair and other staff who are involved with research and with the supervision of postgraduate students. The centre also houses four postdoctoral fellows and one research fellow, the latter being one of its own doctoral alumni.

• Continue to serve as a platform to showcase empirical and theoretical research emerging in and about the Global South

To achieve these goals, CITE has several large-scale research projects which comprise three streams. Research Stream One focuses on all aspects relating to initial teacher education, including policy, process, delivery and the call for decolonisation in education. Research Stream Two focuses on teachers’ professional development post-qualification, defined as continuous professional development. This stream investigates teachers’ experiences and the availability of CPD in the Global South, looking at providers, process, consistency, content, shape and form, and how this does or does not align with local and international mandates that advocate for equitable and quality education. Research Stream Three relates to the governance of schools by investigating the phenomenon of public–private partnerships and what the implications are for teachers.

Embedded within each of these streams are notable transversal research foci that are used as a lens with which to understand teaching and learning in South Africa, the African continent, as well as internationally. The first theme is ‘Education during times of crises and

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CITE hosts Research Café

The seminar was part of CITE’s pubic seminar series

CITE hosted the much-anticipated virtual Research Café in March to discuss, amongst other things, critical issues relating to education and inequality in South Africa. The seminar was chaired by the Wits School of Governance Chair in Public Governance, Prof Robert van Niekerk. The stark inequalities in the South African education system were discussed, including the Brackenfell High School conflict and how it challenges efforts towards social cohesion. The seminar also looked at Grade 12 learner results, and how they demonstrate huge disparities in learning outcomes between rich and poor schools. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on education, and in particular how this has deepened and exacerbated global, regional and national inequities in public education, was also discussed.

CITE’s Prof Yusuf Sayed, in conversation with HSRC CEO Prof Crain Soudien, discussed challenges in realising equitable and quality teaching and learning in South Africa during times of crises and disruptions. The seminar was part of CITE’s pubic seminar series through which research undertaken is shared and disseminated, and it is part of the centre’s commitment to contributing to evidence-informed education policymaking and bridging the education policy–practice gap. “In particular, it is an important occasion to reflect on and dialogue about the possible ways to effect social justice and equality in and through education for all, so that we may build a better education system that reflects the values and ideals of the constitution and National Education Policy Act in South Africa,” said Prof Sayed.

disruptions’, which looks at how crises such as Covid-19, social, political and humanitarian crises impact the quality of teaching and learning experiences. Another cross-cutting theme is ‘The pursuit of equitable and quality education as articulated in the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 4’. The centre’s continuous pursuit of the triple imperatives of equity, equality and social justice is embedded in all of its research.

CITE remains prolific and productive within the Faculty of Education, and published several journal articles, monographs, books and book chapters during 2021. Attendance at conferences and delivering keynote addresses, locally and globally, remains a key feature of the Research Chair and CITE staff. During its second phase of operation that commenced in 2019, CITE has produced 54 publications, including journal articles, books, chapters in books and technical reports. The chair and fellows have also presented at several conferences, including 31 keynote/plenary presentations.

Although the centre is currently mainly funded by the NRF, discussions are underway to expand CITE as a regional, national and international Centre of Excellence for teacher education in policy and practice research. The centre also continues to generate significant additional revenue for research, notably during this second phase.

FUNDING

RESEARCH CHAIR

LITERACY DEVELOPMENT (CPUT RESEARCH CHAIR) and LITERACY DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH UNIT

| Faculty of Education

Prof Condy’s contract post was from April 2019 to March 2021. In this executive summary, she reflects on the past year from January 2021 to December 2021.

COLLABORATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS

The

R4M

national research project

During 2021, the chair and unit hosted two online Reading for Meaning (R4M) workshops for teachers. All this work is done free of charge as it is our social contribution to our community. The teachers get 18 CPTD points from their teacher’s union for attending these workshops. These workshops consist of 18 hours of professional input over four weeks:

POSTGRADUATE SUPERVISION

• One master’s student graduated in April 2021, two master’s students graduated in December 2021

• Two doctoral students and six master’s students are currently busy with their studies

RESEARCH GRANTS

The NRF CPRR grant for 2021 was awarded for R165 000. Prof Condy has R166 591 in her Publications cost code.

PUBLICATIONS

PROF JANET CONDY

condyj@cput.ac.za

• From 22 February to 20 March, the chair and unit hosted one R4M workshop with 179 NAPTOSA national teachers from all provinces in South Africa (394 teachers signed up)

• From 5 May to 29 April, the chair and unit hosted another R4M workshop for 27 SADTU teachers in the Western Cape

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

Prof Condy hosted two postdoctoral fellows: Dr Heather Phillips and Dr Chantyclaire Tiba. Dr Tiba took maternity leave from June to December 2021.

During 2021, the chair and unit published four publications, with six papers in review.

FACULTY OF EDUCATION MASTER’S AND DOCTORATE SEMINARS

During 2021, the chair and unit hosted seven online seminars from January to July. After that, Prof Chris Winberg took over as the chair, and the unit became involved in the Sisonke Supervision Mentoring Project.

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OTHER International research project

As Focus Area leader for Human, Health & Social Dynamics, Prof Condy began a project with the University of Oulu. This is one of Finland’s biggest and most multidisciplinary universities – an international science university which creates new knowledge, well-being and innovations for the future through research and education. Prof Condy met with Prof Karin Murris and they discussed their upcoming project titled ‘Critical Thinking’. Prof Condy advertised this project on CPUT Newsflash. Ten people from across all faculties have shown an interest, and so far there’s been one meeting online with Oulu. Another meeting date with everyone involved has been set up for February next year.

Institutional research projects

- The Sisonke Supervision Mentoring Programme ran from July to November. There were three phases, with weekly planning meetings with the core team of nine members, as well as weekly meetings with the whole team of 12–20 people.

- Four of the unit’s abstracts were accepted for the 8th Postgraduate Conference which will be held next year in March.

- The unit worked with Prof Dina Burger to design a 4IR questionnaire for HERSA.

- Prof Condy was chosen to be Chairperson for CPUT’s VC’s Prestigious Achievers Award celebration.

- Prof Condy reviewed two articles for SAJCE and the Journal of Transdisciplinary Research in SA.

- Prof Condy examined two master’s theses – one each for UJ and UKZN.

RESEARCH

CHAIR

WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING IN TVET COLLEGES

(ETDP SETA WIL CHAIR) | Faculty of Education

ETDP SETA WIL CHAIR PROJECTS 2015 − 2018

The ETDP SETA provided funding to CPUT to establish a Research Chair for Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) in TVET Colleges from April 2015 to March 2018.

The following three research projects were conducted:

PROF NOTHEMBA JOYCE NDUNA

ndunaj@cput.ac.za

• The 2015/16 research project identified current WIL practice and WIL staff development needs of TVET college lecturers.

• The 2016/17 project focused on the feasibility of developing and facilitating the WIL components of TVET staff qualifications, in response to the researched staff development needs.

• The 2017/18 project was an investigation into ETDP SETA-funded RPL practices and processes with the purpose of developing best RPL practice models for the WIL components of TVET staff qualifications.

The research findings of these projects resulted in a growing interest in the development of new HEQSFaligned TVET college lecturer qualifications that have WIL components. Both the ETDP SETA and the DHET focused on the development of the WIL components of TVET college staff qualifications. This project attracted DHET funding for CPUT to lead and co-ordinate the national College Lecturer Education Project (CLEP). CLEP’s goal was to produce a national WIL Curriculum Framework that could be adapted by the Education faculties of 16 South African universities, for the purpose of developing and offering TVET college staff qualifications. CPUT facilitated the development of this national curriculum framework and distributed the completed framework to the Education faculties of the CLEP universities. These faculties (including CPUT’s Faculty of Education) have started to offer TVET college lecturer qualifications (i.e. an Advanced Diploma in Technical and Vocational Education and Training).

The need for the development of industry-based WIL components of TVET college staff qualifications was also enforced by the publication of the 2013 policy on Professional Qualifications for Lecturers in TVET, which requires TVET college lecturers to do both school-based teaching practice and industry-based WIL. The developed WIL Curriculum Framework was also used for the development of staff qualifications in Adult Community Education and Training (ACET). This research uptake indicates the relevance of the work of the ETDP SETA WIL Research Chair to the needs

of both the TVET and ACET sectors, as well as to the needs of Education faculties at South African higher education institutions.

THE YEAR 2019

There were no planned SETA-related research activities for 2019 as the lifespan of all the SETAs was scheduled to end in June 2018. When the decision to reinstate the SETAs was made by the South African government in 2019, the rest of the year was used to reappoint the CEOs of the SETAs and the SETA boards. In 2019, the new board of the ETDP SETA approved the revival of the Research Chairs from April 2020 to March 2021, thus enabling the ETDP SETA WIL Research Chair to proceed with research activities in 2020.

ETDP SETA WIL CHAIR RESEARCH ACTIVITIES 2020–2021

The ETDP SETA WIL Chair’s 2020/21 study focused on the practice of workplace learning at South African TVET colleges and workplaces, and explored working relationships between the TVET sector and the world of work. Particular attention was paid to the ways TVET college students are prepared, placed, monitored and assessed for their 18-month workplace learning experience. The purpose is to determine appropriate WIL

elements or areas for capacity building interventions of education and training practitioners. It is envisaged that such capacity building interventions will enable TVET college staff to implement appropriate forms of WIL that could strengthen skills development and enhance student employability and entrepreneurial capabilities.

The following research questions were used to guide the study:

• What are student reflections on their WIL experience at TVET colleges and workplaces?

• What are the views of the workplaces on WIL practice? To what extent are workplaces prepared to provide TVET lecturers and learners with placement and mentoring opportunities?

• How do trade unions perceive the placement of TVET college lecturers and students in their workplaces?

