Multiple awards for Enactus VUT at South Africa National Championships
Students and academics from participating universities across the country were geared up and ready to present their award-winning projects at the Enactus South Africa National Competition held at the Sandton Convention Centre on Tuesday 11 and Wednesday, 12 July 2017.
19 teams took part in this year's championship, themed "We all Win". All teams were competing for the 2017 national championship title which would accord them an opportunity to compete against National Champion Teams from other 36 Enactus countries, at the main event which will be held during the month of September 2017, in London, England.
Different teams presented their projects aimed at contributing towards: a sustainable economy; driving environmental change and impacting the lives of ordinary community members. Enactus Vaal University of Technology (VUT) presented their Communal Property Association (CPA) project which took them to the semi-finals of the competition. This project is split into three parts, namely; Project Bantu Bonke, a hydroponic farm in Suikerbos which they assisted with team dynamics, marketing and bookkeeping skills to ensure that the beneficiaries run a successful commercial farm. The Mama V project, where vegetables from the farm are preserved and sold. Project Mama V aims to tackle the global issue of food insecurity through preservation, Enactus VUT aims to assist farmers and entrepreneurs grow their business ventures, they also developed the Farm Cove and Genesys app which provides a platform for active and start up entrepreneurs to receive business related advice. This app and Web site aims to create a world of abundance through business re-education. Enactus VUT's projects impacted the lives of 122 members of the community directly and indirectly.
Enactus VUT's hard work earned them awards under the category "Thematic & Special Awards", which included: Third place for the MTN ICT Challenge with Farm Cove and Genesys, second place for the Barloworld Social Youth Innovation Award, second place for the Nedbank Triple Bottom Line Sustainable project. Project Bantu Bonke is one of the finalist project for the Ford C3 Building sustainable communities' competition.
The team was happy with their achievement and said it wasn't necessarily about winning but achieving their objective which is making a positive impact in the lives of South Africans. "Our story is one of growth, this all couldn't have been possible without the assistance of the various departments within the institution," they said. Beyond the experience of the competition, the event creates additional opportunities for these leaders to connect, network and gain exposure.