University of the Western Cape Staff Member Recognized as a National Champion in Guiding Youth Toward Entrepreneurship

Within the University of the Western Cape (UWC) community, she is known as the industrious worker who prefers the background, quietly ochestring her efforts and consistently going the extra mile to ensure her entrepreneurial students not only reach their full potential, but also achieve remarkable success in the world of entrepreneurship.

This year, at the celebrated Enactus South Africa National Exposition, Wendy Mehl, the Coordinator for Enterprise and Supplier Development at the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) at UWC, was awarded a top national award – Faculty Advisor and Administrator of the Year in South Africa. The event recently took place at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. 

Her win, thanks to her profound expertise, selfless efforts and unwavering dedication to her students, has earned her an all-expenses paid trip to Utrech in the Netherlands. She will attend the Enactus World Cup, which is scheduled to be held from 17 to 20 October 2023.

Mehl said the win came as a complete surprise to her. “When the winner was announced, I remained seated, not realising that I was the one being called to the stage. I never expected anything like it, but I am grateful and humbled for being acknowledged in such a manner,” she said.
Last year’s candidate, Munashe Dzikiti, an alumnus of the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) team of 2022, shared his experience and said: “My journey in the EDHE competition was a smooth one, thanks to Wendy Mehl and her team at the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. She went above and beyond to secure our victory last year. Through her initiative, I received voice training lessons and participated in workshops that enhanced my understanding of the core principles of running a business.”
  

But it’s an open secret that she cares deeply for her entrepreneurial students who annually participate in this much-respected national event. She is described as selfless, dedicated, truly passionate and deserving of this national acknowledgement of her great work within the realm of social entrepreneurship.

Mehl possesses a range of skills, boasting formal qualifications in Civil Engineering, Finance, and Business Management as well as in Public Relations, Marketing and Project Management. In addition to her expertise, her strong background in administration management is evident in her excellence in ensuring that events, contracts and agreements with key sponsors are handled with the utmost attention to detail and run as smoothly as possible.

Many people, especially her students who nominated her for this competition, were delighted to see Mehl acknowledged. The motivation for her nomination was centered around her expertise, her genuine love and care for her students, and proof of her efforts to facilitate their success in the social entrepreneurship domain.

In a recommendation endorsed by Bongani Mantlane, the Enactus UWC President, as well as Vice-President & Lenokids team leader, Sange Mafinyongwana, it was expressed, “Beyond her professional obligations as a staff member, she has embraced the Enactus UWC team as her own, offering unwavering dedication and expertise.She has a way of creating a nurturing and motherly atmosphere, and she has fostered a safe experiential learning platform for Enactus UWC students, nurturing their professional and entrepreneurial development.”

Mantlane commented: “To me and many of my teammates, the programme has become life-changing and a beacon of hope for positive change. The quality of work that the students are able to bring forth in representing the University would not be possible without the unceasing support and guidance of Ms. Wendy Mehl. Additionally, Enactus as a global programme is able to achieve its goals of impact on communities and students because of the remarkable support that faculty advisors have within the University teams. Mehl has done exceptionally well in enabling that process to unfold at UWC.”

Liso Soldati, the Enactus National Programme Manager & Regional Coordinator for the Western Cape, described Mehl as a phenomenal mentor for her students. “It’s been a pleasure witnessing the growth of the team at UWC.The UWC team is running the most projects in Enactus SA, and generally they are well-run as a team.” 

Mehl’s remarkable journey with Enactus UWC began amidst challenging circumstances following the Covid-19 pandemic and the departure of the former advisor in 2021. She stepped up to the plate and took on the responsibility of guiding Enactus UWC, inspiring its reactivation and subsequent growth, and played a significant role in both supporting and garnering additional support for the reactivation of the team. Her efforts accelerated its path to growth and success. 

CEI Director, Abe Olivier, commended Mehl’s commitment and said: “Mehl is known to take her job seriously, and I am happy that she was acknowledged in this way. Her job entails steering entrepreneurs in the right direction, and up to last year, she was responsible for preparing students for this very important entrepreneurial competition. We are proud of her accomplishments and the value she brings to UWC’s success.”