In line with the research questions, the following research projects were conducted from April 2020 to March 2021:

• Project 1: Establish how TVET students experience WIL at TVET colleges and workplaces

• Project 2: Understand the views of the workplaces on WIL practice, and determine their readiness to receive TVET staff and students

• Project 3: Investigate the perceptions of trade unions on the placement of TVET college lecturers and students in their workplaces

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Data Collection

Both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies were used. These incorporated desktop and field research. For desktop research, WIL-related policies, WIL research reports, databases and other source documents were consulted. For field research, surveys were conducted through the use of online questionnaires presented in the form of online links and followed up with telephone interviews. An innovative way of designing online questionnaires during the Covid-19 pandemic substituted for face-to-face focus group interviews. These generated automatic responses on spreadsheets, making data analysis easier and quicker to handle.

Findings and conclusions

Research findings from the responses of the practitioners, students, workplace mentors and supervisors, and trade unions revealed several challenges. There appears to be the need for an improvement plan for WIL practice in terms of preparing, placing, monitoring and assessing students’ workplace learning. These research findings also indicated that an improvement plan for developing closer working relationships between TVET colleges and workplaces is necessary. Based on the research findings, it appears that WIL practice at South African TVET colleges needs urgent attention and intervention by all relevant stakeholders. Students who are looking for work placements on their own tend to accept any employment opportunity without considering its relevance to their programmes of study. This often results in inappropriate work placements and the production of unemployable graduates.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Findings and recommendations of the 2020 project were presented to and discussed by the ETDP SETA Management and TVET Chamber on 11 November 2020 and by the ETDP SETA Higher Education and Research Chamber on 23 March 2021. The discussions have highlighted a growing interest in interventions for addressing the current situation.

• The ETDP SETA WIL Research Chair generated an amount of R1 870 000 through submitting CPUT invoices for eight tranche payments by the ETDP SETA during the 2020/21 project.

• The success of the 2020/21 project has led to CPUT being awarded a further fiveyear Research Chair (from April 2021 to March 2026) by the ETDP SETA. The Chair will conduct action research to enable interventions to be carried out to improve WIL practice in the TVET sector and align the practice with current trends and new developments in the labour market.

RESEARCH UPTAKE

The research findings of the 2020/21 project on reflections of TVET college students, workplaces and trade unions on the current practice of WIL at South African TVET colleges have resulted in a five-year intervention phase by the ETDP SETA and its constituencies. The aim is to improve WIL practice at TVET colleges through participatory action research. This research will be conducted by the ETDP SETA WIL Research Chair from April 2021 to March 2026. This means that the focus of the WIL Research Chair for the next five years will be to develop a mechanism for the ETDP SETA to improve WIL practice in TVET colleges and facilitate the development of innovative ways that include the integration of WIL with technologically-driven virtual reality.

SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL

RESEARCH

COUNCIL/CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY/ CARDIOMETABOLIC HEALTH RESEARCH CENTRE (SAMRC/CPUT/CHRC) | Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences

The population with cardiometabolic diseases is growing relatively faster in Africa than anywhere else in the world. These diseases include diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular diseases. The development of these illnesses and their complications is largely due to the complex interaction between genetic, behavioural and environmental factors. However, available data including that of SAMRC/CPUT/CHRC has demonstrated that the distribution of traditional risk factors for these conditions is not appreciably different between those with or without the condition. The common denominator of environmental factors promoting disease development and progression is that they trigger an inflammatory response, promoting inflammation-mediated pathways and endothelial dysfunction. SAMRC/CPUT/CMHRC is involved with extending strategies to combat and manage non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by focusing on emerging pathways, namely, epigenetic mechanisms, microbiome investigations and immune activation assessment. This is done in order to provide new mechanistic insights into the inflammatory genesis of cardiometabolic traits and severe vascular complications.

BREAKTHROUGHS AND HIGHLIGHTS DURING 2021

PROF TANDI MATSHA

matshat@cput.ac.za

• SAMRC/CPUT/CMHRC in partnership with Stellenbosch University is assessing miRNA profiling of South African Covid-19 patients who were admitted to intensive care units with severe symptoms of the disease.

• This centre has started a collaboration with the SAMRC Non-Communicable Disease Unit, in which they are conducting genome-wide DNA methylation and miRNA profiling in HIV patients. In addition, validation of these epigenetic changes are to be assessed in hypertension, diabetes and chronic kidney diseases.

• It has been demonstrated that South African institutions lack supervisory capacity in all areas of medical research. Thus, one of the major focuses of this centre has been the development of next generation research leaders on NCDs in the country. During 2021, two doctorate studies were supervised to completion, and two postdoctoral fellows joined the unit.

• Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, SAMRC/CPUT/CMHRC produced 11 peer-reviewed articles during 2021.

• The unit hosted two inter national conferences, namely the 3rd Annual Point of Care Testing (POCT) Africa Conference https://www.poctafrica.org/ and the 1st Annual Cardiometabolic Health and Diabetes Africa Congress https://www.cmhcongress.org/

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Landmark study continues to advance knowledge

The landmark Vascular Metabolic Health Study, which started in 2014, continues to bear fruit with the data and specimens collected being used in various studies currently underway. The study has already had numerous successes including several publications in high-impact journals, including Nature and The Lancet. It has also resulted in global collaborations with regards to diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

About 2 000 residents of Belhar and Bellville South participated in the first phase of participant recruitment between 2014 and 2016. Ms Saarah Davids from the SAMRC/CPUT Cardiometabolic Health Research Unit said diabetes and hypertension are on the rise in South Africa across all ethnic groups. She also said that these

conditions contribute to the non-communicable diseases growing burden, which is expected to overtake infectious diseases, such as HIV and TB. “In cognisance of this, and the urban transition that is taking place, the unit has studied and is identifying the risk factors and long-term complications associated with developing these conditions in the mixed-ancestry population that resides in the Bellville South and Belhar communities, adjacent to the university campus.”

The research study sought to quantify the extent of the problem by identifying people with diabetes and hypertension as well as those at high risk of developing these conditions. “Each of these conditions is associated with a metabolic syndrome, which our

research has shown to be considerably high in the mixed-ancestry population. In this regard, we are pursuing the identification and assessment of novel biomarkers, which may help identify those subjects who otherwise might be missed when using the traditional biomarkers,” Ms Davids added.

“Both diabetes and hypertension are associated with medium and long-term complications, such as chronic kidney disease and severe and debilitating eye complications, which can lead to end-stage renal failure and blindness respectively. We have subsequently put in place measures to screen subjects and institute prevention strategies,” she said. The study not only examines the traditional risk factors associated with the development of diabetes and hypertension, but it also identifies non-traditional ones. These risk factors include examining environmental and genetic factors that predispose some individuals to the development of diabetes and associated cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and ischemic heart disease.

Ms Davids continued, “The study established that the mixedancestry population has a very high prevalence of diabetes and the metabolic syndrome and a high risk of developing cardiovascular complications. In addition, the diagnostic cut-offs for screening for diabetes are considerably different in our community from the recommended international cut-offs. Similarly, waist circumference cut-offs, a simple tool for the identification of metabolic syndrome, are different from the recommended international cut-offs and emphasise the need to validate international recommendations before adopting them in South Africa.”

Staff and students working on samples for analysis

RESEARCH INSTITUTE

INSTITUTE (PERI) including RESEARCH CHAIR: WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING (WIL) (NRF SARCHI CHAIR)

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION RESEARCH

PROF CHRIS WINBERG

winbergc@cput.ac.za

The period 2016 to 2020 saw the first five-year grant for the NRF SARChI Chair in Work-Integrated Learning (WIL). Following a favourable review of the first five years, a second five-year renewal of the NRF SARChI grant for this Research Chair was approved.

The work of the Professional Education Research Institute is closely linked to the work of the Research Chair. In 2021, following a short extension, the Work-Integrated Laboratory Learning Project, funded by a DHET University Capacity Development Grant (UCDG), came to an end. The focus of the Work-Integrated Laboratory Learning Project was an investigation into how university laboratories could support WIL, and ultimately graduate employability. With the pivot online, the award of this grant was timely, as the PERI team were then able to shift to an exploration of virtual laboratories and their potential alignment with professional or industry laboratories.

A number of PERI’s projects are on-going. In 2021, the PhD in Engineering Education, which is led by UCT and includes CPUT and UJ as collaborators, made progress. This project is funded by a National Collaborative UCDG. The TVET Evaluation Project, which includes Prof Joyce Nduna, Prof James Garraway and Dr Shairn Hollis-Turner, completed a number of technical reports and achieved the milestone of the first published article.

The Dual Higher Education Project is a collaboration between the four Western Cape universities and Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, Germany. The project is managed by Prof Antoinette Tolken-Smith of CHEC. CPUT is the lead institution, and Prof Joseph Grocherman from the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences is the contact person for the German collaboration.

The Irish/South African ‘Work-Integrated Learning Comparative Analysis’ project started in 2019, and is jointly funded by the Technological Higher Education Network of South Africa (THENSA) and the Technological Higher Education Association in Ireland (THEA). The South African partners include Prof Penelope Engel-Hills and Prof Chris Winberg (CPUT), Dr Henri Jacobs (CUT) and Prof Roelien Brink (UJ). On the Irish side, there is Dr Frances Finn and Dr Eleanor Kent (Waterford Institute of Technology), Prof Irene Sheredon (Munster University of Technology) and Dr Dermot O’Donovan (Galway Mayo Institute of Technology).

The ongoing work of the PERI group includes presenting seminars and workshops to the CPUT community and beyond, as well as the collaborative supervision of doctoral and master’s candidates. PERI has also started a writing group, comprising both academic staff and postgraduate students. The writing group meets every Wednesday evening, and has been very helpful in enabling regular contact between supervisors and candidates in a constructive writing space, as well as progressing both our own and our students’ writing projects.

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In 2021, a new project was started by the PERI team and the University of Tampere, Finland, titled ‘The Change Laboratory in Africa’. Seed funding for the project was obtained by the Global Innovation Network for Teaching and Learning (GINTL), and is administered by Prof Annalisa Sannino (Tampere University).

