Run for Marrow to give someone a tomorrow!

Photo: One of the guest celebrities and Sunflower Fund ambassador: Mr Eric Macheru

Puleng Maphisa
The Health Science Department, under the Faculty of Applied and Computer Science at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT), hosted its Sunflower Fund event on 21 September at the Amphitheatre.

The theme for the event was Run for Marrow in order to raise awareness of the importance of stem cell donation as well as to raise funds to cover the recruitment costs of growing the South African Bone Marrow Registry of Committed Donors.

The Amphitheatre was filled to capacity with staff and students who came out to be with the celebrity guests: Dr Musa Mthombeni, a former Yotv presenter; Eric Macheru, a former soccer player and actor; and actor Leeto Maputla from Skeem Saam as well as famous Hip Hop DJ Speedsta and rapper Riky Rick.

Mr Macheru, who is the Sunflower Fund ambassador, encouraged students and workers to join the fund in support of those who suffer from blood diseases.

For those who would like to join, please contact them on the following numbers: 0800 12 10 82 or (021) 701 0661 or go to www.sunflowerfund.org.za

The Sunflower Fund is a non-profit organisation that aims to fight blood diseases like leukaemia by recruiting stem cell donors.

Both events where privately sponsored by Mr. Zackea Shivambu (Lecturer: Biomedical technology) and Mr. Simphiwe Dyanti, a Lecturer from the Chemistry Department played a significant role in organising both events.

VUT now has a committee under the SRC made up of Biomedical Technology students “VUT for Marrow” which was hands on to make both events a success. The committee has a president, deputy, secretary and a treasurer amongst others (Stanely, Fatou, Danny, Joshua, Gerson and Atela). They aim to spread the awareness message amongst their fellow students through various activities on campus. They were the hands and feet of the events. ... See more

Public Relations Students serve smiles

Photo: PR students and the kids for the Kgahliso Children’s Home

Qhawekazi Memani
Four second-year Public Relations (PR) students: Londiwe Dube,Velile Mnguni, Mbasakazi Jekemba and Sindisiwe Dlamini were, at the beginning of this year, assigned by their Public Relations lecturer Ms Sbongile Mokaeane to work on a community project that will change lives.

On 22 September, the four students visited Kgahliso Children’s home based in Bophelong location working on their project which they called ‘Serving smiles’.

Their aim was to help the home with basic needs and hold a fun day for the children living there.

The students say their purpose was indeed achieved: “We managed to get sponsorships from departments within the university such as Sports and Recreation, Projects and Services as well as from an external company, the Palm Tree Movement. Palm Tree Movement sponsored tents, tables, chairs and a jumping castle.

“The response from the people at the home was also very positive. They truly appreciated what we came in and did. The students have found the project very educational. We have learnt that no matter how much you have, big or small, always give back to the people in need the most and have love for other people,” said the student group representative.

With the sponsored money, the students bought food and they cooked for the people in the home. They also used it to arrange prizes for a dance-off challenge that they held for the children where they gave away gifts and party packs. ... See more

Trendsetter

Photos: The fashionista: Mr Ande Mafenuka

Dieketseng Motsepe
Fashion is art and you are the canvas.” This is a quote that successful fashion stylist, Mr Ande Mafenuka, holds dear. His involvement in the entertainment industry goes beyond fashion as he is also into film production and music videos.

Before pursuing fashion as a career choice, he was always interested in adding his own twist to his clothing and to create his own identity. He would often get into trouble with his mother who would get frustrated at the re-design of new clothes he had just received.

He said he was not understood for the type of style he preferred; some would say it was “over the top” or “too much”, but to him it was a way to express himself and live his truth through art. He never let the bad comments get to him, but rather took them as motivation. Through this attitude, he developed a thick skin.

Now those who criticised his art want to follow him and wear his creations! He shared that the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) helped him understand fashion more, improve his designs and gain a platform to showcase his talent.

