The winning team's enterprises, Charcool Climate, and Seller’s Chart showcased remarkable initiatives. Charcool Climate developed cooling systems using charcoal, fence, timber, and water for street vendors in Mbombela. These systems maintain temperatures 10°C lower than the outside temperature, reducing spoilage rates and extending the shelf life of perishable goods. Charcool Climate is still at the concept stage and the idea will be implemented from the funds received at the competition.
Seller’s Chart, on the other hand, excelled in the Regional Competition held at the University of Johannesburg in April, earning a spot among the top 12 teams competing at the National Exposition, where they ultimately secured fifth position.
Charcool Climate also achieved success in the 2022-23 Harmony Food & Health Security Challenge, where they were among the top six and received R12 000. Moreover, they were crowned this year's Harmony Food & Health Security Challenge Winner, earning an additional R15 000.
Seller’s Chart's primary focus is on supporting informal businesses by providing comprehensive assistance through various avenues such as business development, marketing strategies, and personalized consultation sessions. Their goal is to help entrepreneurs redefine their vision and objectives, ultimately leading them towards success. In addition to consultation services, Sellers' Chart operates as an online advertising platform.
Enactus South Africa has undergone a transition from its conventional focus on community development to emphasizing student leadership, teamwork, entrepreneurial thinking, and social responsibility. As part of this new approach, student entrepreneurship is prioritized within teams before extending the focus to the communities they serve.
Enactus UMP embraced this shift by encouraging team members to develop their enterprises through workshops, resulting in the establishment of six student-owned enterprises addressing various societal challenges, such as business development, Gender-based Violence, food waste, university applications, and internships, shoe cleaning, and post-harvest storage of fresh produce.
This Enactus year required active teams to meet specific criteria for their enterprises to participate in the national exposition, including alignment with the Global Sustainable Development Goals, registration with the Companies Intellectual Property Commission, registration with the South African Revenue Services, and affiliation with a financial institution. Additionally, the enterprises had to be in their piloting phase, as per the Enactus Road Map.
Professor Ferdinand Niyimbanira, the Coordinator (Faculty Advisor) of the team, expressed appreciation to the University for its support in enabling students to reach their full potential as social entrepreneurs addressing societal problems with sustainable solutions. The support from the university management, particularly the Vice Chancellor, also played a vital role in the team's success.
In addition to winning three trophies, Professor Niyimbanira's exceptional work led to his nomination as one of the five African representatives in the Global Faculty Research Network (GFRN) of Enactus. The GFRN serves as an advisory body, collaborating to capture and disseminate the knowledge and expertise of Enactus Global Faculty. It aims to promote a global peer research network and provide input for innovative strategies and events that recognize and reward Enactus faculty advisors' innovation.
Professor Niyimbanira expressed his humility and honour at the nomination, considering the presence of faculty advisors from 10 African countries within Enactus. He emphasized that the nomination serves as motivation, validating the significance of their work with Enactus.
Story by Lisa Thabethe. Picture supplied.