Phillip Crafford - Belgium Campus iTversity

A group of students stand outdoors beside a blue solar-powered vehicle while a presenter explains its internal components. The vehicle's upper panel is raised, revealing wiring and technical equipment, with a globe mounted above the structure. The demonstration takes place outside a green corrugated-metal building in bright daylight.

SOL INVICTUS puts AI-enabled solar car through its paces at Zwartkops

Belgium Campus iTversity and its SOL INVICTUS partners are evaluating an advanced AI-powered telemetry system ahead of the Sasol Solar Challenge.
The solution, developed by students in collaboration with industry and academic partners, makes it possible for their solar-electric race car and support vehicle to operate as a single connected mobility platform and will be live tested at Centurion-based Zwartkops Raceway as the team prepares for South Africa’s premier solar-powered motorsport event.
Sasol’s Solar Challenge is an eight-day biennial endurance event in which local and international engineering teams race custom, solar-powered vehicles across public roads in South Africa between 10 and 17 September. The race starts in Sasolburg and travels a minimum distance of about 2,500 km to Cape Town via Jeffreys Bay.

SOL INVICTUS puts AI-enabled solar car through its paces at Zwartkops Read More »

A white solar-powered vehicle with solar panels mounted across its top is parked in front of a paddock at a racing circuit. The vehicle displays logos for Open Window, UXI, Belgium Campus iTversity, CTU Training Solutions, and IMM Graduate School, with the number 60 visible on the side. A blue tent labelled "Solar Challenge Team" stands behind the vehicle, alongside covered pit garages.

Varsity teams gear up for Sasol Solar Challenge with innovative SOL-1

News Articles / Phillip Crafford

SOL INVICTUS Dynamics, a multi-institutional solar car team, is gearing up to compete in the Sasol Solar Challenge 2026 with its solar-electric vehicle, SOL-1.
The project brings together students, lecturers and industry mentors from Belgium Campus iTversity, CTU Training Solutions, IMM Graduate School and Open Window, in an initiative focused on sustainable engineering, innovation, and experiential learning.
The Sasol Solar Challenge is an eight-day biennial endurance event in which local and international engineering teams race custom, solar-powered vehicles across public roads in South Africa. The 2026 event takes place from 10 to 17 September, starting in Sasolburg and traveling a minimum distance of about 2,500 km toward Cape Town.

Varsity teams gear up for Sasol Solar Challenge with innovative SOL-1 Read More »

Vertical farming facility with multiple illuminated tiers of leafy green crops growing in stacked indoor systems, overlooking a waterfront city skyline at night. A person stands near monitoring equipment beside the growing racks, highlighting the use of technology and controlled-environment agriculture.

Vertical Farming: How Technology Could Help Secure South Africa’s Food Future

Thought Leadership / Phillip Crafford

Space technologies are transforming IT by enabling global satellite internet, autonomous spacecraft powered by AI, affordable access through reusable rockets, advanced in orbit manufacturing, and stronger cybersecurity for space based networks. They are becoming a core driver of future digital infrastructure and innovation.

Vertical Farming: How Technology Could Help Secure South Africa’s Food Future Read More »

A metallic robotic arm and clenched fist emerge through the outline of the African continent, highlighted with a bright green border. The arm extends toward the viewer over a blue and purple background filled with electronic circuit patterns. To the left, the letters “AI” appear inside a stylized microchip graphic. The image uses blue, purple, and cyan tones to symbolize artificial intelligence, technology, and digital innovation in Africa.

AI breaks through to the other side

News Articles / Phillip Crafford

Artificial intelligence (AI) is mimicking dubious human behaviour – even if unintentionally – by escaping test environments to hack companies or blackmail people as the models seek to complete set tasks in any way possible.

This unintentional rogue behaviour is a byproduct of AI models relentlessly pursuing the tasks they have been given, sometimes in ways their developers never intended, experts say.
Jacqui Muller, Belgium Campus iTversity researcher and PhD candidate in computer science, says it is concerning that these models have gone rogue and are mimicking expert nefarious human behaviour in a bid to complete specific tasks, even though they aren’t breaking out of a supposedly controlled environment on purpose.

AI breaks through to the other side Read More »

People working at desktop computers in a modern open-plan office with large floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a cityscape. Multiple workstations are visible, with computer monitors, keyboards, and office desks arranged throughout a bright, professional workspace. Natural light fills the office, and indoor plants are visible in the background.

The future of work is about reinvention, not redundancy

News Articles / Phillip Crafford

As artificial intelligence (AI) advances at remarkable speed, concerns about job displacement continue to dominate global discussion. However, the focus should not be on replacement, but reinvention.

A narrative of AI replacing large segments of the workforce, on the back of high-profile restructuring in the US tech sector, overshadows a more important facet of this technology. AI’s greatest value lies in enhancing human capability, not replacing it.

