Sibonginkosi Mabika

Durban University of Technology (DUT) students successfully retained their title when they became South African champions at the world’s largest experiential learning platform, Enactus.

The Enactus team comprising of students from both the Midlands and Durban campuses will now represent South Africa at the Enactus World Cup in California, United States of America (USA).

The students will compete against the national champion teams from 36 countries, each showcasing their respective social entrepreneurship projects between the 16^th – 18^th of September 2019.

In a statement released by the university, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement, Professor Sibusiso Moyo, congratulated the team and everyone involved in the project.

“We wish them the very best in the international competition as they represent DUT and South Africa for the second time,” she said.

Enactus DUT has come up with an even more cost-effective, innovative greenhouse design which they are in the process of constructing at Mangete Primary School in the iLembe district. The school will use the vegetables from the greenhouse for their feeding scheme as well as sell the vegetables to the local community as a source of income.

Furthermore, the team’s Agri-Business project showcased how they built greenhouses by recycling and repurposing 2 litre plastic soft-drink bottles; demonstrating the social, economic and environmental impact of the project. The team in partnership with six (6) primary schools, conducted an awareness campaign on plastic waste and initiated a competition encouraging the pupils to collect 2-litre soft-drink bottles. In excess of 47 000 plastic bottles were eventually collected.

The team’s mentor, Lana-Ann Brady is proud to give these students valuable experience, to advance their personal and professional lives, through their participation in the Enactus programme.

“We attribute the team’s success to their values of integrity, passion, dedication, and commitment which was expressed in their many hours of activity in the programme. Enactus DUT is making history in creating a better, more sustainable world through their ‘never say die’ attitude,” she said.

Picture: Durban University Technology