UCT’s Gundo Maswime scoops 2024 SANRAL SAICE Academic Staff Award

For his innovative teaching methodology with preparing future engineers for industry, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Gundo Maswime received the 2024 Academic Staff Award during the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) and South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) National Awards recently.

The SANRAL SAICE National Awards promote excellence in civil engineering and built environment professions, and honour members who have delivered outstanding service to the profession and who have made a notable contribution to the field.

Maswime is a lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering in UCT’s Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment. He accepted his award during a special event at Montecasino in Johannesburg earlier this month.

“I was truly humbled when the students approached me for permission to accept the nomination. Competing against numerous distinguished candidates from across the country, I was generally surprised to become a finalist and even more thrilled to receive the award,” Maswime said. “The demanding responsibility of preparing future engineers for industry while simultaneously conducting research to influence policy often feels isolating and somewhat unnoticed. Receiving this recognition reassured me that the construction sector acknowledges and values my contribution.”

Advancing the civil engineering curriculum

Since he joined UCT in 2020, Maswime has advanced the civil engineering curriculum and played an instrumental role in UCT’s Urban and Public Infrastructure Research Initiative – a multidisciplinary research group that focuses on solving critical technical, administrative and policy challenges that impede public infrastructure delivery.

Further, his innovative teaching methodology, which mirrors the “Limit State Design” philosophy of engineering, ensures that his students are equipped to navigate extreme conditions in their future careers. Maswime’s teaching philosophy demonstrates UCT’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of traditional education by blending academic rigour with practical, real-world applications.

“Our responsibility is to harness that potential by equipping them with the tools to solve complex, multidimensional problems.”

“UCT attracts the brightest and most talented students in Africa and the world. Our responsibility is to harness that potential by equipping them with the tools to solve complex, multidimensional problems as part of a multidisciplinary team,” he said. “My recognition is a reflection of UCT’s unwavering dedication to producing graduates who will transform the public infrastructure landscape.”

Commitment to collaborative excellence

He said the award also reaffirms UCT’s position as a premier institution for teaching and learning and research; and underscores the Department of Civil Engineering’s commitment to maintaining world-class standards.

“It highlights our strategic focus on engaging critically with society to address the pressing challenges related to public infrastructure, something that resonates with UCT’s Vision 2030,” he said.

As he reflected on his achievement, Maswime said he owes much of his success to his colleagues in the department, for their support and guidance, particularly Dr Nicky Wolmarans, whose mentorship has been integral to shaping his innovative pedagogical approach. This commitment to collaborative excellence, he said, also reflects the university’s solid academic mentorship and leadership development culture.