Across industries, organisations are discovering that AI delivers the greatest value when used to strengthen human capability, raise productivity and allow people to focus on work that depends on judgement, creativity and relationships.

The future of work is about reinvention, not redundancy Read More »

A person in a white shirt interacts with a large transparent digital display filled with data science visuals, including bar charts, line graphs, and numerical metrics in blue and red tones. The futuristic interface appears to float in front of them, suggesting advanced analytics and real‑time data insights. Another person is visible in the background of the modern office setting, reinforcing a collaborative, tech‑driven work environment.

Data Science Courses in South Africa for the AI Driven World

Articles / Phillip Crafford

South Africa is undergoing a powerful digital transformation. Every sector – finance, healthcare, retail, logistics, education, and public services – increasingly relies on data to operate, innovate, and compete. Organisations are collecting more information than ever before, and they urgently need professionals who can analyse it, interpret it, and turn it into meaningful insights. Data science courses in South Africa, including those offered at Belgium Campus iTversity, have become one of the most impactful pathways into high growth, future focused careers.

Data Science Courses in South Africa for the AI Driven World Read More »

Three students sit at desks in a library, each wearing a virtual‑reality headset and interacting with digital content in the air. Laptops are open in front of them, and bookshelves line the background, illustrating a modern, technology‑enhanced learning environment.

Why SA schools must embrace technology and active learning

News Articles / Phillip Crafford

Technology has long played a part in education. The chalkboard appeared in 1890, the pencil became widespread a decade later, followed by radio a century ago, the overhead projector in 1930 and the photocopier in the late 1960s. The computer arrived in the 1980s and mobile devices have since made it possible for learners to access content anytime, anywhere.
Covid-19 moved everything online almost overnight. Technologies that might have taken years to adopt became mainstream in months, normalising digital learning for teachers and students.
It was not a perfect system, as many children were left behind due to unequal access to technology, and the solutions implemented as part of lockdown were not systems that were designed to teach foundational skills remotely. But it challenged the production-line model of learning. Students had to manage their own schedules, learn independently, find information themselves and develop digital skills. And then most of them went back to sitting in rows.

Why SA schools must embrace technology and active learning Read More »

A person sits on a chair between two tall server racks filled with neatly organised yellow and blue network cables. They are wearing a checkered shirt, jeans, and grey shoes, and are working on a laptop. The scene takes place in a server room or data centre, highlighting hands‑on network maintenance and the complexity of modern digital infrastructure. Network engineering courses

Network Engineering Courses in South Africa: Building the Digital Systems That Keep the World Connected

Articles / Phillip Crafford

Network engineering courses teach students how to design, secure, and maintain digital networks across cloud, wireless, and enterprise environments. These programmes build essential skills in routing, switching, cybersecurity, automation, and infrastructure management, preparing graduates for high demand roles in South Africa’s expanding digital ecosystem.

Network Engineering Courses in South Africa: Building the Digital Systems That Keep the World Connected Read More »

A close-up of a laptop screen displaying a digital illustration of a brain made of circuitry with the letters “AI” in the centre. Lines of programming code and a development interface appear in the background of the screen. Behind the laptop, a person wearing a headset sits in a warm, modern workspace with shelves and soft lighting. Generative AI

The Rise of Generative AI and What It Means for Students

Articles / Phillip Crafford

The rise of Generative AI and what it means for students includes personalised learning, enhanced creativity, stronger digital literacy, improved research skills, and new opportunities in coding and emerging technologies. Generative AI helps students learn faster, think critically, collaborate digitally, and prepare for future careers shaped by AI driven innovation. Ethical awareness, digital safety, and adaptability are essential as AI becomes central to education across South Africa, Africa, and the global digital economy.

The Rise of Generative AI and What It Means for Students Read More »

Open-plan office with several monitors; the central screen shows a red 'CRITICAL ERROR' alert as developers work nearby.

Cybersecurity Courses in South Africa: Your Path to a High Demand Digital Career

Articles / Phillip Crafford

South Africa’s digital landscape is expanding rapidly, and with this growth comes an urgent need for professionals who can protect systems, secure networks, and defend organisations against cyber threats. In this fast moving environment, cybersecurity courses in South Africa have become one of the most powerful gateways into future proof, high impact careers. For students seeking a qualification that leads directly to opportunity, these programmes offer both a mission and a meaningful career path.
Cybersecurity is no longer a niche skill. It is a national priority. Every industry – banking, healthcare, telecommunications, logistics, education, and government – relies on secure digital systems to operate. As cyber threats increase in frequency and sophistication, organisations are actively seeking graduates who understand how to safeguard their digital environments. This is precisely why cybersecurity courses in South Africa are gaining momentum among future focused students.

Cybersecurity Courses in South Africa: Your Path to a High Demand Digital Career Read More »