by Gerrit Bester

In 2022, industry partners from the Commercial Photography programme, offered by the Faculty of Arts and Design, openly shared concerns about the skills their students lacked when placed with them for Work-Integrated Learning (WIL), emphasising not only technical proficiency but also essential abilities like effective communication and critical thinking. In response, the programme took this feedback to heart and, in 2024, launched the Bridging the Gap series to help close the divide between lecture room learning and workplace expectations.

As part of its continued commitment to transforming South Africa’s post-school education landscape, the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) has established more than 20 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU’s) with Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges across the country over the past ten years. These agreements are not merely symbolic - they serve as active frameworks for facilitating student articulation from TVET institutions into higher education programmes at TUT.

By Lerato Motsisi

In a powerful display of civic engagement and knowledge-sharing, the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), in collaboration with the Department of Public Management at the Tshwane University of Technology’s (TUT) Faculty of Humanities, recently hosted an insightful public lecture on South Africa’s important role as G20 President. Held at the Student Centre on TUT’s Soshanguve Campus, the event formed part of a broader national outreach comprising 51 engagements across the country, aimed at demystifying South Africa’s G20 Presidency and its far-reaching implications.

In May 2025, South African landscape design sensation and Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Alumnus, Leon Kluge, scooped his third Gold Medal with an exhibit titled "Iconic Landscapes, at the Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show in London. This exceptional victory underscores his unique talent, while also highlighting South Africa's rich biodiversity on a global stage.

by Gerrit Bester

Fresh from the stage, after graduating on Thursday, 15 May, with an Advanced Diploma in Project Management, Buhle Sindane (26) didn’t get a chance to celebrate. She had a catering job waiting and rushed straight from the ceremony to work elsewhere on the Pretoria Campus – showing her dedication and hustle, always ready to seize every opportunity, no matter the circumstances. 

by Mosima Rafapa

The Tshwane University of Technology’s (TUT) Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE) has received full accreditation from the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) for its Advanced Diploma in Electrical Engineering. The affirmation follows a comprehensive two-day evaluation conducted in April 2025.

by Gerrit Bester

Nokulunga Kraai, a part-time lecturer at the Department of Interior Design, Faculty of Arts and Design, has been awarded R5 000 by the Rail Manufacturing Centre of Entrepreneurship & Rapid Incubator (RMCERI), a business incubator dedicated to supporting tech-driven SMMEs. The funding recognises her innovative cow dung mix eco-brick prototype. In an interview, Kraai discussed her design approach and the inspiration behind her eco-friendly innovation.

The Tshwane University of Technology’s Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE) will enter a new era when Prof Mxolisi Brendon Shongwe takes office as new Executive Dean on 1 June 2025.

by Reatlegile Ratlagane

Paying taxes is not a popular thing for most, but it is essential to keep the wheels of society rolling. Since taxation is a complicated matter at best, with many citizens not really understanding the intricacies of getting taxed, the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), University of Pretoria (UP) and University of South Africa (Unisa) launched a collaborative research project early in May 2025, to determine the feasibility and sustainability of establishing South African tax clinics to provide free tax education and support to unrepresented taxpayers. Based at universities as community-based hubs, these will provide accessible tax advisory services and a hands-on student learning opportunity. 

Research at the Tshwane University of Technology is conducted through several formal structures, including TUT research and development platform Chairs.

by Kgothatso Monono and Mosima Rafapa

The Tshwane University of Technology’s (TUT) Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (FoICT), in partnership with the City of Tshwane, officially launched the 7th annual Tshwane Varsity Hackathon (TVH) on Thursday, 15 May 2025, at the Soshanguve Campus. This year, the event also featured collaboration with the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE), highlighting a multidisciplinary approach to innovation.

The Faculty of Arts and Design at the Tshwane University of Technology invites staff and students to participate in My Piece of Peace, an artivist initiative that turns personal reflection into a powerful act of collective resistance. As part of the 100 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), this project asks a simple, yet poignant question: “What brings me peace?”.