The Durban University of Technology (DUT) scooped top prizes at the annual Enactus South Africa National Competition held last month in Sandton, Johannesburg.
Founded in the United States in 1975, enactus is an international non-profit organisation that brings together student, academic and business leaders who are committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to improve the quality of life and standard of living for people in need.
The Enactus programme was launched at DUT in 2009. This programme falls under the Community Engagement pillar in the Institution at the office of Prof Sibusiso Moyo, the Deputy Vice Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement.
In developing projects, students enrolled in the programme have collaborated with the Fashion & Textile, Food Technology and Interior Design departments within the university.
Some of the organisations Enactus students work in collaboration with outside the University include Wi Solve, Durban Central Fire Station, Barloworld, Ford, Spar, Dirks Butcheries (Davenport), Redlands Hotel (Pietermaritzburg), Riverside Hotel, Bel Aire Suites Hotel, Southern Sun (Maharani), Southern Sun (Elangeni), Department of Agriculture (Durban) and Sun Square.
This event brings together a select network of students, academics & business leaders to showcase how each team used entrepreneurial action to enable progress in communities.
DUT currently works on four projects which are a soap recycling project at ML Sultan Campus, a line recycling project at Chibini area and piggery and aquaponics projects both at Noordsberg.
DUT’s Enactus team received first prize in the business solutions for community development and triple bottom line sustainability categories of the Thematic Awards. The prizes were sponsored by Harmony Gold and Nedbank, respectively. Overall, DUT ranked third out of 28 participating universities nationwide.
“On behalf of the Durban University of Technology, we congratulate the students that have won this award. Enactus provides a platform for our students to engage beyond the classroom, develop networks and practical skills as they undertake outreach projects that will have a sustainable impact in their communities. We thank the Faculty mentors and advisory boards that continue to work with the students to develop additional graduate attributes which ensure our students are able to take up leadership roles and are able to contribute meaningfully to the economy and their communities,” said Professor Moyo.
Pictured: DUT’s Enactus student receives an award at the Enactus Annual Competition.
Mbuso Kunene
