University of the Western Cape Ranks Among Top Four Universities in National Entrepreneurship Competition
UWC managed to secure three top awards, including for the The Digital Innovation Challenge, Business Solutions for Community Development, and the National Administrator of the Year award.
UWC projects LenoKids and Read Defined demonstrated exceptional impact and innovation, securing an impressive second position in the semi-finals in the 2023 Ford C3 Cycle 9 Award in the main National Competition, League of the Enactus competition. As a result, the team received a coveted trophy as a symbol of their achievement.
Along with R89 000 in prize money, the project leader Sange Mafinyongwana will travel to the Enactus World Cup in Utrecht in the Netherlands from 17 to 20 October 2023 to compete against 31 countries.
LenoKids, introduces a gamified WhatsApp Chatbot platform that helps kids improve their English language skills through engaging classes, games, storytelling, and handwriting exercises. LenoKids offers interactive and enjoyable learning experiences for kids, making language learning a fun journey.
Faculty advisor and administrator of the Year in South Africa, Wendy Mehl, of the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, will join Mafinyongwana on the trip to Utrecht.
In another category, the 2023 MTN Enactus Digital Innovation Challenge, the project, Student Wise, was selected as one of the top 10 projects, out of 25 in South Africa. It received project funding of R25 000. MTN also sponsored a laptop for their business.
The 2023 Thematic Competition, which looked at the application of business and economic concepts as well as an entrepreneurial approach, had an associated theme: Business Solutions for Community Development. Once again, the projects LenoKids and Read Defined demonstrated their impact and effectiveness, achieving an impressive second position. As a token of recognition of their excellent work, the team received R1 000 in project funding and a trophy.
Competition was fierce in this category, with only four university contenders making it to the final round. Furthermore, only the most transformative projects aimed at making a positive difference in society made the cut. 
The other three winning projects in this category which showcased remarkable dedication to addressing various societal challenges, were:
Central University of Technology – Sontrale: This project aims to provide sustainable and efficient portable solar boxes and wireless solar chargers to vendors. The product will be marketed as a cost-effective alternative to traditional power sources, such as gas stoves, generators and extension cords.
The CUT team was awarded the honour for their Vermi-Village, an innovative agricultural initiative in the Free State. The enterprise addresses pressing challenges of poor soil quality and food waste by harnessing the power of Red Wiggler worms to convert organic waste into nutrient-rich vermicompost, revolutionising sustainable farming practices.
University of KwaZulu-Natal – Innovators Harvest: This project empowers farmers with cost-effective agricultural solutions such as vertical stack farming and hydroponic farming. The goal is to improve their yield potential, minimise waste and maximise profitability. Additionally, this initiative seeks to identify smallholder farmers who will collaborate with the Innovators Harvest project to process commodities like corn into other secondary products for sale in the retail market.
University of the Free State QwaQwa – BioFly Pro: The aim of this project is to form a collaboration between supermarkets and local farmers in QwaQwa, enabling farmers to generate profitable income from their produce and create employment opportunities.
This year the event at the Sandton Convention Centre took place on Wednesday, 19 July 2023, with the Central University of Technology (CUT) crowned the National Champions for the second consecutive year. The entire CUT team will travel to Utrecht in the Netherlands.