Phumelele Shongwe

I interned at the Royal Science and Technology Park within the National Data Center as an application developer. I contributed to the Government Payslip Management System, a project under the Government in Your Hands program, working with NextJS, NodeJS, and PostgreSQL. My role involved frontend and backend development, as well as project documentation, planning, and implementation. This experience strengthened both my technical skills and my ability to contribute to large-scale projects in a collaborative environment.

In 2024, I interned at the Royal Eswatini Sugar Corporation under the Energy Department and the Electrical and Instrumentation Department, specifically within the instrumentation section. The Energy Department manages power distribution across the estate, receiving electrical power from the Eswatini Electricity Company and the sugar processing factory. It ensures power is distributed to key areas such as the sugar factory, pump stations for sugarcane irrigation, estate villages, and local businesses. I participated in the maintenance of power distribution facilities, including replacing faulty transformers, resolving issues at pump stations, installing three-phase metering transformers, and addressing domestic incidents like tripping circuits and faulty geysers. In the instrumentation section at the sugar processing factory's front end, I contributed to process automation by measuring process variables and equipment conditions. I led a project to develop a slat misalignment detection system to prevent conveyor breakdowns and another to monitor water conductivity entering boilers to protect against damage from high-conductivity water. I also assisted in restoring mill lifts and other related tasks.

In 2023, I served as a Spectrum Monitoring Intern at the Eswatini Communications Commission under the Spectrum Planning and Management department. The Commission regulates electronic communication networks, services, and radio frequency spectrum allocation under the Eswatini Communications Act of 2013. I participated in spectrum monitoring, investigating harmful interference reported by licensed stakeholders by visiting affected sites to assess frequency usage and identify suspicious signals. I also conducted national spectrum audits, performing occupancy tests at communication sites to verify channel usage by licensed clients. I compiled detailed reports on findings for supervisory review.

I worked as a Promoter for the UNESWA AI Academy during the 10-day Eswatini International Trade Fair 2025. In this role, I presented and promoted the Academy’s services to diverse audiences visiting our stand. I engaged with students, professionals, and members of the public, explaining the Academy’s mission to equip individuals and institutions with AI knowledge and practical skills. I highlighted key initiatives such as professional development certificate courses, community AI literacy programs, specialized workshops, and AI for social good projects. This experience strengthened my communication and public engagement skills, while allowing me to contribute to raising awareness about AI’s role in education, innovation, and national development.

As a member of the Students Engineering Society, I held a leadership role coordinating student involvement and departmental communication. In April 2024, in collaboration with the Royal Eswatini Sugar Corporation, we engaged nine schools in the Lubombo region under the theme AI and Electronics. I worked with other students to lead the student team in preparing projects like the Home Automation system, showcasing IoT-based control of home appliances. In 2025, a similar initiative with STEMPower targeted four schools near the university, where again I played a leadership role in coordinating student efforts. I also participated in the Science Fair Week and Trade Fair, under the Engineering Society in collaboration with the Engineering department, exhibiting a Smart Irrigation System that attracted farmers and tech enthusiasts.

I mentored a high school student team, Future Sparks, in the AI4Good Incubator Challenge, where they developed an AI-based solution called ForestGuide to address deforestation, poaching, and wildlife loss. My role was to guide the team in shaping their ideas, refining the use of AI tools, and connecting their solution to real-world applications while fostering teamwork and innovation. The team successfully secured 1st position in the challenge. This experience allowed me to contribute to knowledge transfer, inspire young innovators, and support the practical application of technology in solving community challenges.

As a final-year student, I worked alongside the Programming Techniques I instructor to support level one students through peer tutoring in C++. I assisted them during weekly lab sessions by helping them understand programming problems and guiding them on how to approach each task. I also made myself available outside class hours to assist with any challenges they encountered in the course.

In April 2025, I completed a five-day hands-on Basic Instrumentation and Control course by Ohm-Mech Engineering, focusing on temperature, pressure, level, flow, and process analysis. Practical sessions included interfacing an RTD with a UDC 2500 temperature controller and using radar for level measurement with an RSG35, enhancing my skills in optimizing industrial processes.

In 2024, I participated in the STEMinator Challenge hosted by Ohm-Mech Engineering and FESTO Didactic to introduce mechatronics in Eswatini. After a short training in basic PLC programming and pneumatics, I co-developed an automated sorting system using FESTO’s Modular Production System. The project involved mechanical assembly, sensor integration, pneumatic setup, and PLC programming for workpiece classification. Representing the University of Eswatini, our two-member team secured second place among four institutions.

In my final year, I developed a computer vision-based access control system designed to replace traditional access control methods that are often inefficient and unhygienic. The system is tailored for a residential setting, where permanent residents gain access through facial recognition, while visitors use time-based QR codes for temporary access. It provides system administrators with a web-based interface to manage authorized users, monitor access logs, export data to Excel for further processing, view the live camera feed remotely, and control the gate manually when needed, for instance, during emergencies or when handling unexpected visitors. User information is securely stored in a cloud database, allowing access management from any location with internet connectivity. The system was tested and achieved 87.1 percent accuracy in facial recognition with a latency of 1840 milliseconds, and 99.9 percent accuracy in QR code scanning with a latency of 134.8 milliseconds. It was integrated with an existing gate facility by interfacing with a Centurion D5 Evo gate controller, operating alongside the remote control to demonstrate its non-intrusive and adaptable nature.

In preparation for the outreach, we developed a home automation system that integrates various home appliances to enhance the living experience. The system allows users to remotely control lighting and fan via a centralized web interface using their smart phones via voice control or a single tap. The system was designed using esp32 microcontrollers, which communicate with a web server to manage the devices. The web interface provides a user-friendly experience, allowing users to easily control their home appliances from anywhere with internet access. The system also includes IoT integration, enabling real-time monitoring and control of home devices. This project was showcased during the 2025 outreach program, demonstrating the potential of IoT in everyday life.