In 2016 he was the brand ambassador of Coats and More where he came into his own as a designer. He has branched out into filming after he was given the opportunity to be a stylist on a video shoot. For him, this was a stepping stone towards greater things to come.

He draws inspiration from Shaun Stylist as he views his style as diverse and classic. However, He does not follow trends, but is rather a trendsetter himself. ... See more

Vaal dance team heads to Serbia

Lehlohonolo Hlalele
Street Beat Dance Studio, was formed under the aims of grooming dancers who will be rendered as the best in the industry. Dancers who will share their knowledge selflessly to upcoming generations. Philisiwe, a VUT employee-student and one of the team’s co-founders said, “we want to be dominant in the Vaal through choreography as we’re also aiming to make the Vaal the home of dance.”

The group prides itself in supporting local business, moreover, in creating change and positively impacting the lives of youth in and around the Vaal.

Their achievements include:

Participating in a competition hosted by Street beat dance studio alongside Love Affair in 2017. The entrance requirement was a donation of a packet of sanitary pads of your choice. Those pads that the group won were given to schools around Sebokeng.
Assisting children from Tholaulwazi after-care with their homework.
“In July 2018 we entered a competition hosted by talent Africa for group and individual solo dancing. The group won a gold medal. This meant that the group qualified to be part of the team of dancers which will represent not only the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) but also forming part of the South Africa dance team, which is quite an honour. We will compete as individuals as well as a group against the best countries all over the world. The competition is categorised into 12 categories. We hope to come out on top in all of them’’, said Philisiwe.

The training regimen includes Intensive morning workouts at the gym or aerobics coupled with dance sessions three times a week. Choreographing intense high beat choreography is incorporated into this training as well as outsourcing ideas from other fellow teammates to ensure that they perfect all the aspects needed as the team prepares towards the competition.

“We intend to be nationally and internationally acclaimed choreographers thus we plan to use this competition as the head start we need to this end. The group is also aiming to take the top three spots in all categories.’’

The doors are always open for those who wish to be part of the team. What is required to be passionate and have a drive. They encourage the youth to strive to be the best in all they do. ... See more

Beauty with a purpose!

Photo: Miss Tertiary 2nd Princess, Miss Naledi Nkosi

Dieketseng Motsepe
Miss Naledi Nkosi, a third-year Legal Assistant student took a chance and entered the Miss Tertiary beauty pageant… and ended up with the title of second princess.

The pageant was open to young women of all types to enter and make a difference. The judging process was lengthy and began long before the awards evening. The contestants had to partake in charity work, be involved on social media as well as try to raise funds for different causes and get people on board.

For her charity work, Naledi involved a lot of her friends from high school and university. They tried to get study guides for learners who cannot afford them and through this initiative collected over 60 books and distributed them to three high schools in Sharpeville, namely: Mahareng, Thuto Lore and Lebohang Secondary School.

The experience for her has proved to be a rewarding one, even though it has taken a lot of work. Along with her fellow winners, Naledi wants to launch a library at a school, which is to be chosen in April next year. In the mean time she is very busy collecting books.

Her advice to young females who are looking to enter the competition is to believe in themselves and not to wait for people to validate them. “You need to trust yourself and what you have to offer besides your looks… People are not only looking at your physical appearance, but what you have to offer,” she said. #VUTNews #mavuti ... See more

Bodybuilding trio competes valiantly in their debut tournament

Photo: Left to right: Ndumiso Sibulawa, Lauren Kok, Simphiwe Dlamini and Opeyemi Timileyin Patrick (coach).

Staff Reporter
VUT Sport is proud of three of its bodybuilders, Lauren Kok (Human Resource Management 3rd year student), Ndumiso Sibulawa (Retail Management 3rd year student) and Simphiwe Dlamini (Civil Engineering 1st year student). The trio put up a spirited debut performance, with 2 of them winning gold medals in a competition against experienced opponents, some of them with 20 years’ experience behind them.

