CIDA gets a facelift

CIDA students pull together to give our campus a facelift

by Phephisile Mathizerd

A lot of us had gone home at the end of last year to enjoy the yearend holidays, which is something we all did ecstatically. On returning to the campus in January, students arrived carrying with them all of the hopes and aspirations for the New Year, whilst for the new intake of first year and foundation year students this would be a completely new experience.

That sense of a ‘fresh start’ gained material form this year; the walls that normally we would walk past without noticing would be soon be impossible to ignore. CIDA management, the Business Rescue Team, the SRC body, staff and students came together with our paint sponsors O’Grady’s to give CIDA City Campus a facelift.

On the first day, everyone geared-up and got ready; some were dressed in overalls, boots and old t-shirts, while others took a deferent approach to the sunny, warm weather and donned shorts, flip flops and colourful tops. Regardless, overflowing with enthusiasm we looked beautiful, although it really didn’t make much difference as in just a matter of minutes we were all covered in paint.

Third year student, Perusha Denston, reflected on the experience, explaining that this was her first painting experience and had never realised that it could be such fun. More importantly, the experience gave her a sense of accountability and ownership over the health and wellbeing of the environment in her “home away from home”.

After a few days work, the walls all along the entrance are now fresh and clean, and the dormitories are also back to looking gleaming and bright. Looking at how beautiful the institution is now, all agreed that the cleaning campaign was a huge success. It was satisfying to have made a difference, and felt good to have made an investment in our own environment. 
 

Everyone, staff and the students alike were willing to get their hands (and clothes) dirty in order to beautify our campus. This was a wonderful initiative and we at CIDA were reminded that everything we do and are able to achieve is on only possible thanks to the kind generosity of our sponsors, so from all of us, a big thank you to O'Grady's paints!

 

NB: CIDA is now looking for a sponsor to help refurbish one of our halls ready for the graduation. If you can help, please click here.



Talent on Show

As much as CIDA is a business school, talent abounds amongst students working towards the better future they ought someday to have. The Arts and Culture Committee had the bright idea of exposing this talent by conducting a Talent Show on the 20th  March.

by Khanyisani Mbambo

Confusion reigned, when on the day of the show rumors went around saying that the all students were to leave the campus with the exception of ICT and SOI students.  Foundation and first year students then swept themselves out of CIDA when the school bus left at half past one.

The Chairperson of the committee noted the impact pessimistically, ‘The hopes of having a successful show are becoming low.  We realize that we were at the brink of losing all our hard work in preparation of the talent show.’

As if this wasn't enough, the idiosyncrasies of ‘African time’ then compounded the problem.  Students took their time to get to the Extension Hall were the show was to be held. Only by eight in the evening was the hall starting to fill. The show that was anticipated to officially start at seven started just after eight. Well… that proved the show to be authentically African.

With much anticipation, the show began. The night was pregnant with the promise of music, dance and poetry in abundance.

Poetry in harmony with Hip-Hop music kicked off the show. Who could have thought of such great talent in CIDA?  A hip-hop group named '124' commanded the stage and got the students jumping, bringing down the ceiling.

Getting the mind off studies was the aim of the show, and sure enough, it just did that. Thabo Xawuka and Kgomotso had the audience in the palm of their hands.  They too were a couple of a kind; students found themselves having the best of the duo's dancing skills to watch.

The struggle that took place for the show to start was soon swallowed by fun. The R5 entrance fee seemed to overlap its functionality because the show proved to be the best; maybe a ten rand fee could have competed with the content.

What is an event without a hit song? It’s a forgettable experience! ‘The Soulful’ couldn’t let any other performance get the hit song title. If ever you want to cheer up anyone you have wronged, you should get The Soulful song entitled ‘I’m so sorry.’  The audience joined in faster than anyone could have expected.

The whole crowd went into the music zone as they sang, ‘I’m sorry for the first time, I’m sorry for the second time and I’m sorry for the third time. I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…’

Pity the show began so late. The requisition to use the hall for the event did not cover the extra minutes. Security, who were only doing their job, came by to notify us it was closing time. The program coordinators, Kgaolo Malajti and Khanyisani Mbambo had to make sure that the program ended as planned and with everyone exultant with the show.

The only drawback was the microphones. The same problem which CIDA shows have faced before emerged during the talent show. Sure enough, people should expect better microphones for the next show. With that, some performances were cancelled.

All who missed the show, really missed the show.

Thanks to Sakhile Mzileni the Student Representative Council Officer under the Sports, Arts and Culture office who made the event possible.