The PERI team include Prof Chris Winberg, Prof James Garraway, Prof Hanlie Dippenaar, Dr Lizel Hudson and Ms Lilian Ganduri. The plans going forward include publications and conference papers, hosting a conference, and an application for a larger grant to included additional African scholars.

FUNDING

Source Amount

National Research Foundation (NRF): Grant-holder Linked 250 357

National Research Foundation (NRF): NRF Chairs 1 441 482

Publications 2019 Faculty Contribution 36 502

TOTAL 1 728 341

RESEARCH CENTER

CENTRE FOR TOURISM RESEARCH IN AFRICA (CETRA)

Department of Tourism & Events Management

Faculty of Business & Management Sciences

The Centre for Tourism Research in Africa (CETRA) is CPUT’s research hub for tourism-related research. It’s based in the Department of Tourism & Events Management, within the Faculty of Business & Management Sciences on the District Six Campus.

CETRA’s mandate is to highlight the institution’s contribution to tourism and hospitality teaching and research by advancing research excellence, facilitating research activities, uniting university researchers and practitioners domestically and internationally, and providing research facilities for researchers and students.

Despite the challenges faced by the tourism and hospitality sector due to Covid-19 induced regulations in 2021, CETRA continued to make notable contributions that are highlighted below.

MS MANDISA SILO

Head: Department of Tourism & Events Management Manager: CETRA silom@cput.ac.za

CAPE TOWN TOURISM TRAINING MANUAL

Staff in the department are encouraged to produce impactful knowledge that offers practical solutions to African problems. Working towards achieving the institutional vision as outlined in CPUT’s RTI Blueprint and V2030 remains at the heart of CETRA’s activities. Active participation in research by the CETRA team through collaborative research activities and partnerships, with industry and with colleagues, has enabled the growth of this research hub. CETRA views collaboration as key to the success of its research enhancement project. In 2020/2021, the Department of Tourism & Events Management partnered with Cape Town Tourism

to establish a formal basis of co-operation in support of CPUT postgraduate students. The department received financial support from Cape Town Tourism amounting to R94 500, which was negotiated in exchange for a two-day training programme and manual that form part of Cape Town Tourism’s Transformative Tourism Model. The training manual was completed in 2021, titled Neighbourhood Experience Development Training Manual 2022. It has been developed to help SMMEs navigate the many challenges and hurdles that come with running a successful tourism business, particularly in Cape Town’s local informal areas (townships).

In line with the high value it places on collaboration, CETRA has expanded its network to partner with Mount Kenya University. Dr Hilary Bama facilitated and led the initial meetings and discussions with staff from Mount Kenya, aiming to foster opportunities for exchange programmes, joint supervision of postgraduate students, staff and student mobilities, and curriculum review and development. This partnership was initiated by Dr Earnest Safari, CPUT alumni from the Department of Tourism & Events Management, who saw the importance of strengthening ties and forging mutually beneficial linkages between the Kenyan university and CPUT. Conversations and meetings about this partnership are still underway, and are expected to benefit both institutions greatly.

GUEST LECTURE SERIES

In trying to give the students real-world experiences, CETRA has helpful assistance from the expertise offered by guest lecturers. These talks provide important educational content for students based on real and authentic experiences of the individuals delivering them. With guest lectures, students get to see the insight and perspective of the speakers’ specific fields. An example is a session titled ‘Technology advances and impact on industry’, which was delivered by Mr Mabu Manaileng, the co-founder and research scientist at Datawizzards in August.

RESEARCH EXCELLENCE AND KNOWLEDGE CREATION

The Department of Tourism & Events Management supports staff development programmes arranged by the institution and external parties/partners. Mr Washington Makuzva, an emerging researcher and lecturer in the department, enrolled for the Teaching Development Programme (TDP). His portfolio and submission were selected as the best in the 2021 TDP cohort (Top Achiever). In addition, Mr Makuzva completed the Scholarship for Teaching and Learning (SoTL) programme with his presentation at the Research in Teaching and Learning (RITAL) Conference, where it again was ranked as the best presentation. Linked to the SoTL programme, and after presenting at the RITAL Conference, this staff member received funding of R33 000 to allow him to conduct a study on the impact of Covid-19 on future study choices.

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Neighbourhood Experience Development Training Manual 2022

Mr Mabu Manaileng, co-founder and research scientist at Datawizzards

Mr Washington Makuzva, researcher and lecturer

The 2021 International Conference on Tourism Research (ICTR) was hosted virtually and included several presentations on various topics from the Department of Tourism & Events Management. One of the presentations on township tourism, delivered by Ms Parveen Ebrahim and Mr Gift Muresherwa, was awarded a Certificate of Merit for Best Presentation. The 5th International Conference on Events (ICE), hosted by CPUT, had a large pool of presentations, full papers and abstracts from this department.

Below are some of the conference presentations which were delivered by Department of Tourism & Events Management staff:

• ‘Deciphering the socio-economic and environmental impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on South Africa’s tourism: A conceptual reflection’, in Proceedings of the International Conference on Tourism Research (Vila do Conde, Portugal)

• ‘Covid-19 pandemic and the cancellation of the uMkhosi Womhlanga cultural festival in KwaNongoma, KwaZulu-Natal’, in Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Events – Making New Waves in Africa: Exploring New Frontiers in Festivals and Events (CPUT)

• ‘The role of cultural festivals in the development of cultural tourism in KwaNongoma, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa’ in Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Hospitality and Tourism Management (Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Florida International University)

• ‘The changing face of tourism in Africa in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic: A conceptual overview’, in Proceedings of the 4th International Scientific Conference (TOURMAN 2021) (International Hellenic University, Greece)

• ‘South African restaurants employment profile’, in

Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Events – Making New Waves in Africa: Exploring New Frontiers in Festivals and Events (CPUT)

• ‘Potential employment disruptions on South African restaurants: Pre-Covid-19 and Covid-19 era reflections – It’s no longer business as usual’, at the International Conference on Business and Management Dynamics (ICBMD-2021) (Durban)

• ‘A chain of events: Mapping the business events value chain – A South African supplier perspective’, in Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Events – Making New Waves in Africa: Exploring New Frontiers in Festivals and Events (CPUT)

• ‘The changing world of work: Implications for vocational Business Event Management curriculum’, in Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Events – Making New Waves in Africa: Exploring New Frontiers in Festivals and Events (CPUT)

• ‘Online reputation management: Exploring how hotels in Cape Town’s CBD manage online reviews’, in Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Events – Making New Waves in Africa: Exploring New Frontiers in Festivals and Events (CPUT)

• ‘Can South Africa’s Apartheid past promote a new niche tourism market?’, in Proceedings of the International Conference on Tourism Research (Vila do Conde, Portugal) (Certificate of Merit)

• ‘Cape Town’s township tourism: A case study of Langa’, in Proceedings of the International Conference on Tourism Research (Vila do Conde, Portugal)

Dr Chris Hattingh joined the review committee of two DHET-accredited journals, namely, the International Journal of Humanity & Society and the International

Journal of Event and Festival Management. Dr Hattingh has also contributed a book chapter on special interest tourism focusing on motivations of the African LGBTQ traveller. Dr Hilary Bama has been added to the reviewer committee of DHET-accredited journals, the African Journal of Tourism Hospitality and Leisure (AJTHL) and the Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa. Dr Bama also collaborated with staff at the School of Tourism & Hospitality (STH) which resulted in two co-authored DHET-accredited journal articles. In addition to department staff becoming reviewers for accredited journals, Mr Gift Muresherwa reviewed manuscripts for an international conference, the Higher Education Learning & Teaching Association of Southern Africa (HELTASA).

Below is a summary of some of the journal articles produced by staff from the Department of Tourism & Events Management:

• ‘Quality education: Industry contributions to embed sustainability in a meeting and event management curriculum’, in International Journal of Event & Festival Management

• ‘The effects of Covid-19 on future domestic travel intentions in South Africa: A stakeholder perspective’, in African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure

• ‘The urban legacy impacts of mega-event stadia: Selected case studies from South Africa’, in GeoSport for Society

• ‘Developing a resort destination through the eyes of the tourist’, in GeoJournal of Tourism & Geosites

STUDENT GRADUATIONS

Eight master’s students concluded their studies and graduated from the department this year.

RESEARCH CENTRE

CENTRE FOR SPORT BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH (CSBTR) including SPORT PERFORMANCE LABORATORY (SPL)

(previously: Human Performance Laboratory (HPL)

| Faculty of Business & Management Sciences

DR SACHA WEST Sport Performance Laboratory wests@cput.ac.za

The Human Performance Laboratory (HPL) was established to provide opportunities for staff and students to utilise cutting-edge technology to pursue research and enhance education and technical training in terms of human performance in sport and related activities, including human factors and ergonomics.

The relocation of the Sport Management Department to the new educational site at Newlands Cricket Ground in 2022 signifies that the department and the Faculty of Business & Management Sciences are affirming three important strategic changes to better align and position our research imperative:

i. The Human Performance Laboratory (HPL) was renamed the Sport Performance Laboratory (SPL) this year

ii. The Centre for Sport Business & Technology Research was approved by Senate in May 2021 as a new research entity

The HPL/SPL’s function in 2021 was organised to support two institutional research niche areas, notably for Focus Area 1: Bio-economy & Biotechnology and Focus Area 5: Human, Health & Social Dynamics.