Lauren competed in the fitness bikini category, whereas our males competed in the classic bodybuilding category, u/175m (height). Dlamini mysteriously grew a few inches leading up to the event which resulted in him being moved up from the u/175m category to o/175m category; this threw him off his game-plan because he’d prepared mentally and physically to compete in his normal weight-class. “I even had to cut my hair off because of my height”, Dlamini said, as he laughed.

The Bodybuilding South Africa (BBSA) Championships was a competition between all senior South African men and women from ages 25-45. The competition began with a weigh-in process for all contenders (a day before the preliminaries), followed by pre-judging for group A (preliminaries) in which outstanding contestants are selected to compete in the main event later in the day. Judges give points according to muscle groups, and groups which earn a bodybuilder the most points are allocated to the legs and back muscles.

This is how our student-athletes prepared for the competition:

“A lot of protein, water and carbs each day; when the tournament approaches, carbs are cut down and protein is maintained. Water is also reduced.’’

Lauren walked away with a gold medal in her weight-class and came 6th overall in a competition competing against 12 people. Ndumiso also walked away with a gold medal in his weight-class and came 6th overall, competing against 9 people. Simphiwe came in at 10th overall, failing to win a medal due the unexpected shift in weight-class.

Dlamini is preparing for another competition scheduled to take place on 26 – 27 October 2018. He hopes to use this tournament to qualify for the 2019 Arnold Classic Africa tournament. “Every show you participate in takes you to the next.’’

“It’s not easy, it’s hard and also hard to make friends, since you will be constantly on isolation mode. the great side of it is that it is fun and provides a lot of experience both on and off the stage. It is all about dedication, eating right and believing in yourself”, said Mbali. She still hasn’t decided on whether she’ll take her prowess to the profession level because she does not want to become a competition junky. She prefers to gym for herself.

Ndumiso said that for him it is more like a hobby that he really likes, whereas Simphiwe wants to be a professional body builder.

The coach had this to say about his athletes, “I’m proud of you, and I know that it was tough at the beginning of the year, yet you kept pushing; and your dedication to be able to discipline yourselves outside the gym while I’m not around has proven its worth.’’

#VUTSport #VUTBodyBuilding ... See more

VUT FM presenter crowned Ms United Nation International

Photos: Miss Vinolia Mabele, a VUT FM radio presenter crowned Ms United Nation

Qhawekazi Memani
Recently Miss Vinolia Mabele, a VUT FM radio presenter flew off to Toronto in Canada to represent the African continent at the Ms United Nation pageant… and she won!

She was officially crowned on 25 August, but this was not her only accolade, she also scooped the Supermodel Award for her outstanding photo-shoot. There were 18 queens who participated in the competition.

The United Nation pageant focuses on volunteer work and each contestant had to be a volunteer in their communities. Miss Mabele runs an organisation called Face of Mzansi, which aims to empower girls and young women through education and entrepreneurship.

Miss Mabele said the week she spent in Canada was filled with fun activities, followed by very intense judging rounds and interviews. The interviews contributed most towards the overall score.

She is now continuing to develop and touch lives at an international level and has unfortunately left VUT FM. The university wishes her every success on all her endeavours.

#VUTNews #MsUnitedNations ... See more

VUT’s got plenty of talent

Photo: On the left are the judges, the founder of Varsity’s got talent and the winners

Qhawekazi Memani
For the past four years, Vaal University of Technology (VUT) has hosted the Varsity’s Got Talent event with the aim of building and empowering upcoming artists by allowing them to compete against each other as students. The finals of the 2018 competition were held on Friday, 7 September.

The founder of Varsity’s Got Talent, Peter Rasaha, also known as Peter the Great, says he believes anything is possible if you work hard and believe in yourself. However, he realised that students lack the platform to showcase their talents and garner support from people.

Photo: Students during the Varsity’s Got Talent challenge

Varsity’s Got Talent awards the students with a platform to showcase their talents, whether it be DJ-ing, poetry, singing, drama, dancing or comedy.