Laying Firm Foundations

by Bathandekile Nenjelele

At first glance the CIDA offerings may seem too good to be true, but they are genuinely pretty amazing; the most fundamental of them all being the Foundation Year Programme.

With many of us not being accepted into most universities and other institutions because of our low marks it is very refreshing to find an institution that offers us young, bright minds an opportunity to re-do those subjects and others in which we hadn’t achieved high enough marks to get onto a degree course - which would hopefully lead to a successful career.

The Foundation programme teaches the subjects we need to be fully equipped to study the BBA degree; mathematics, English, business management, accounting, personal leadership and management as well as end-user computing.

When I was told about it I was not happy, I felt I knew all these subjects, plus I had passed my Matric with 60-80% in all my subjects except for maths (of course). It all looked easy and to start with, seemed easy too. It was things we had learned in high school, Grade 9 to be exact. I was certain that I was going to drop out and go look for a job instead, until one day we learned how to convert a decimal into a fraction.

To my horror this was all new to me, I felt like someone was opening my brain and pouring in tons of useful information I had struggled with all my life. It finally clicked that the reason I struggled with maths and never really took an interest in accounting either was because I never quite grasped the basics of the subject.

Unlike many of my fellow students I was quite lucky; the school I went to was a pretty good semi-private school. I did well throughout my years in high school but not well enough to land a bursary or get accepted to Wits.

"For quite a long time I believed that it was my fault and that I wasn’t clever enough or smart enough. Now that  I am doing the Foundation programme I am slowly realizing that this is not true, the academic support that we are receiving is enabling each one of us to believe in ourselves and to develop within us an ‘’I can’’ mindset."

What better could a person need in life but the tools to help build their own future?

I know that with the right partners, donors and funders behind us we in the CIDA City Campus community could become even greater and better. I am opening my mind to new concepts and trying to make it the most powerful tool I could have. All I need to do now though is keep polishing and honing my skills to do even better than I did in High school.

Thanks to the CIDA Foundation Year Programme, I am doing just that!

CIDA Foundation Year Anti-Rape March

In the light of recent horrifying stories hitting the news about rape and sexual violence, CIDA’s Foundation Year students took up their banners to show their support for the women of South Africa. 

Photos courtesy of KG

Foundation Year students take to the streets to protest against rape and violence against women 

It was a significant day not only for foundation students, but for the entire CIDA City Campus family. A fresh morning with a chilly breeze wasn’t enough to cool the determination of students to make their voices heard.

This 8^th March, students came out in numbers to support the beginning of a new era in the fight against rape and violence through speeches, poems, drama and music which left the participants better informed of the consequences this scourge reaps on South African women and girls.

The South African Police Service turned out to protect the marchers, and Radio 702 and Soweto TV came to report on it. They listened and joined the students in voicing their opinions to fight rape and violence against women and children.

Mrs J. Peters, Foundation Year English teacher, thanked the guests for their presence, saying “Rape and violence is still a serious issue in our country and we need to fight it together.”

"Themba" a BBA students and a rape survivor shared her story, and talked of how she refuses to be called a victim, instead referring to herself as vivacious and beautiful.  Her spirit, strength and internal power are evident when she talks. One could never guess she had been raped given the confidence she continues to exude and how her outgoing personality continues to shine, undiminished by her experiences; she is a true example of strength, hope and the spirit of survival.

Some students also put on a couple of short dramas depicting common rape scenarios, exploring some of the common situations in which rape can occur, and how the characters reacted and coped with the aftermath.   

Foundation Year students then took to song, giving a moving rendition of “Africa Why”, and “Senzenina” before marching, placards waving, through Lyndhurst before finally returning to the Campus.  It was a meaningful day of regaining power, making our voices heard and telling South Africa that the CIDA City Campus family will continue, tooth and nail to fight against rape and violence.

The march generated several news reports, such as this one from the Alex News.

CIDA City Campus - New Video

A new video showcasing CIDA City Campus

The video was filmed on campus over the last few weeks, and features students and staff from CIDA.  Thanks to all who took part!

Ebenezer Essoka, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank addresses CIDA students

The Banking System Guru

By Lizzy McDaniels

Ebenezer Essoka

CIDA City Campus is no ordinary university. It’s a unique institution of higher learning in that it exposes its students to a variety of leaders, entrepreneurs and influential individuals in different fields to motivate and prepare them for life in the corporate world. On 28th September, CIDA brought one of the most influential men in the banking system, Ebenezer Essoka, to address the students.