The HPL/SPL operational capacity supports the following inter-related components:

• Teaching and learning

• Research and facilitation of postgraduate supervision

• Exercise testing and rehabilitation

• Community engagement

DR SHARHIDD TALIEP

Sport Performance Laboratory talieps@cput.ac.za

iii. All research planning, coordination and delivery is being driven via the Centre for Sport Business & Technology Research, guided by Prof Brendan Knott

The HPL/SPL’s research areas include:

• High performance sport

• Athlete development and transformation in sport

PROF BRENDON KNOTT Centre for Sport Business & Technology Research knottb@cput.ac.za

PROF SIMEON DAVIES

HOD: Sport Management daviess@cput.ac.za

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• Persons living with disabilities

• Physical activity in communities

• Physical activity and quality of life with chronic disease (specifically HIV/Aids)

• Sport performance and supplementation

• Sport business

• Sport management and leadership

• Sport tourism and events

• Technology applications in sport

HIGHLIGHTED ACTIVITIES FOR 2021

Construction of the new CPUT educational and research site at Newlands Cricket Ground (NCG) was completed this year. The project includes almost 4 000m2 of dedicated lecture and study areas for teaching and learning, a library, and also significant areas dedicated to augmenting the research capacity of the department and the institution. The Sport Management Department’s research work will be housed within the Sport Performance Laboratory (SPL), which will feature world class testing equipment and dedicated research staff and technicians. Importantly, the new education site at NCG will also have a postgraduate learning and research space, with direct access to the Library with a specialist selection of sport-themed books and resources, as well as the SPL to conduct sport science and sport technology related research projects.

The technical fit-out of the SPL commenced in 2021, with the installation of specialist sport flooring, and the engineering work to fit a force plate, which measures ground reaction forces for sport research in

conjunction with biomechanical assessments. The SPL will provide the space and cutting-edge technology to pursue research and enhance education and technical training in terms of human performance in sport and related activities and sport technology, including human factors and ergonomics.

The Centre for Sport Business & Technology Research (CSBTR) started work in setting up a cost centre in 2021 to facilitate and direct research funding. The CSBTR has a dedicated office at the SPL and will bring in additional funding and expertise to support the CPUT research programme.

The Rooibos Exercise Study is a collaboration between the Sport Management Department and the Research Institute: Applied Microbial & Health Biotechnology Institute (AMHBI). This became the first master’s research project at CPUT to be upgraded to a PhD which was supported by Senate. The high standard of work also facilitated the additional capacity building and collaboration with the University of Vienna and North West University. Various research outputs also emanated from staff, within the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, despite this limiting research opportunities.

Further sport-related research activities within the auspices of the HPL/SPL and CSBTR include:

• The staging of the 4th Inter national Events Conference, under the leadership of Prof Knott at the Radisson Red Hotel, Cape Town (and online) took place in November. This ICCA-rated event drew 120 participants and was supported by industry partners: National Conventions Bureau of South Africa, Western Cape Government

Department of Sport and Culture and WESGRO. Selected full papers were published in a special edition of the International Journal of Festival and Event Management, and the full proceedings of the conference were published.

• Inter national academic Dr Cem Tinaz was hosted as part of the Erasmus+ agreement with Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkiye, in November.

• The CASO project, which included three universities from Cape Town (CPUT, UCT and UWC) and three universities from Europe (LAMK-Finland, KDGBelgium and Avans, Netherlands), where intercultural and interdisciplinary skills were combined to reach objectives set out by the project

• HAN University, Netherlands, and CPUT have a joint project running, where postgraduate students from CPUT and HAN University students will work together in interdisciplinary approaches to assist in projects in the community around the Western Cape

Further international research collaboration happened during 2021, via a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project which was designed and implemented by CPUT and Coventry University. This involved the first year Sport and Leisure Marketing cohort. The project focused on students applying basic marketing principles to specific event contexts and sharing their ideas for marking events for South Africa and the UK respectively.

As an on-going part of SPL’s strategic research initiatives to initiate and strengthen research capacity, an MoU was signed this year between CPUT Sport Management Department and Rotterdam University, which further strengthens the laboratory’s commitment to internationalisation and research collaboration.

TECHNOLOGY STATION

[Note: This technology station is also involved with projects in FAs 4 & 6]

ADAPTRONICS ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (ADAPTRONICS AMTL)

| Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

INTRODUCTION

The Adaptronics AMTL was established in January 2007. The primary objective of the unit is to specialise as a national manufacturing, research and educational resource centre for adaptronic technologies in South Africa. Adaptronics is technology that integrates sensor and actuator functions into materials, components and structures, so that they can react to environment stimuli thus making them intelligent.

Based on the technology activities, innovation and successes of the Adaptronics AMTL, it was officially incorporated into the Technology Innovation Agency’s (TIA) Technology Station programme in March 2013, when it became the 18th Technology Station in South Africa.

PROF OSCAR

PHILANDER

philandero@cput.ac.za

VISION OF THE ADAPTRONICS AMTL

This Technology Station’s vision is to be at the heart of advanced manufacturing technology education, research and innovation in Africa for Africa.

MISSION OF THE ADAPTRONICS AMTL

• Develop and sustain an empowering environment where, through teaching, learning, research and scholarship, our students and staff, in partnership with the surrounding community and industry, are able to create and apply knowledge that contributes to development

• Create opportunities for students to apply knowledge in real-life situations

• Contribute to socio-economic development

• Facilitate the integration of community engagement activities with teaching, lear ning and research, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders

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TECHNOLOGY STATION

CLOTHING & TEXTILES (TSCT) | Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

The Technology Station: Clothing and Textiles (TSCT) is located in the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment on the Bellville Campus. This technology station was established to provide innovation support to the clothing and textile industry in order to help improve competitiveness. These specific services are provided to the clothing, textiles and related sectors:

MANUFACTURING ADVISORY SERVICES

Examples include manufacturing audits and assessment; industrial engineering services for the improvement of productivity, including process layout, optimising sewing methods and workstudy; and advice on the acquisition of new or improved technology.

PRODUCT TESTING AND ANALYSIS

The laboratory at the TSCT provides product testing and an analysis service to the clothing, textile and related industries, as well as clothing- and textile-related consulting services, e.g. advice on material use and care, and fabric specification development.

HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT

HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2021

New SMMEs supported 87

Repeat SMMEs supported 45

Large business supported (full cost) 20

Tests and analysis conducted for business 417

Products developed 41

INCOME FOR

2021

MR SHAMIL ISAACS

isaacssh@cput.ac.za techstation@cput.ac.za www.tsct.co.za

TECHNOLOGY

SUPPORT CENTRE

The TSCT has a number of specialised technologies available at its Bellville office for research, technology demonstration, prototype development and small-scale manufacturing. Small businesses can use the technology on an appointment basis, and staff at the TSCT also provide advice on the application and use of these machines. Charges are levied for the use of the equipment, but these are largely subsidised.

The TSCT regularly hosts interns to work on client projects under supervision so that they may gain industry experience. The TSCT also offers a menu of short learning programmes to the clothing, textile and related industries.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Services include clothing product development using CAD software (computer-aided design) for pattern development; pattern grading (sizing); marker making (maximising the material utilisation before cutting); and 3D body scanning and 3D simulation on an avatar using data extracted from the 3D body scanner.

Technology Innovation Agency grants 6 248 889

Cost recovered from clients 591 967

Other grants* 1 116 850

Total income 7 957 706

* Grant received from Global Environment and Technology Foundation, USA, for equipment to establish a PPE textile laboratory –Resistance to liquid penetration, resistance to microbial penetration, synthetic blood penetration, cleanliness particulate matter –IPM/Linting (Log10) lint count

INTRODUCTION BY PROF IZAK VAN ZYL vanzyliz@cput.ac.za

6FOCUS AREA

THE DIGITAL SOCIETY

Given the rapid changes presented by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the ‘Digital Society’ has come to fruition in 2021, both as a reality and a research focus area. In terms of the former, our university again faced an uncertain year, and, in many respects, its immediate solace was the digital realm. As the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) permeated our material realities, our students and faculty had little choice but to embrace the possibilities of a Digital Society for their own development. As with the previous year, this meant a reliance on emergency remote teaching and learning, which is dependent on bandwidth and access to mobile devices or computers. Additionally, our learners and staff had to persist in a context of severely disrupted electricity supply and dwindling economic resources. Remarkably, the academic project was completed, and success stories abound. As a focus area, our studies into the Digital Society helped unpack its various complexities as expressed in our niche areas. Through several centres (BIIC, PLMCC and CCS) and research hubs (BDR), we studied the components of the Digital Society in depth, as is described below. Through these various scientific undertakings, as a university of technology, we build towards a sustainable means of solving complex (or ‘wicked’) real-world problems.

NICHE AREA 1: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND DATA SCIENCE

This niche area embraces broad aspects of artificial intelligence that focus on solving real-world problems and aid human decision-making. The emphasis is on expert systems. These operate on predefined knowledge and learning systems that emulate human brain functioning to generate machine constructed solutions. It also looks at how people manage, manipulate, extract and interpret knowledge from a tremendous amount of raw data. This could be structured, unstructured, incomplete, skewed or irrelevant. The key focus is on making meaning of masses of databases or ongoing signals in order to develop informed and actionable recommendations. This area touches on data generated through the internet of things (IoT), social media, big data, the application of machine learning, and statistical and mathematical modelling methods for data analytics.

NICHE AREA 2: SHARING ECONOMY

‘Sharing economy’ is a term for a new way of distributing goods and services. This way differs from the traditional model of corporations hiring employees and selling products to consumers. In the sharing economy, individuals rent or share things like cars, homes, clothing and personal time with other individuals in a peer-to-peer fashion. It enables people to enter the economy, typically using mobile applications. This area is expanding to include the gig economy – a labour market made up of short-term jobs, contracted or freelance work, instead of permanent, in-house jobs. This is a strong emerging concept that has a sound focus on social upliftment and bolstering economic growth.

NICHE AREA 3: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

This is the process of joining materials to make objects from 3D model data, usually layer upon layer, instead of subtractive manufacturing methodologies, such as traditional machining. Additive manufacturing embraces rapid prototyping, additive fabrication, layer manufacturing, freeform manufacturing and 3D printing.