“Varsity’s Got Talent even helps students to stay away from drugs and alcohol because it keeps them busy,” reckons Peter.

Winners walked away with great prizes such as trophies and tablets as well as performances on platforms across South Africa so that their talent can be recognised.

“We upload their videos on social media and YouTube so that the world can see what we are doing and expose the talented student,” says Peter.

The Varsity’s Got Talent 2018 overall winners are: DJ Vavi who won first place, with Storm and Mercury, who are both dancers, taking second and third place respectively.

The well-recognised and beloved singer Mlindo the Vocalist was at the event as was Flame, Aubrey Qwana , Outrage SA, Blaq Diamond, A-Reece and others.

“Varsity’s Got Talent 2018 is done! The event was a success, the students were very happy and very much enjoyed it. I will host it again next year! ” said Peter, who is currently busy with a talk show.

#VUTgraduation #VUTNews ... See more

VUT awards four Doctorates to the Logistics department

Photo: From Left: Dr Vandrys Loury, Dr Sithembiso Govuzela, Prof Chengadzai Mafini, Dr khomotsoM helembe, Dr Chouncey Jonathan and Dr Johan van der Westhuizen

Teboho Mofokeng & Puleng Maphisa
The Vaal University of Technology awarded four Doctor Technologiae’s in Business Logistics on Tuesday, 11 September 2018. The graduates namely: khomotso Mhelembe, Sithembiso Govuzela, Chouncey Jonathan and Vandrys Loury, they all have added the Doctors title to their names.

Dr Vandrys Loury who recently married his girlfriend whom he met when they were both first year students enrolled for National Diploma in logistics Management. He was born on 22 of February 1968 in Libreville, the capital city of Gabon in West Africa.

Dr Loury was able to further his studies through the support of his families. His wife challenged him to finish the Doctor Technologiae on time. Dr Loury is married to his beautiful Xhosa wife Nolindo Klaas, and they are blessed with two beautiful daughters. He is employed by VUT as a part-time lecturer in the Department of Logistics highly active in the area of academic publishing and research.

“This has been a difficult but exciting expedition of my life, I had to go through difficulties but I managed to make it. It is all through my wife’s support and would like to show my gratitude to my family and my promoters,” said Dr Loury.

Above all Dr Khomotso Mhelembe said it’s never too late and never too old to study, she said that she won’t stop here to study. She wants to purse law in the future.

#VUTGraduations #VUTNews ... See more

M-Tech Tourism and Hospitality Management graduate expanding her horizons

Photo: Magister Technologiae recipient in Tourism and Hospitality Management: Charmaine Cilliers

Qhawekazi Memani
11 September marked an important milestone for Cilliers Charmaine who on this day got awarded her Magister Technologiae in Tourism and Hospitality Management under the dissertation title: Determining customer satisfaction: a case study of a tourism establishment in the Vaal region. She was supervised by Dr V Labuschagne and co-supervised by Dr S Burger.

The tiring moments of sitting in front of a computer accompanied by minimal sleep have evidently paid off as she walked across the stage with a grateful heart. She said that it is the support from her mother, other family members, friends, supervisor and co-supervisor that kept her going. “Receiving the qualification feels more real after all, anything is possible, if you put your mind to it”, she said.

“Studying has turned into an addiction and I think in today’s life, one shouldn’t stop at a level of diploma and limit oneself to other opportunities, you must push yourself further to achieve more,” she said. Her overall goal is to be excellent in everything she does and inspire young people to do the same. In conclusion she mentioned that she wants to be as good as my supervisors and co-supervisor whom are such a great inspiration to her.

She is currently registered for a post graduate Diploma in Higher Education and hopes to register for her doctoral studies in Tourism Management next year. She works as an administrative intern in the Faculty of Human Sciences.

#VUTGraduations #VUTNews ... See more