Patrick Shingu, who obtained his BTech degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2012 from CPUT is grateful to the university for equipping him with the necessary skills to do his job.

Shingu is working as a Test Engineer at Volvo in Gothenburg, Sweden after he received a scholarship to study in Sweden where he obtained an MSc degree in Applied Mechanics at the University of Skövde in 2014.

“I am always thankful for the knowledge I acquired at CPUT and I have to say that it was a bit of challenge when I came here but through hard work I managed to complete my MSc in record time,”

He adds that CPUT gave him the skills necessary to solve engineering problems, to work both as an individual and in a team, to gather data and write an engineering report.

“Many of my subjects are tied up with my daily work, I use a bit of thermodynamics, mechanics of machines and strength of material and communication skills when it comes to performing tests and analysing the results and writing engineering reports.”

He says that despite it taking him some time he has adjusted to Swedish life where the cost of living is almost three times more than in South Africa.

“The weather does not do anyone any favours especially in winter where it gets darker around 15H00 while in summer at 22H00. The worst is if you live in the north part of the country.”

He adds that he enjoys the fact that employers tend to focus on their employees’ well-being.

“Employers do allocate a certain amount of funds in healthy activities like gym, swimming, massage, dancing etc,”

He advises students who want to succeed in Sweden to learn some Swedish since it would make it easier for them to integrate into that society, even though most Swedes speak good English.

“From my personal experience, I can advise those who are interested in applying for the Swedish scholarship to spend time working as tutors, part time lecturers and other extra curricular activities.”

Former CPUT lecturer and social entrepreneur Marlon Parker has been honoured yet again for his ground-breaking work to empower communities.

He was named the national Lead SA Hero of the Year, receiving a cash donation of R100 000 from the Dis-Chem Foundation for a charity of his choice.

Marlon is the founder of the Athlone-based Reconstructed Living Labs (RLabs). The initiative is a driver of community-driven innovation and reconstruction.

Its model includes establishing Youth Cafes in communities. To use the Youth Cafes, young people need to do good in their communities.

For every act of social good, they are awarded with virtual currency, known as Zlatos, which can be used to buy refreshments, attend empowerment courses, or even go to the local hairdresser.
The RLabs model has proven to be such a driver for change that it has already been adopted in 21 other countries.

From Brazil to Namibia, Tanzania, Nigeria and Somalia, the Rlabs model has incubated 22 social enterprises, and employs 80 people – most of them in Cape Town. More than four million people have accessed support services through Rlabs.

Parker shared the honour with Jenna Lowe, a tireless campaigner to get South Africans to register as Organ Donors through her novel birthday invitation known as getmeto21.com

By Jan Weintrob

Vuyani Ntsimango, a Maritime Studies graduate recently made history at sea.

Ntsimango, who trained at the CPUT Granger Bay Campus, has the unique distinction of recently becoming the first mariner to achieve his Open Pilot’s License in the Port of Ngqura, 20 km north of Port Elizabeth.

Ngqura is one of the fastest growing terminals in the world and the third busiest in the country, only moving fewer containers than Cape Town and Durban.  The port is also the gateway to a multi-billion dollar industrial park, The Coega Industrial Development Zone –a key driver of the economy in the region.

Ntsimango says he is honoured and privileged to be the first pilot trained in this newly-built deep-water port.

“This is a great opportunity for me to implement my accumulated skills,” says Ntsimango, whose years of experience in the SA Navy have taken him around the world.

“I’m thrilled that my job allows me to play a meaningful role in growing the economy, not only in the Nelson Mandela Bay townships near PE, but in South Africa at large.”

By Jan Weintrob