NICHE AREA 4: DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS

A distributed system is a network that consists of autonomous computers and devices connected using a distribution middleware. They help share resources and capabilities to provide users with a single and integrated coherent access experience. This includes connected computers and the management of information from various sources. In Industry 4.0 terms, this is an important integrating factor encompassing the Cloud, IoT, robotics, automated process simulation, blockchain technologies and cybersecurity.

NICHE AREA 5: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY FOR DEVELOPMENT (ICT4D)

This area focuses on using ICT-based approaches to address complex questions and challenges in society, government and industry in order to facilitate development. It embraces aspects of digital citizenship that seek to promote ease of user access to information and telecommunication technologies to minimise the digital divide. It also concerns the ethical and responsible management of IT resources and technologies. ICT for development (ICT4D) focuses on societal upliftment through the development, deployment and use of ICTs. Examples include eGovernment, e-Health, Health Informatics, e-Education, e-Learning, and the like.

The core elements of the Digital Society include artificial intelligence, the sharing economy, additive manufacturing, distributed systems, and information and communication technologies with development potential. Collectively, the researchers in Focus Area: The Digital Society work towards understanding and incorporating these aspects to engender inclusive development against the background of a fragile global ecosystem.

RESEARCH CENTRE

CENTRE FOR BUSINESS INNOVATION & INCUBATION (BIIC) | Faculty of Business & Management Sciences

Since its establishment in October 2019, the Centre for Business Innovation & Incubation (BIIC) has facilitated a number of digital transformation capability research projects and been involved in graduate venture creation development – infrastructure, attitude, knowledge and skills. Some of the ongoing projects since 2020, despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, are:

INCLUSIVE INDUSTRY-LINKED TECHNOPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT INFRASTRUCTURE ( new )

INCLUSIVE TECHNOPRENEURSHIP FORUM (ITF) ( new )

This is one of the nine Innovation for Africa Universities (IAU) British Council-sponsored projects of £20 000 to establish an Inclusive Technopreneurship Forum (ITF). The forum will be hosted annually, and aims to draw industry and universities together on one platform. Participants will share, learn and build the first technopreneurship ecosystem of industries and universities to support graduate employability. The maiden British Council-sponsored ITF is scheduled to be held in August next year, and be hosted jointly by CPUT, Manchester Metropolitan University (UK) and Snake Nation (SA) at the Cape Town Hotel School in Cape Town and Manchester Metropolitan University’s Business School in UK.

DR MICHAEL TWUM-DARKO

Graduate Centre for Management darkom@cput.ac.za

This is one of the Innovation for Africa Universities (IAU) British Council-sponsored projects of £100 000 to establish a sustainable, inclusive, industry-linked graduate technopreneurship development infrastructure. This infrastructure involves inspiring-based pedagogy delivered with inspiring-based curricula on a technology platform driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI) software (a simulator). The proposed approach is to be implemented next year. It involves working with Snake Nation (ecosystem partner) and students and graduates with strong ideas that could be turned into business or enterprise creations. The students and graduates would be discovered through hackathon events, and the selected ones would be placed onto the AI simulator.

EMPLOYMENT DEMAND FORECASTING MODEL FOR THE SERVICES SECTOR OF SOUTH AFRICA (new)

This is a Services SETA-sponsored R785 000 project awarded to the BIIC in 2021, to be completed by August 2022. It will use the IMF World Economic Outlook (IMF-WEO) forecast of South Africa’s GDP as the policy scenario variable for the period 2022−2027. With the IMF-WEO GDP forecast, the Services SETA 70 SIC, 16

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Dr Michael Twum-Darko, head of the BIIC and acting head of the Graduate Centre for Management, outlined several innovative projects under his supervision being undertaken by postgraduate students during the launch of ‘The Next Big Thing’ project. This project seeks to tackle the country’s unemployment problem head on. It has been initiated by NPO Caring4Hope to develop 2 000 South African young entrepreneurs a year for the next three years at a cost of R15 million per annum.

The Graduate Centre for Management’s BIIC was identified by Caring4Hope as one of the incubators with which to partner. The BIIC is an academic incubator to actualise the vision of ‘smartness’ conceived by VC Prof Nhlapo, as a measure which sets CPUT apart from our counterparts, and tells the story of how the university is tackling the phenomenal opportunities presented by the 4th Industrial Revolution.

The scope of the three-year collaborative agreement between CPUT and the NPO is for the BIIC to provide theoretical training for entrepreneurial skills development in the form of online coaching and mentoring of selected youth across the country. During the launch, Dr Twum-Darko said that in order to remain relevant and enable emerging thinkers to pursue surer pathways to success, the BIIC introduces a campus space where students can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and interested financiers.

He added that academic incubators are distinct ecosystems with inquisitive entrepreneurs, and that postgraduate students seeking connections to the marketplace can use the BIIC to create enterprises or to become employable. He cited several innovative projects under his supervision that are being undertaken by postgraduate students in the centre, such as the application of machine learning in managing diseases in pig farming and the application of big data analytics to improve students’ performance, among others.

Mr Rodrigue Mounguengui, CEO and founder of ‘The Next Big Thing’, said that to deliver on the aspirations of the project, Caring4Hope had teamed up with CPUT, Google and The Barleader TV. “It’s not about the size of your pocket but the size of your mind,” added Mr Mounguengui. The CPUT alumnus said Google’s role of creating business profiles for the selected entrepreneurs for free was crucial, and that the TV production company would produce reality shows about entrepreneurship to inspire communities.

Mr Mounguengui, who completed a Master in Business Administration degree at Stellenbosch University in 2020, said that the project will organise a Business Summit, where industry captains from the public and private sectors as well as academic and commercial institutions will be invited to discuss why the billions of rand which were poured onto South Africa’s small businesses for decades have not yielded jobs. Prof Renitha Rampersad, FBMS’s Assistant Dean: Research & Innovation, said the project fits in well with the faculty’s research trajectory and congratulated Dr Twum-Darko for his foresight.

sub-sectors and six chambers, outputs will be determined based on an already established relationship between the national GDP and the Services SETA’s contributions for the historical data. This will be used to forecast the labour demand for the 70 SIC, 16 sub-sectors and the six chambers for the Services SETA. The BIIC will be collaborating with senior researchers in CPUT’s Faculty of Business & Management Sciences, the University of Ibadan (Nigeria) and the Pan-Atlantic University (Nigeria).

STUDANCE (ongoing)

This is a doctoral study involving the application of big data analytics to improve students’ performance. It uses machine learning to build a technology platform to customise and personalise teaching and learning, based on the number of clicks a student makes for a given scenario. The platform has been tested with dummy data of first year NQF Level 6 students in order to predict their performance, with the aim of helping them complete their qualifications in time.

e VILLAGE (on hold)

Funding from an NRF rating grant was used to initiate the eVillage project. This is an applied research and community engagement project to build a technology platform using cyber-physical systems, namely digital technologies, the internet of things and machine-to-machine communication, to retain wealth in rural areas, with the purpose of rebuilding rural economies. To this end, Zwelethemba Township in the Breede Valley Municipality was used as a case study. The entire community, the mayoral committee and the ward councillors have given land and other logistical support for its implementation. eVillage is collaborating with Kasi Catalyst (Pty) Ltd to build locally-owned small market stores and CelBux Technology to provide the most resilient disruptive technology. This project is on hold waiting for funding via Kasi Catalyst to implement locally-owned small market stores.

Dr Michael Twum-Darko of the BIIC

‘The Next Big Thing’ launched at CPUT

FINTECHS AND BARRIERS TO SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFORMATION

(ongoing)

This project, which continues until December 2022, is a BankSETA contract research grant of R1 190 000 to implement its research agenda. The goals are to gain a clearer understanding of Fintechs, to strengthen synergies between the banking sector and Fintechs, and to help transform the banking and alternative banking sectors. The associated literature review has been completed and sent to BankSETA for review. Due to the continuous adjustments of lockdown regulations during 2020, the methodology and data collection instruments had to be revised and submitted for ethics approval. Pilot research was conducted during 2021.

e LEADERSHIP (ongoing)

The eLeadership project comprises the development of a technology platform to predict competencies of leadership. It seeks to address organisational competitiveness in the digital transformation of an organisation or a unit of an organisation. It is an ongoing project that looks at other factors, such as the Covid pandemic, to improve the eLeadership matrix that is used to predict the competencies of leaders to lead in the 21st century.

IN CONCLUSION

Although the above initiatives were affected by the pandemic lockdown regulations, they were nevertheless used to develop new venture creation and/or entrepreneurship development infrastructure. This has resulted in tenders and grant proposals bringing in research-funded projects in line with the BIIC’s objectives. These have been of benefit to the BIIC’s postgraduate researchers.

BankSETA awards over a million to Graduate Centre for Management

The Bank Sector Education and Training Authority (BankSETA) awarded R1.19 million to the Graduate Centre for Management’s Business Incubation & Innovation Centre (BIIC) as a research partner to conduct cuttingedge research. Lecturer Ms Judith Smith said the centre’s partnership with the BankSETA will run until March 2023. The centre has committed to conducting research on skills analysis of FinTechs and how they bridge skills gaps in the banking and alternative banking sectors and strengthen synergies between the banking sector and FinTechs.

Ms Smith added that the centre would also focus on how skills development contributes to the transformation of the banking and alternative banking sectors. She described the BIIC as an academic incubator to actualise the vision of ‘smartness’ propagated by VC Prof Chris Nhlapo, as a measure that sets CPUT apart from our counterparts. She added that it tells the story of how CPUT is grappling with the phenomenal opportunities presented by the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Dr Michael Twum-Darko, head of the BIIC and acting head of the Graduate Centre for Management, said the competency that was established to re-curriculate the Diploma in Banking, PGDip in Digital Business, Bachelor of Business Informatics and Doctor of Business Informatics programmes would be used to conduct the research for the SETA.

