Rising Star Winner's designs to warm Paris (published June 2013)
BTech Textile Design & Technology graduate Laduma Ngxokolo makes his global mark as he arrived in Paris where he will showcase his Xhosa knitwear range at the Labo Ethnik fashion weekend during June.
He will share the stage with some of South Africa's fashion heavyweights, including Thula Sindi, Stoned Cherrie and Abigail Betz. Ngxokolo is also one of the recipients of the NMMU Alumni Rising Star Awards.
Graduate chosen as top 200 Yound Africans (published June 2013)
LLD Graduate and Law Faculty’s Prof Avinash Govindjee has been chosen as one of the Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans – the publication’s feature of young South Africans you should take to lunch. These are young people who will shape our country in the decades to come, in the sporting arena, in public life and in business.
The two hundred young South Africans who make the final list each year, are divided into a variety of categories: Arts and culture; Business and law; Civil society; Education; Environment; Film and Media; Health; Politics and Government; Science and technology; and Sport. Prof Govindjee was included in the Business and Law category.
In 2011 and 2012, he was the recipient of Researcher of the Year for his faculty. He is an attorney of the High Court and a senior commissioner of the CCMA. He was included in the second Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber’s Top 40 under 40, a list of young business achievers published towards the end of last year.
NMMU graduate takes gold medal (published June 2013)
Alumnus Graham Stuart has won the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS) 'Gold Medal Award' at a gala function held at the QS conference in Cape Town recently.
Graham is also the recipient of the Dean's Award. The Association of Quantity Surveyors South Africa (ASAQS) is a voluntary organization that is the custodian of the Quantity Surveying profession in South Africa.Graham holds a BTech in Quantity Surveying from NMMU.
Alumni funny man hits the web with videos (published June 2013)
BTech in Information Technology: Software Development) and software developer by day and funny guy video maker by night, Michael Lu, commonly known as Mike-E-Lu , hopes to take the edge off the sometimes doom and gloom world we live in with humorous YouTube videos.
Not limited to anything specific , Lu's YouTube channel, called Out My Head Creations, ranges from comedy sketches to music, cover and even funny "how to" videos. Although IT is his full time career, Lu said creating videos was his hobby and something he did with a passion.
Graduate goes above and beyond (published June 2013)
Joubert Botha, managing director of JobVine and Digital Media, believes his companies address the need for for innovation in recruitment by incorporating the latest technologies and social media.
JobVine, a social recruitment platform for recruiters and companies, is Botha's sixth start-up, which he founded in 2009 with his borther and a friend.
Karma Digital Media is a full service digital marketing agency which specialises in software development, digital marketing and social media management to provide businesses with business and digital strategy solutions for their unique requirements.
Alumnus fittest guy in PE (published June 2013)
Gym owner from Newton Park, Dave Levey, is to take on the world's best in California when he pits his skills against the best in the world next month. Levey who is a Biokineticist, was named the fittest man in Africa for the second time running.
Levey, who holds a Masters in Health Sciences degree founded Crossfit East London and Algoa Crossfit in Port Elizabeth, won both the Africa Open and the Africa Regionals of the Crossfit Games by good margins to secure single qualifying place for an African at the contest in the US.
Building a green future (published June 2013)
NMMU PHD student Kevin Kimwelle, is hoping to inspire the vibrant community of Richmod Hill in Port Elizabeth to "go green" through his environmentally conscious research.
Kenyan-born student has been living in Port Elizabeth for the past 10 years and has been working closely with language centre the Alliance Francaise to get their message across at the Richmond Hill Music Festival later this month. His PhD project - "The architect as an agent for social change: promoting community - driven design in sustainable development practice in Africa" - strives to shift architecture from a commercially driven approach to one which is more community driven.
Top businesswomen honoured (published June 2013)
Alumnus, Laetitia Ferriera was honoured recently at a glittering event hosted by the Businesswomen's Association (BWA) Port Elizabeth. She received the award in the entrepreneur category. According to Ferreira all the finalists are winners in their own right.
Higher Diploma in Education from the former UPE graduate is the owner of successful Loerie Processed Veg and said the competition gave her the opportunity to make new friends, network and most importnatly it gave her the opportunity to be inspired as a businesswoman.