An 87-year-old tradition got a new lease on life on 23 May, with UCT its star performer.

Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille presented 11 medals to 10 students from UCT's Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment at the City of Cape Town Corporation Medal Ceremony for Academic Achievement in Engineering. It was the first time the awards have been made since 1999.

Medals - bronze, silver and silver-gild - were presented to Dr Gavin Teague, Reuben Govender (who received two medals), Mark Wattrus, Denni Cartwright, Michael Rapson, Joschka Thilo, Bharvin Patel, Michael Gorven, Raymond Kroger and Barry Pitman. The students graduated between 2000 and 2006.

Zille said that amid the city's construction boom, it's vital to get the right skills in the right places, adding that high-quality higher education adds enormous value to human capital. Its impact is felt right through to the grassroots level.

"Engineering students and what engineering does is critical for the upliftment of the poor."

The medals, Zille said, ". . . celebrate your success and what you'll plough back into South Africa".