The centre has been identified by NPO Caring4Hope as one of the incubators to turn young South Africans into entrepreneurs. ‘The Next Big Thing’ is a project initiated by Caring4Hope. It aims to develop 2 000 South African youth in a year to become job creators for the next three years at an annual cost of R15 million. The scope of the three-year agreement is for the BIIC to provide theoretical training for entrepreneurial skills development in the form of online coaching and mentoring of selected youth across the country.

Dr Twum-Darko said the contract stipulated that a team of facilitators and assessors meets on a regular basis with the project’s coordinator to monitor all aspects of the progress of the students and submits reports to Caring4Hope when available. Caring4Hope will be responsible for the management of the programme, recordkeeping of assessments, and forwarding of records and necessary correspondence to all stakeholders including the financial partners.

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BANKSETA partners with CPUT to conduct cutting-edge research

RESEARCH CENTRE

CENTRE FOR COMMUNICATION STUDIES (CCS) | Faculty of Informatics and Design

INTRODUCTION

The vision of the Centre for Communication Studies (CCS) is to foster human-centred relevance and excellence in research that is directed at bridging communication theory and practice in the fields of media, design, digital engagement and the arts.

The CCS was established in January 2021. During its first year, the centre successfully concluded engagements specifically driven towards Vision 2030’s Focus Area 4: The Environment, Climate Change & Sustainability; Focus Area 5: Human, Health & Social Dynamics; and Focus Area 6: The Digital Society.

PUBLICATIONS

Book chapters

PROF NIC THEO

theolj@cput.ac.za

• Ms Julia Dammann, Prof Izak van Zyl and Ms Danielle Pacia authored ‘A hungry bushman is a vulnerable person: Considerations for indigenous bioethics’, in Indigenous Health Ethics: An Appeal to Human Rights

• Prof Daniela Gachago, Ms Jolanda Morkel, Prof Izak van Zyl and Prof Eunice Ivala authored ‘From design thinking to design doing: Experiences from an academic staff development programme for blended course design’, in Conceptualizing and Innovating Education and Work with Networked Learning

• Prof Daniela Gachago, Prof Izak van Zyl and Dr Faiq Waghid authored ‘More than delivery: Designing blended learning with and for academic staff’, in Creating Effective Teaching and

Learning Spaces: Shaping Futures and Envisioning Unity in Diversity and Transformation

Journal articles

• Prof Nic Theo authored ‘Liminality and historico-materialist readings of film genre’, in Glimpse, Phenomenology and Media

• Prof Nic Theo and Prof Nirvana Bechan authored ‘Degrees of becoming on recent Netflix docu-shows: Representations of women in Unbelievable and Mercury 13 vs The Keepers and The Staircase’, in Journal of Popular Television

• Prof Nic Theo authored ‘Re-reading Eduard Vilde’s Mäeküla Piimamees: Liminal Silence as ‘queering’ dramatic irony’, in NORA – Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research

• Mr Arthur Poll, Prof Izak van Zyl and Prof Jan Kroeze authored ‘Social exclusion in gamified information systems’, in Responsible AI and Analytics for an Ethical and Inclusive Digitized Society: Lecture Notes in Computer Science

Conference papers

• Mr Marvin Theys, Prof Ephias Ruhode and Dr Pat Harpur presented ‘Challenges of implementation of data protection legislation in the South African context’, in Proceedings of 11th International Conference on Research in Science & Technology

• Prof Nic Theo presented ‘Story worlds in adaptations vs in original films’, at the CPUT Centre for Communication Studies Colloquium titled Thinking Communication, Change and the Visual

• Prof Nic Theo presented ‘Embodiment in Eduard Vilde’s Milkman of the Manor’, at the Society for Phenomenology & Media’s 22nd Annual Conference

• Prof Izak van Zyl and Dr Nyx McLean presented ‘The ethical implications of digital contact tracing for LGBTQIA+ communities’, in Proceedings of IFIP 9.4 2021 Virtual Conference

• Dr Mourine Achieng and Prof Ephias Ruhode presented ‘eHealth technologies integration with healthcare work activities in public hospitals in South Africa: A critical realist perspective’, in Proceedings of the IFIP Working Group 9.4: Implications of Information and Digital Technologies for Development

• Mr Gilbert Mahlangu and Prof Ephias Ruhode presented ‘Factors enhancing e-government service gaps in a developing country context’, in Proceedings of the IFIP Working Group 9.4: Implications of Information and Digital Technologies for Development

• Mr Simphiwe Sithole and Prof Ephias Ruhode presented ‘Cloud computing adoption: Opportunities and challenges for small, medium and micro enterprises in South Africa’, in Proceedings of the IFIP Working Group 9.4: Implications of Information and Digital Technologies for Development

• Mr Teurai Matekenya and Prof Ephias Ruhode presented ‘Towards an integrated knowledge management and information and communication technology framework for improving disaster response in a developing context’, in Proceedings of the IFIP Working Group 9.4: Implications of Information and Digital Technologies for Development

Centre for Communication Studies to advance research

The newly established CCS is set to advance research in FID. The centre’s vision is to foster human-centred relevance and excellence in research that is directed at bridging communication theory and practice in the fields of media, design, digital engagement, and the arts. The centre, located on the District Six Campus, is the brainchild of Prof Nic Theo, who partnered with Prof Ephias Ruhode and Prof Izak van Zyl in strategising and thinking through the centre’s offering, and then developing the various forms of proposals required to bring it to fruition.

“It became clear over the last few years of research growth in the Faculty of Informatics & Design that researchers (both staff and postgraduate students) can benefit from increased access to research support that is not available through the existing faculty research office, which primarily serves an imperative administrative function, and therefore does not have sufficient staffing and other resources to also support research initiatives from a substantive scholarly perspective,” said Prof Theo.

“The clear focus in Vision 2030 towards One Smart CPUT and interdisciplinarity has called attention to the need for cross-pollination of research across the faculty and indeed across the institution. The increasing visibility of CPUT as a research-focused as well as teaching

university over the last decade has provided an opportunity to capitalise on existing and prospective collegial networks in order to bolster the offering of the faculty and to engage more substantively with local, regional, national and international engagements in a more focused manner. In all these regards, account was taken of how the faculty works, what its focus areas are, and what new opportunities are arising in the research space,” he added.

Prof Nic Theo leads the new Centre for Communication Studies

The centre focuses on the following Research Focus Areas in terms of Vision 2030:

• Human, Health & Social Dynamics

• The Digital Society

• The Environment, Climate Change & Sustainability

Encouraging researchers to collaborate

CPUT’s new Centre for Communication Studies hosted its first colloquium in May. The speakers included well-known author and scientist Prof Tim Noakes. The first session of the ‘Thinking Communication, Change and the Visual Inter-University Colloquium’ took place virtually on MS Teams. The event covered three main themes: Academic Practice, Communication for Change, and Visual Communication. Prof Noakes delivered the keynote address which centred around academic freedom. The programme included a roundtable discussion on what the documentary film My Octopus Teacher winning the Oscar (Academy Award) means for South African film.

“The main objectives are to inform researchers (staff and postdoctoral students) about the work going on in and beyond the university, to encourage researchers to collaborate, and to think about the ways in which their research contributes to the study of communication in cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary ways,” said the centre’s director Prof Nic Theo.

CCS hosted its first colloquium in May

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

Creative outputs

Under the guidance of Prof Izak van Zyl, postdoctoral fellow Dr Anja Venter hosted an art exhibit ‘Monsters at the Cape of Good Hope’ in Cape Town in March. This was submitted to the DHET as a creative output.

OTHER RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

Events hosted and attended

• Prof Izak van Zyl chaired/hosted the International Visual Methods Conference in December

• Prof Izak van Zyl helped facilitate the Poster Seminar at the Protea Special Interest Group in Human-Computer Interaction (SIGCHI) in December

• CCS hosted the Inter-University Colloquium (CPUT, UCT and UWC) in May; the title was ‘Thinking Communication, Change and the Visual’

Postgraduate examination and peer review

CCS staff were involved with postgraduate examination and peer review of articles for several universities.

Academic leadership/service

• Prof Nic Theo served for the second year on the DHET Creative Outputs Sub-Panel in Media as a reviewer and credit adjudicator, and as the faculty representative on the South African Humanities Deans Association, and as faculty liaison for the National Institute of Human & Social Sciences

• Prof Izak van Zyl served as a member and the treasurer for a number of academic organisations

Arrangements were formalised in 2021 for projects that will come to fruition in 2022, including special publications, the hosting of conferences and colloquia, training programmes and creative outputs. The centre looks forward to reporting on these in next year’s institutional Research Report.

RESEARCH CENTRE PRODUCT LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT COMPETENCY

CENTRE (PLMCC)

| Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

INTRODUCTION

The Product Lifecycle Management Competency Centre (PLMCC) trains students and professionals in the art of system engineering, product design and product lifecycle management. It also hosts and supervises design projects. The centre was launched in March 2012, as a partnership between the French government, Dassault Systèmes and CPUT. In 2017, the project was extended to include DUT as well. In November 2020, the contract between all four parties was extended for another 3 years.

PROF STEPHEN BOSMAN

bosmans@cput.ac.za

THE PLMCC PARTNERSHIP

The French Ministry of Education seconded a 3D Experience expert, Prof Laurent Marche, to work between the only two PLMC centers located in Africa, one at CPUT and the other at DUT. Prof Marche has introduced one of the most advanced software suites of its kind in the world. He has spent 40% of his time working

with the PLMCC on CPUT’s Bellville Campus and the Maritime Department in Granger Bay.

The Dassault Systèmes software brings students an advanced 3D experience for product design that is used mainly in engineering but can also be used in teaching design and modelling skills across other disciplines in higher education.

