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05 March 2023 | Story Kekeletso Takang and Lacea Loader | Photo UFS Photo Archive
Tate_Makgoe
Tate Makgoe, late MEC of Education in the Free State.

The management of the University of the Free State (UFS) is shocked and saddened to learn of the untimely passing of Tate Makgoe, member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Education in the Free State, who passed away on Sunday 5 March 2023 after a car accident.

MEC Makgoe was a UFS Council member as representative of the Free State Premier for two terms, from 1 November 2010 to 31 December 2018. He was also a member of the Executive Committee of Council in his second term.

“On behalf of the UFS Council, the university management, and the university community, I would like to express our heartfelt condolences to MEC Makgoe’s family, Premier Mxolisi Dukwana, and the Executive Council of the Free State, as well as the Free State education sector at large, for the loss of a great leader,” said Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor.  

MEC Makgoe had a strong relationship with the UFS, which saw him collaborating on numerous projects, including the Internet Broadcast Project from 2012 to 2022, which was aimed at supporting Grade 12 learners and teachers.

Prof Petersen acknowledged MEC Makgoe for his contributions to the university, the institution’s Council, and the province’s education sector. “We are proud to have been associated with MEC Makgoe. Not only in his capacity as MEC, but also as alumnus. He held an Honours degree in Commerce from the UFS and was registered for a PhD in Education Leadership and Policy Studies at the university at the time of his passing. In 2013, he received a Cum Laude Award during the Chancellor's Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony,” said Prof Petersen.

Through continued collaboration and under his leadership, the Free State reclaimed its top spot in the National Senior Certificate examination results in 2019 and has maintained it to date. “This would not have been possible without the leadership of MEC Makgoe; we salute him for the significant role he played, and for his contribution to the success of the province over the past few years,” said Prof Petersen.

News Archive

Mercedes Benz invests in Tamie Mbombo’s company
2016-03-24

Description: Tamie Mbombo Tags: Tamie Mbombo

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

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.

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