Chief Executive Officer, South Africa and Area General Manager Southern Africa of Standard Chartered Bank, Ebenezer has over 28 years of banking experience, holds a BSc and an MBA in Finance as well as a Diploma in International Business from Seton Hall University, New Jersey, USA. Furthermore, he has attended senior development programmes at INSEAD, The London Business School, Templeton College, Oxford University and Cambridge University / IFC Sustainability Programme.

With so much influence and experience, who wouldn't want to listen to him? The hall was fully packed with eager students waiting to absorb information and advice from this remarkable man.

Ebenezer recounted how he had always wanted to become a leader and he was very focused on his dream.  Just 7 years after joining Standard Chartered Bank in 1986,  he became the first African to be appointed Chief Executive Officer of a Standard Chartered Bank subsidiary, after 135 years of Group operations in the continent.

'Leadership is responsibility'

‘Leadership is responsibility’ he said, ‘be professional enough to stand relevant anywhere, any time, without a complex.  If there be any complex at all, it should be a superiority complex.  This can be achieved by studying regularly, whether one is still in a formal school or not. You need to keep yourself updated with the current trends.’

Further, he encouraged students to be involved in community services, which, he said, 'guarantees the sustainability of one’s well being.'  Finally, Ebenezer advised students to take a stand in the banking system, arguing that for as long as banks are owned by politicians, people will never know financial freedom, ‘banks only become successful when they are owned by entrepreneurs’.

Married with twin teenage boys, there’s no doubt that his family misses him as he travels all around the world on business. Still as energetic as ever at over 50 years of age, his family remains his inspiration and motivation.

For us, meeting Ebenezer was truly inspirational, an experience never to be forgotten.

CIDA students discuss their involvement with Extranet

Phephisile Mathizerd

 Since coming to CIDA the first structure I was touched by was “SIFE” (Students In Free Enterprise), which is a student organisation where we start community beneficial projects which are our own brainchild; we come up with the concepts and the plans for executing them, then we actually go out there and carry them out.  We get to help other people which is the main objective but beyond that we also get to apply what we learn in the BBA, for example operations management.

It’s rather challenging because you are practically running an organisation, and you are dealing with people’s lives.  You really have to deliver and if you don’t you fail the community.

I am also involved with ENKE, which is not an acronym, it means “ink”; their slogan is “Make your mark”.  We get to impact other people’s lives, especially young children.    I am very passionate about creating change and making a difference in my community and as a BBA student I will have my own business by the time I leave here. I wish to not only to make money but to touch people’s lives in the process.

Tsebo Mochali

I’m from a poor town in the Free State called Virginia.  I matriculated 8 years ago, and got an opportunity to go to one of the top universities but had to drop out because I couldn’t afford the fees.  It was then I got introduced to CIDA, which was great because CIDA does 10 times what other institutions do, particularly in terms of what we do as part of Extranet.

I came to CIDA last year, and we ran projects through primary and secondary schools in Alexandra and Soweto, where we take the basic business skills that we have learned and give back to the little ones.  The most amazing part of giving back is seeing the facial expressions of the people you touch once they have really understood what you are meant to teach them.

I registered with the ICT academy last year, and I’m pleased to say after just one year I am a certified network technician, certified by COMTEL which is a globally recognised certificate.  There are many people where we come from who need the same opportunity.  If CIDA was 20 times bigger than it is now it would assist and reach out further, so we wish CIDA could grow.  It is not only students in South Africa that need the sort of education that CIDA provides, but students all around the world.

Betty Raphiri

SIFE is just amazing, you get to interact with people and you know what they’re going though because you went through that and you get to touch their lives.  CIDA is supporting SIFE, and we’re changing lives out there.  It teaches us that you can make money, and while you’re making money you should love people and then use that money to support people. Meeting young people at Alexandra is just amazing.  When you see those young people they will tell you their dreams, and it touches you, you want to do something in their lives to make their dreams come true.
We try to motivate them and by showing them what we are doing it encourages them. We are not products of our circumstances we are products of the choices we make.

Perusha Denston

I’m from a suburb in the South of Johannesburg called Rosettenville, I am 19 years old and matriculated in 2010.
My stay here has been wonderful, I have met people from different walks of life, I have leant to be tolerant and to socialise with people - it has helped me to appreciate people.  Last year I joined SIFE, I have always had a desire to help people and give back to the community.  SIFE has taught me a lot.







The team took part in National SIFE competitions again this year; competing against 26 other teams from other South African universities, they brought three awards back to CIDA:


 • 1st place in Team and projects sustainability – Sponsored by SASOL

• 1st place in Entrepreneurial Approach – sponsored by HARMONY

• 2nd place in Economic Factors – sponsored by NEDBANK