TEAM MEMBERS

The key members are representative of several departments and areas across the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment:

Prof Stephen Bosman (Manager) (Industrial & Systems Engineering)

Prof Laurent Marche (3D Experience Specialist, French Ministry of Education)

Prof Veruscha Vester (Assistant Dean, R&I)

Mr Bharet Morar (Industrial & Systems Engineering)

Mr Donovan Cogan (F’SATI)

Mr Butteur Ntamba Ntamba (Maritime)

Mr Michael Peterson (Mechanical)

Dr Mohammed Pourbehi (Civil & Geomatics)

Mr Adile Thole (Chemical)

RESEARCH PROJECTS

PLMCC has a partnership with its neighbouring research facility, the French–South African Institute of Technology (F’SATI), which hosts the African Space Innovation Centre (ASIC). ASIC is where CubeSats for South Africa are developed. Many of the projects run at PLMCC therefore support the research and development of CubeSat projects.

ASIC’s mechanical team made use of the PLMCC facilities for a majority of the design and development process towards both the MDASat-1 and M2MSat CubeSat projects. Both CubeSat projects focus on Automatic Identification System for ship detection around the coast of southern Africa. This supports Operation Phakisa, for maritime domain awareness for South Africa.

The ASIC team is planning the launch of three MDASat 1 (a, b and c) nanosatellites into space in January next year. These will be part of the Falcon 9 launch of Transporter-3 from the Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

ASIC. A study was conducted to simulate the on-orbit thermal heating experienced by ZACube-2 and compare this with actual telemetry from the satellite.

ACADEMIC RESEARCH

The PLMCC hosts several bachelor’s and master’s students conducting research in a range of fields including CubeSat development, additive manufacturing and power plant research.

Prof Laurent Marche has a research focus on part optimisation within the wider PLMCC group.

Prof Stephen Bosman presented at the Improving Industrial Policy Intervention (IIPI) Workshop in Stellenbosch in October 2021. This was an initiative between KU Leuven, Belgium, Stellenbosch University and CPUT. The topic of the presentation was ‘Trends in Industry X.0 and the impact on industrial policy’. This workshop was attended by delegates from over ten countries, and was translated into French.

The research centre also facilitates two 3D printers that belong to ASIC. These specialised printers were used by PLMCC members to print parts to produce replicas of the ZACube-2 CubeSat. These parts were then assembled by the PLMCC interns at the facility.

The PLMCC’s high-powered simulation PC was used for simulations towards research that is being carried out for

INTERNSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS

A collaboration was planned with Hochschule Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences, Germany, however this was curtailed in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We trust that this will be able to resume during 2022.

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

RESEARCH CENTRE

DR PIETER STEENKAMP

steenkamppi@cput.ac.za

BRAND & DIGITAL RESEARCH (BDR) HUB

| Marketing Department

| Faculty of Business & Management

Sciences

In line with the VC’s vision of One Smart CPUT, and to support the institutional focus on research output and supervision throughput, the Marketing Department consolidated its research efforts into an area of focus called the Brand and Digital Research (BDR) Hub in October 2019. With the research emanating from the BDR Hub, the department endeavours to positively contribute to economic growth and 4th Industrial Revolution challenges.

The BDR Hub currently has 32 active projects, and has so far:

• published 15 peer-reviewed academic articles in accredited journals

• graduated 7 postgraduate students

• presented 12 conference papers

• published papers in 3 conference proceedings

• published 3 book chapters

The Marketing Department is committed to CPUT’s partnership with Hochschule Anhalt (HSA) and Hochschule Kobelnz (HSK), and so Dr Pieter Steenkamp accepted invitations to be an adjunct professor at both institutions during 2021.

Ms Simone Thomas is a BDR doctoral student who was awarded a bursary and job opportunity. She took up residency in Germany during 2021 to undertake academic activities at Koblenz University of Applied Science, while furthering her doctoral studies through the CPUT-HSK cooperation.

DR KUHLE ZWAKALA

zwakalak@cput.ac.za

PROF RODNEY DUFFETT

duffetr@cput.ac.za

ACRONYMS

4IR 4th Industrial Revolution

AAC African Agri Council

ADCS Altitude determination and control system

AEL African Explosives Limited

AIS Automatic identification system

AMHBI Applied Microbial & Health Biotechnology Institute (CPUT)

AMTL Adaptronics Advanced Manufacturing Technology Laboratory (CPUT)

ASIC Africa Space Innovation Centre (CPUT)

ATS Agrifood Technology Station (CPUT)

AU African Union

BDR Brand & Digital Research Hub (CPUT)

BIIC Centre for Business Innovation & Incubation (CPUT)

BioERG Bioresource Engineering Research Group (CPUT)

CDPES Centre for Distributed Power and Electronic Systems (CPUT)

CERPIA Centre for Enterprise Research Partnership and Innovation in Africa

CETRA Centre for Tourism Research in Africa (CPUT)

CHEC Cape Higher Education Consortium (SA)

CHRC Cardiometabolic Health Research Centre (SAMRC/CPUT/CHRC)

CIET Centre for Innovation in Educational Technology (CPUT)

CITE Centre for Initial Teacher Education (CPUT)

CIR Centre for Instrumentation Research (CPUT)

ConfCom Conference Committee (CPUT)

CPSR Centre for Power Systems Research (CPUT)

CPUT Cape Peninsula University of Technology (SA)

CRTDS Centre for Real-Time Distributed Systems (CPUT)

CSAEMS Centre for Substation Automation & Energy Management Systems (CPUT)

CUT Central University of Technology (SA)

CWSR Centre for Water & Sanitation Research (CPUT)

DFST Department of Food Science & Technology (CPUT)

DHET Department of Higher Education & Training (SA)

DRD Directorate Research Development (CPUT)

DSI Department of Science & Innovation (SA) (formerly DST)

DUT Durban University of Technology (SA)

DVC Deputy Vice-Chancellor

ECP Extended curriculum programme

EEZ Exclusive economic zone

EMS Emergency medical services

EPPEI Eskom Power Plant Energy Institute (SA)

EU European Union

FBMS Faculty of Business Management Sciences (CPUT)

FEBE Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment (CPUT)

FFRU Functional Foods Research Unit (CPUT)

FHWS Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences (CPUT)

FID Faculty of Informatics & Design (CPUT)

FPRC Flow Process & Rheology Centre (CPUT)

F’SATI French–South African Institute of Technology (SA and CPUT)

GBV Gender-based violence

HE Higher Education

HEAIDS Higher Education and Training HIV/AIDS Programme

HEIs Higher education institutions

HELTASA Higher Education Learning & Teaching Association of South Africa

HEQSF Higher Education Qualification Sub Framework (SA)

HPL Human Performance Laboratory (CPUT)

HOD Head of department

HSRC Human Sciences Research Council (SA)

IT Information Technology

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

ISSTAA Innovative Small Satellite Technology & Applications for Africa

KUAS Koblenz University of Applied Sciences (Germany)

SAMRC South African Medical Research Council

MDA Maritime domain awareness

MOCAA Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Cape Town)

MoU Memorandum of understanding

MUT Mangosuthu University of Technology (SA)

NDP National Development Plan (SA)

NGO Non-governmental organisation

NMU Nelson Mandela University (SA)

NPO Non-profit organisation

NQF National Qualification Framework (SA)

NRF National Research Foundation (SA)

NSTF National Science and Technology Forum (SA)

NWU North West University (SA)

PERI Professional Education Research Institute (CPUT)

PLMCC Product Lifecycle Management Competency Centre (CPUT)

PPE Personal protective wear

R4M Reading for Meaning (CPUT)

RIFTAL Research and Innovation Fund for Teaching and Learning (CPUT)

RTIP Research, Technology Innovation & Partnerships (CPUT)

RU Rhodes University (SA)

SA South Africa

SAASTA South African Agency for Science & Technology Advancement

SADC Southern African Development Community

SAMRC South African Medical Research Council

SANSA South Africa National Space Agency

SARChI South African Research Chairs Initiative

SARETEC South African Renewable Energy Centre (CPUT)

SASUF South Africa–Sweden University Forum

SDGs Sustainable Development Goals (UN)

SDR Software Defined Radio

SLCE Service-Learning and Civic Engagement (CPUT)

SRC Student Representative Council

STEM Science, technology, engineering and maths

SU Stellenbosch University (SA)

TIA Technology Innovation Agency (SA)

TTO Technology Transfer Office (CPUT)

TUT Tshwane University of Technology (SA)

TSCT Technology Station: Clothing & Textiles (CPUT)

TVET Technical and Vocational Education and Training

UCGD University Capacity Development Grant (CPUT)

UCT University of Cape Town (SA)

UFS University of the Free State (SA)

UJ University of Johannesburg (SA)

UKZN University of KwaZulu Natal (SA)

UPEC University of Paris East Créteil

UN United Nations

Unisa University of South Africa (SA)

UoT University of technology

UP University of Pretoria (SA)

URF University Research Fund (CPUT)

USAf Universities South Africa

UWC University of the Western Cape (SA)

VC Vice-Chancellor

WHO World Health Organisation

WIL Work-integrated learning

WITS University of the Witwatersrand (SA)

AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

DEPUTY VICE-CHANCELLOR: RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION & PARTNERSHIPS

DR DAVID PHAHO

Tel: 021 959 6203 Fax: 021 959 6002 Email: phahod@cput.ac.za Room 228, Administration Building, Bellville

MS LIZIWE PONI

Secretary to the DVC

Tel: 021 959 6242 Fax: 021 959 6002 Email: ponil@cput.ac.za Room 228, Administration Building, Bellville

RESEARCH DIRECTORATE

DIRECTOR

PROF DINA BURGER

Director: Research Tel Email Address

MS EDWINA PEDRO

Secretary to the Director

021 953 8455 burgerd@cput.ac.za CPGS offices, New Library Building, Bellville Campus

Tel Email Address

021 953 8455 pedroe@cput.ac.za CPGS offices, New Library Building, Bellville Campus

MANAGERS

DR HESTER M BURGER

Manager: Research Integrity

MR CLEMENT MATASANE

Manager: Research

Tel Email Address

Tel Email Address

082 873 1484 burgerh@cput.ac.za Room 2.8, Administration Building, District Six and CPGS offices, New Library Building, Bellville Campus

