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Qwaqwa student Jabulani Mabuza – a master of his time

11 August 2022 | Story NONSINDISO QWABE | Photo SUPPLIED

At a time when it is becoming fashionable for high-tech smartwatches and fitness gadgets to adorn your wrist, there will always be room for a classic timepiece. Wristwatches in particular tell a different story to people of all social classes, and for Qwaqwa student Jabulani Mabuza, the process of making different watches to suit different tastes is what excites him the most.

Mabuza is in his final year of a BCom General Management degree. In January 2020, he acted on his curiosity about the process of assembling a watch, and subsequently registered his watch business, Honour Watches, in January 2021.

Since then, he has steadily honed his craft, learning more about the art of watches. He recently made it through to the central regional rounds of the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) competition in the Existing Businesses category for studentpreneurs.

On the pursuit of mastering the art of watchmaking

Horology is the study and measurement of time. It is the process of allowing yourself the time and patience required to master the art of building a watch from scratch, and Mabuza said he enjoyed the intricacies of the watchmaking process. “What I enjoy about horology is learning the deeper technicalities of the art, the whole process – from understanding basic astronomy and how planets move in our solar system, to sort of emulating that in a watch mechanism. The working of metals transformed into watch components that actually tell time, is what I enjoy most and what I am investing in so that I can master it one day,” he said.

As a BCom student, he said his studies have largely influenced his business journey, as it helps him understand the structure of his business professionally. “It assists me with the business administration and management of Honour, and the rest is inspired by my creativity and passion for what time means to human beings.”

Mabuza said South Africa does not have a watchmaking plant as yet, so all the components for his watches are currently imported from Japan and Switzerland. He hopes to one day have his own production plant that will produce watches from scratch, in order to teach more people this skill and to create jobs, for which there is always a need. Currently, he studies the watch components to learn which movement best complements which type of hand and casing, in order to assemble them according to the designs he likes.

“I enjoy the pursuit of creating a mechanical auto-magnetic watch for international travellers that will automatically adjust to different time zones as they travel. These horological pursuits are what I enjoy the most, believe in, and am passionate about.”

The regional rounds will be held on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus from 19 to 23 September 2022.

News Archive

UFS responds to media reports about UFS101

2012-08-18

The UFS101 is a cross-disciplinary module of the University of the Free State (UFS) that encourages critical thinking and offers access to knowledge beyond the specific qualifications for which students are registered. This is a multi-disciplinary academic curriculum that includes topics in astronomy, nanotechnology, history, law, anthropology and religion.

Throughout the seven units students are taught to think broadly rather than narrowly, and critically rather than through rote-learning.

The core curriculum module raises some difficult questions about science, humanity and the universe that have occupied human beings for centuries. There is considerable effort put into the module to enable balance, respect, and independent thinking. Students are not taught what to think but are offered different perspectives on difficult issues.

“In my unit on the question ‘how should we deal with the past?’ every effort is made for students to examine the perspectives on history held by people from different communities in South Africa,” said Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS.

Students are then encouraged to speak in class, online and in tutorial groups where they are given ample opportunities to take a position and defend it not through emotion and anger, but through logic and reason.

The objective of the module is to equip students to deal with “the present past” in constructive and empathetic ways. They are also prepared to become active citizens outside the classroom and gain skills they can use anywhere in the world.

Some students find the module difficult at first, since most of them are not used to the practice of critical thinking and dealing with difficult questions from the past, the present and the future. Most students gradually come to enjoy the core curriculum module as they become accustomed to a new style of teaching and learning.

There are 700 first-year modules at the UFS. This is the only one module offered to students in English so that all students, local and international, can engage with one another directly on the subject matter discussed in the module. However, the module material is also available in Afrikaans online.It is a pity that AfriForum Jeug Kovsies did not discuss their concerns with the presenters of the module, but chose to do it through the media.

It is a pity that AfriForum Jeug Kovsies did not discuss their concerns with the presenters of the module, but chose to do it through the media.

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