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20 December 2021
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Story Igno van Niekerk
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Photo Igno van Niekerk
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Dr Samantha Potgieter, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Internal Medicine and Dr Nicholas Pearce, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Surgery comment on their team members’ commitment and determination during the pandemic.
On the forefront of the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, two UFS doctors are leading a team of inspired healthcare workers in a superhuman effort to make a positive difference.
With the pandemic in its second year and the recurring challenges of new waves and strains consistently in the news, one would expect the doctors to be tired. However, quite the opposite is true. Upon entering the office where Dr Samantha Potgieter, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Internal Medicine and Dr Nicholas Pearce, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Surgery are in a meeting with colleagues, the debate is vibrant; an energetic sense of mission.
Miraculously succeeded
My brief is to collect stories and experiences they’ve had over the past 18 months at the Tumelo ward for general and high-care patients, where the team has miraculously succeeded in not running out of oxygen or ventilators, despite handling high volumes of patients from the Free State and Northern Cape. “We saw those pictures of piled-up bodies in Italy. We were committed to avoiding that at all costs. And we did.”
Success stories? First mentioned are their team members’ commitment and determination. The team had to stand in when families could not support dying patients. “They did not die alone. Our team was there.”
“Really sad and frustrating are the deaths that could have been prevented. Unvaccinated patients. They arrive ill, wanting to know if they can get it. Too late...” – Dr Nicholas Pearce
Then came hope
Sad stories? The past year has had its share of sad stories. “Someone comes in during the morning, needs oxygen, in the afternoon they are in ICU, then ventilator – and then they die. We’ve never faced anything like this before.”
Then came hope. Vaccines. Dr Pearce is in charge of the vaccination site at Universitas Hospital. “Really sad and frustrating are the deaths that could have been prevented. Unvaccinated patients. They arrive ill, wanting to know if they can get it. Too late ...” He opens his cell phone – shares the stats. “We can handle 2 000 vaccinations a day. At the moment about 250 comes in.” He shakes his head.
“We can beat this virus, but we need to stand together ...”
Mercedes Benz invests in Tamie Mbombo’s company
2016-03-24
Tamie Mbombo means business: The Founder and CEO of Sollo Inc, the integrated marketing company endorsed recently by Mercedes Benz South Africa.
Photo: Hannes Pieterse
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A new Mercedes Benz 116 CDI Vito Tourer Pro, a financial injection of R85 000, and 12 months of media coverage by Mercedes Benz is what many Small to Medium Enterprises dream of. For Sollo Inc, that dream became a reality recently after the company won the Boost Your Business 2015 national competition.
In 2012, when Tamie Mbombo was an Investment and Management Banking student at the University of the Free State (UFS), he founded an integrated marketing company, and named it Sollo Inc. The company was launched at the IdeaStart Accelerator, a business incubator for UFS student entrepreneurs.
Four years later, on Friday 18 March 2016, Sollo Inc reached new heights when one of the world’s leading automobile manufacturers presented the Founder and CEO of Solo Inc with a Vito sponsorship at the Bloemfontein Campus.
In addition to serving corporates and the public sector, as part of its social enterprise aspect, Sollo Inc offers certain services free of charge to small businesses. “We capacitate start-ups with organisational skills and financial management as well as marketing education,” explained Mbombo.
Sollo Inc was selected as a winner based on the authentic story behind how Mbombo conducts business. “Mercedes Benz has invested quite a huge sum of money in print and digital media placements as platforms to give exposure to the story behind Sollo Inc,” said Adeesha Ramprith, Client Service Manager at Aqua Online, Mercedes Benz’s digital marketing agency.
The IdeaStart Accelerator office has commended Mbombo as an example of how young entrepreneurs should keep their ears to the ground, and grab opportunities that might propel their businesses forward. “This is a great milestone for his business, mainly because of the challenges he has faced when it comes to mobility,” said Ayanda Makhanya, Student Entrepreneurship officer at IdeaStart Accelerator.