021 460 3383 matasanec@cput.ac.za Room 2.8, Administration Building, District Six Campus

DR PATRICIA SMIT

Manager: Capacity Development

Tel Email Address

021 460 3539/021 959 6249 smitpa@cput.ac.za Room 2.8, Administration Building, District Six Campus and B2.07 New Electrical Engineering Building, Bellville Campus

CO-ORDINATORS

MS LUYOLO KAMATI

Co-ordinator: Research Information Management System (RIMS)

Tel Email Address

021 460 3843 kamatil@cput.ac.za Room 2.8, Administration Building, District Six Campus

TEAM

MS NTOMBENHLE GOBA Research Grants Administrator (until March 2021)

Tel Email Address

021 460 3241 gobant@cput.ac.za Room 2.8, Administration Building, District Six Campus

MS NIKEZIWE NGCANI

Co-ordinator: Finance Tel Email Address

MS LARA LEE SMITH

Co-ordinator: Research Writing, Information & Publications

Tel Email Address

021 460 3539 ngcanin@cput.ac.za Room 2.8, Administration Building, District Six Campus

021 460 3328 smithll@cput.ac.za Room 2.8, Administration Building, District Six Campus

MS SHAFEEQA HENDRICKS-DRAMAT Research Finance Administrator

MR MARVIN LA MEYER Research Finance Administrator

Tel Email Address

Tel Email Address

021 460 4241 dramats@cput.ac.za Room 2.8, Administration Building, District Six Campus

021 460 3798 lameyerm@cput.ac.za Room 2.8, Administration Building, District Six Campus

MS PUMZA MAKAULA Research Grants Officer Tel Email Address

021 460 3895 makaulap@cput.ac.za Room 2.8, Administration Building, District Six Campus

RESEARCH ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATORS

MS ZUZEKA TSHAYINA tshayinaz@cput.ac.za (from October 2021)

DSI-HSRC INTERNS

MS ANELISA MTABATENI mtabatenia@cput.ac.za (from October 2021)

MS ZOKWANDA LUDONGA ludongaz@cput.ac.za (from October 2021)

MS ELIZABETH GEMBA gembae@cput.ac.za (from October 2021)

MR OLEBOGENG PHOHLELA phohlelao@cput.ac.za (from October 2021)

MS HLENGIWE NZAMA Research Administrator (until March 2021)

MS BUKIWE SOJIJI Research Grants Administrator (until March 2021)

MS PHATHISWA SWAARTBOOI Research Finance Administrator

Tel Email Address

021 460 3887 nzamah@cput.ac.za Room 2.8, Administration Building, District Six Campus

Tel Email Address

Tel Email Address

021 460 8359 sojijib@cput.ac.za Room 2.8, Administration Building, District Six Campus

021 460 3796/021 959 4489 swartbooip@cput.ac.za CPGS offices, New Library Building, Bellville Campus

AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

CENTRE FOR POSTGRADUATE

ACTING DIRECTOR 2021

STUDIES

TEAM

Acting Director Tel Email Address

PROF DINA BURGER

021 953 8455 burgerd@cput.ac.za Centre for Postgraduate Studies New Library Building, Bellville Campus

MS EDWINA PEDRO Secretary to the Acting Director

DIRECTOR 2022

Tel Email Address

021 953 8455 pedroe@cput.ac.za Centre for Postgraduate Studies New Library Building, Bellville Campus

MR STANLEY LEKATA Co-ordinator: Postgraduate Development (Statistician) (from July 2021)

MS RAQUEL LEWIS Postgraduate & NRF Administrative Assistant

Tel Email Address lekatas@cput.ac.za Centre for Postgraduate Studies New Library Building, Bellville Campus

Tel Email Address

021 959 3719 lewisra@cput.ac.za Centre for Postgraduate Studies New Library Building, Bellville Campus

Director Tel Email Address

PROF IZAK VAN ZYL

021 953 8455 vanzyliz@cput.ac.za Centre for Postgraduate Studies New Library Building, Bellville Campus

INTERIM MANAGER

MS ZIMKHITHA MBUNGE NRF Administrator (from November 2021)

Tel Email Address mbungez@cput.ac.za Centre for Postgraduate Studies New Library Building, Bellville Campus

MS ETHNE MENTOOR Finance Administrator Tel Email Address

Interim CPGS Manager Tel Email Address

DR CORRIE UYS

021 460 3258 uysc@cput.ac.za Centre for Postgraduate Studies New Library Building, Bellville Campus

MS PHAPHAMA MHLEKWA Evaluation & Monitoring Officer

021 959 6505 mentoore@cput.ac.za Centre for Postgraduate Studies New Library Building, Bellville Campus

Tel Email Address

021 953 8462 mhlekwap@cput.ac.za Centre for Postgraduate Studies New Library Building, Bellville Campus

CO-ORDINATORS

CPGS Co-ordinator Tel Email Address

MR WENDAL KOOPMAN

021 460 3706 koopmanw@cput.ac.za

Centre for Postgraduate Studies New Library Building, Bellville Campus

MS NICOLE PHILANDER Finance Administrator (from November 2021)

Email Address philandern@cput.ac.za Centre for Postgraduate Studies New Library Building, Bellville Campus

CPGS Co-ordinator Tel Email Address

MR MASIMBA PARADZA

paradzam@cput.ac.za Centre for Postgraduate Studies New Library Building, Bellville Campus

MS MTEMBUKAZI SIBINDLANA Bursary Administrator

Tel Email Address

021 953 8600 sibindlanam@cput.ac.za Centre for Postgraduate Studies New Library Building, Bellville Campus

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OFFICE

DIRECTOR

DR REVEL IYER

Director: Technology Transfer Office

Tel Email Address

021 959 6431 iyerr@cput.ac.za Technology Transfer Office Bellville Campus

TEAM

MS HALIMAH RABIU

Tech Transfer Officer: Funding

Tel Email Address

MS KAREN MARTIN TTO Secretary Tel Email Address

021 959 6879 rabiuh@cput.ac.za Technology Transfer Office Bellville Campus

021 959 6044 martink@cput.ac.za Technology Transfer Office Bellville Campus

MANAGER

MR MARLIN FRANSMAN

Tech Transfer Manager: Legal

Tel Email Address

021 959 5605 fransmanm@cput.ac.za Technology Transfer Office Bellville Campus

MS MATAMELA SIGWEDA

Tech Transfer Officer: IP (until January 2021)

Tel Email Address

MS JAYDE BARENDS

Tech Transfer Officer: Marketing

MS VERUSCHA NAIDOO

Tech Transfer Officer: Contracts

Tel Email Address

021 959 5871 sigwedam@cput.ac.za Technology Transfer Office Bellville Campus

021 959 5871 barendsj@cput.ac.za Technology Transfer Office Bellville Campus

Tel Email Address

MS WENDY SMIDT

Assistant Tech Transfer Officer: Admin (until July 2021)

Tel Email Address

021 959 5871 naidoov@cput.ac.za Technology Transfer Office Bellville Campus

021 959 5871 smidtw@cput.ac.za Technology Transfer Office Bellville Campus

RTIP STRATEGIC INITIATIVES & PARTNERSHIPS

DIRECTOR

ADMINISTRATORS

Director: RTIP-SIP Tel Email Address

PROF JUDY PETER

021 959 6405 peterj@cput.ac.za Room 0004, Administration Building, Bellville Campus

MS MERCIA BOSMAN Administrator Tel Email Address

021 959 6595 bosmanm@cput.ac.za Room 0004, Administration Building, Bellville Campus

MS ZOKWANDA LUDONGA Administrator

MANAGERS

HUNADI MOKGALAKA

Manager: Research Uptake (until March 2021)

Tel Email Address

MS CAROL WILSON Manager: Internationalisation (until March 2021)

Tel Email Address

021 460 8311 mokgalakah@cput.ac.za Room 2.302, Administration Building, District Six Campus

021 460 3955 wilsonc@cput.ac.za Room 0004, Administration Building, Bellville Campus

MS NOSIVIWE MAJAMANI Office Administrator

Tel Email Address

Tel Email Address

021 959 4502 ludongaz@cput.ac.za Room 0004, Administration Building, Bellville Campus

021 959 4502 majamanin@cput.ac.za Room 0004, Administration Building, Bellville Campus

MS HLENGIWE NZAMA Administrative Assistant (from October 2021)

Tel Email Address

021 959 6595 nzamah@cput.ac.za Room 0004, Administration Building, Bellville Campus

OFFICER

MS ZINZI NKALITSHANA

International Relations Officer

Tel Email Address

021 959 6048 nkalitshanaz@cput.ac.za Room 0004, Administration Building, Bellville Campus

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW

DR LEONIE SCHOELEN

Postdoctoral fellow (from February 2021)

Tel Email Address

021 959 6504 schoelenl@cput.ac.za Room 0004, Administration Building, Bellville Campus

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The 2021 Research Report is published by the CPUT Directorate Research Development.

The editor acknowledges with thanks the contributions of:

• Colleagues from the Directorate Research Development for a variety of input

• Mr Aphiwe Boyce, Mr Craig Christians, Mr Kwanele Butana, Ms Ilse Fredericks and Ms Lauren Kansley (Marketing & Communication Department) for news items and photographs retrieved from the CPUT News Archive

• Dr André Steenkamp (Faculty of Education) for the Afrikaans translation of the VC’s foreword

• Ms Mirriam Nonkazimlo Mdledle (Faculty of Education) for the isiXhosa translation of the VC’s foreword

• CPUT researchers, faculties, support units and research institutes for various contributions and assistance with fact-checking

EDITOR Ms Lara Lee Smith Research Directorate smithll@cput.ac.za

DESIGN CONCEPT & LAYOUT

BRIDGETTE HUNT DESIGN bahunt@wol.co.za

PROOF-READING

Ms Melody Kozah melkozah@gmail.com