Final thanks to Cape of Good Hope Bank

The GSB and Cape of Good Hope Bank (CoGHB) recently observed the conclusion of a five-year funding agreement when Peter Smith, regional head of Cape Commercial Property Nedbank Corporate, handed over the fifth and final tranche of a R250 000 pledge towards the School's Associate in Management (AIM) programme.

CoGHB, now part of Nedcor Limited, established the grant in 1999, with the aim of providing meritorious but financially needy students on AIM with low-interest study loans. The grant is not repayable to the bank, and the rate and terms on which repayment is to be arranged is at the discretion of the GSB. Between 1999 and 2002, more than 30 students - between six and 10 per year - were granted loans from the fund.

This year, the GSB opted to divide the tranche of R50 000 between only four students, rather than among a larger group. Sthera Ndaba, Sisa Ngondo, Kurt Petersen and Salosh Somoloo, all on the one-year part-time AIM programme, were the four selected by the GSB to receive this year's share of the money. According to Professor Nick Segal, GSB Director, the CoGHB funding came at a crucial period in AIM's history. "This period was marked by a transition in the student body - from students sent and funded by large corporates to privately-funded students," he explained.

Lab gets another financial boost

Longstanding patrons of the Department of Civil Engineering, consulting engineers Kantey and Templer, have added a new dimension to the association by pledging R50 000 towards the department's coffers over the next five years.

Kantey's Willie van der Merwe recently handed over the first tranche of R10 000 to UCT's Professor George Ekama, head of the Department of Civil Engineering, and Dr Friedrich Scheele. The money will go towards a number of purchases, such as some "super-modern equipment", for the geotechnical laboratory in the Department's new complex in the Snape Building, reported Ekama.

"We've always helped the University, either by lecturing or providing work opportunities," noted Van der Merwe, who features among the Kantey staff to put in time behind UCT lecterns. "And because we saw a need for funding in the geotechnical field, we thought it appropriate, given our background, to help out."

According to Scheele, who had a big hand in setting up the donation, the money will go a long way to meeting some of the laboratory's needs. "We've wanted for some time to replace old equipment, and now we can go ahead and do that," he said.

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