Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Cape Peninsula University of Technology
	CPUT's District Six campus, with Table Mountain in the background
Other name	CPUT
Motto	Creating Futures
Type	Public
Established	January 2005, 1
Academic affiliations	AAU; CHEC; HESA
Chancellor	Brian Fiogaji
Vice-Chancellor	Chris Nhlapo
Students	35,000+ (2026)
Location	Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Campus	Five campuses
Colours	Blue and White
Website	cput.ac.za

Cape Peninsula University of Technology (Afrikaans: Kaapse Skiereiland Universiteit van Tegnologie), commonly referred to simply as CPUT, is a university of technology based in Cape Town, South Africa.^[3]^[4]

It is the only university of technology in the Western Cape province, and is also the largest university in the province by student population, with over 35,000 enrolled as of 2026.^[2] The institution was established in 2005, through the merging of the Cape Technikon, Peninsula Technikon, and a few other independent colleges.^[2]

History

CPUT was established on 1 January 2005, through the merging of the Cape Technikon and Peninsula Technikon, as well as numerous small colleges, following years of change in the higher education landscape of South Africa.^[2]

In 1993, the Technikons Act was promulgated, which allowed technikons to offer bachelor's degrees (B.Tech), master's and doctoral degrees in Technology.

In March 2001, then-Minister of Higher Education Kader Asmal announced the National Plan on Higher Education. In May 2002, he announced the possible merger of the two institutions, with the National Working Committee also recommending the University of the Western Cape be included in the merger.

Towards the end of 2002, the final merger was announced, and in October 2003, the institution's new name was approved. An Executive Interim Management body was appointed towards the end of 2004.

Prof. L Vuyisa Mazwi-Tanga was appointed as the first vice-chancellor of CPUT in February 2006. Around the same time, the nine faculties of the original institutions were merged and re-organized into six new ones. These were Applied Science; Business; Education and Social Sciences; Engineering; Health and Wellness Sciences; and Informatics & Design.

A separate postgraduate unit was established to offer multidisciplinary postgraduate programmes and funded research known as the e-Innovation Academy, and as from March 2008 the Faculty of Informatics & Design Research Unit.

The Department of Information Technology in collaboration with the Bridgetown Community, Athlone, COFISA and IDM launched the Athlone Living lab, a community ICT innovation project, in September 2008. This would be the first Living Lab in the Western Cape.

In April 2008, then-South African Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel was appointed Chancellor of CPUT.^[5]

Campuses

CPUT has five main campuses:^[7]

The Bellville Campus, formerly the campus of the Peninsula Technikon (33°55′56″S 18°38′25″E / 33.93222°S 18.64028°E / -33.93222; 18.64028)
The District Six Campus, formerly the campus of the Cape Technikon (33°55′52″S 18°25′49″E / 33.93111°S 18.43028°E / -33.93111; 18.43028)
The Mowbray Campus, formerly the Mowbray College of Education (33°56′47″S 18°28′18″E / 33.94639°S 18.47167°E / -33.94639; 18.47167)
The Granger Bay Campus, housing the Cape Town Hotel School and the Survival Centre (33°53′58″S 18°24′41″E / 33.89944°S 18.41139°E / -33.89944; 18.41139)
The Wellington Campus, formerly the Boland College of Education (33°38′12″S 19°0′36″E / 33.63667°S 19.01000°E / -33.63667; 19.01000)

Cooperative education

The large majority of courses offered by CPUT incorporate in-service training, consisting of an internship of usually six months to a year.

The university's comprehensive co-operative education policy ensures the student is placed within a company approved by the university; this ensures that institutional academic learning is incorporated into work-based content.

Notable people

Zozibini Tunzi – actress, model and Miss Universe 2019

[Seth Rotherham – entrepreneur and media personality

Gillian Abel – public health researcher

Tariro Mnangagwa – film producer, actress and conservationist

Justin Bonello – television personality, producer, and writer.

Alvin Botes – African National Congress (ANC) politician

Trevor Manuel – retired politician and former anti-apartheid activist

Celeste Matthews Wannenburgh – actress, playwright

List of Chancellors

Below is a list of individuals who have served in the role of Chancellor of CPUT.

Prof. Brian Figaji (December 2025 - present)^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b "Prof Brian Figaji Installed as CPUT Chancellor". CPUT. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "About CPUT". CPUT. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
^ "This is Cape Town". Universities in Cape Town. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
^ "Bursaries, internships and learnerships". The Western Cape Government. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
^ Keating, Candes (8 September 2008). "Dr Trevor Manuel installed as first Chancellor of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology". CPUT News. Archived from the original on 24 December 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
^ "Roeland Street Building". CPUT. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
^ "CPUT Campuses". CPUT. Retrieved 5 February 2025.

External links

The Information Society Institute (an initiative of CPUT)

[Prof_Brian_Figaji_Installed_as_CPUT_Chancellor-1] "Prof Brian Figaji Installed as CPUT Chancellor". CPUT. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2026.

[About_CPUT-2] "About CPUT". CPUT. Retrieved 5 February 2026.

[Universities_in_Cape_Town-3] "This is Cape Town". Universities in Cape Town. Retrieved 5 February 2026.

[Bursaries,_internships_and_learnerships-4] "Bursaries, internships and learnerships". The Western Cape Government. Retrieved 5 February 2026.

[5] Keating, Candes (8 September 2008). "Dr Trevor Manuel installed as first Chancellor of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology". CPUT News. Archived from the original on 24 December 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.

[Roeland_Street_Building-6] "Roeland Street Building". CPUT. Retrieved 5 February 2026.

[CPUT_Campuses-7] "CPUT Campuses". CPUT. Retrieved 5 February 2025.

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Authority control databases
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