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University of the Free State students triumph in SDG Challenge 2023

03 November 2023 | Story André Damons | Photo SUPPLIED

SDG Competition 2023 — From left: Dr Brandon van Rooyen, Dr Anathi Makamane, Dr Yolandi Schoeman and Daniel Naudé participated and won the SDG Challenge South Africa. Pieter Bruwer is absent from the photo.

A team of exceptional students from the University of the Free State (UFS) has claimed victory in the prestigious SDG Challenge South Africa, a global competition that unites students and organisations to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). This remarkable achievement not only underscores the skill and dedication of UFS students but also reinforces their commitment to forging a more sustainable and equitable world.

The group of students from different disciplines within the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (NAS), came up with an interdisciplinary and forward-thinking approach which contributed significantly to their victory. The team members, including Pieter Bruwer, Dr Anathi Makamane, Dr Brandon van Rooyen (all from Sustainable Food Systems and Development), Daniel Naudé (Department of Agriculture Economics), as well as Dr Yolandi Schoeman (a postdoctoral fellow in the Centre for Environmental Management (CEM) from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, each brought their unique expertise to the challenge.

Prof Jan Willem Swanepoel, Associate Professor in the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development within the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, provided invaluable mentorship to the team. The students were also supported by Robyn Mellett from OMI Solutions.

Dr Schoeman says the SDG Challenge, designed to confront global challenges, connects students and organisations from across the globe, fostering collaboration towards achieving the UNSDGs, which encompass critical issues such as climate change and the reduction of global inequalities. Teams from South African universities, including the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, and the University of KwaZulu-Natal, partnered with leading companies to address specific challenges tied to their corporate missions.

Develop a waste management strategy

Team UFS joined forces with Ivanhoe Mines, a prominent mining company operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo to develop a waste management strategy for the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex. This endeavour was laden with complexities due to the limited waste management options available in the area. The challenge was not just about managing multiple waste streams from the mining complex, but also about addressing socioeconomic and biodiversity challenges stemming from the burgeoning population in the region, which led to a range of environmental concerns.

“In response, the UFS team innovatively conceived ÉcoFlotille, a solution that not only tackled essential waste management issues but also promoted biodiversity net gain. The plan extended its reach to support local agribusinesses and small and micro-enterprises through the repurposing and reuse of waste materials, while presenting a unique biofinancing opportunity. The EcoFlotille solution represents a distinctive aspect of their triumphant journey.

“ÉcoFlotille not only aligns with the SDGs but also plays a crucial role in realising the vision of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which emphasises the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Additionally, it aligns with the goals of Agenda 2063 for Africa, striving to advance the continent’s development objectives and create a prosperous and harmonious future for the region,” says Dr Schoeman.

The scalability of ÉcoFlotille across Africa holds great promise. Its innovative waste management approach and biofinancing potential could serve as a model for addressing similar challenges in diverse regions of the continent. This opens up opportunities for wider adoption and positive impacts throughout Africa.

Creating a more sustainable and equitable world

The SDG Challenge South Africa is an integral part of Soapbox’s global mission to mobilise university students and organisations in working collaboratively toward the UNSDG. These goals aim to address the world’s most pressing challenges, requiring collective efforts to achieve sustainable economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion by 2030.

The UFS’s remarkable success in the SDG Challenge not only highlights the university’s dedication to fostering global citizenship and sustainability but also underscores the remarkable potential of its students in driving positive change in Africa and the world.

According to Dr Schoeman, the UFS team’s victory in the SDG Challenge stands as a testament to their unwavering commitment to creating a more sustainable and equitable world. Their innovative solution, ÉcoFlotille, serves as a beacon of hope, illustrating how the vigour and ingenuity of the younger generation can propel us closer to realising the UNSDG by 2030, effectively ticking all 17 SDG boxes.

Solving a real-world problem

Prof Swanepoel says the SDG Challenge is a global competition that unites students and organisations to address the UNSDGs. These goals encompass some of the most pressing challenges facing our world today, such as climate change, poverty, and inequality.

According to him, by participating in the SDG Challenge, the UFS students had the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills to solve a real-world problem experienced by one of the biggest mining houses in the world. They gained valuable experience in collaborating with the private sector.

“I am immensely proud of the students' achievement in the prestigious Soapbox SDG Challenge South Africa. Their interdisciplinary approach and forward-thinking mindset are a testament to the calibre of education and mentorship they receive at the UFS,” Prof Swanepoel says.

“Furthermore, I am confident that the skills and experience gained through the SDG Challenge will help the students to make a positive impact on the world. They are the next generation of leaders who will be responsible for addressing the complex social and environmental challenges Africa face. I also believe that coming out as victors in this competition would open more doors for them and the university in the private sector.”

News Archive

CR Swart Memorial Lecture: Mr Cecil le Fleur

2006-08-08

Khoe and San call for government to speed up policy dialogue with indigenous communities

Mr Cecil le Fleur, leader of the National Khoe-San Consultative Conference and member of the executive management of the National Khoe-San Council, has called for a national policy on indigenous peoples to protect the human rights and special needs of indigenous people in South Africa.

Mr Le Fleur delivered the 38th CR Swart Memorial Lecture on the Khoe and San at the University of the Free State (UFS). He commended the UFS for its serious approach to the Khoe and San and for initiating initiatives such as a research project on the Griqua in which various aspects linked to language, -culture, -history, - leadership, their role in the South African community (past and present) and the conservation of their historical cultural heritages will be covered.

“The policy dialogue with indigenous communities initiated by government in 1999 and supported by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), has been exceedingly slow, owing to political and bureaucratic problems,” said Mr Le Fleur.

According to Mr Le Fleur the slow pace is also impacting negatively on the United Nations’ efforts to expand the international standards and mechanisms for human rights so as to include the special needs of indigenous peoples.

“The successful adoption of a South African policy would probably have a major impact on the human rights culture of Africa and, more specifically, on the UN system,” he said.

“South Africa has a powerful moral authority internationally and is willing to use this authority in multilateral forums. At this stage, however, South Africa’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) may not take an official position on UN instruments and declarations pertaining to indigenous issues, until the Cabinet has resolved its own domestic policy position,” he said.

According to Mr le Fleur it therefore came as a great surprise when the DFA brought out a positive vote in the UN for the adoption of the "Draft Declaration on the Rights of indigenous Peoples" in June this year, even before the completion of the policy process.

Policy consolidation in South Africa is the primary key to creating a new policy climate in Africa in order to protect the rights of indigenous peoples. “The existing constitution of the Republic of South Africa is one of the most liberal on the continent, and embraces the concept of redress of past discrimination. It already includes a clause (Section 6) making provision for the protection of language rights for Khoe and San peoples - the fist peoples of southern Africa,” he said.

“If South Africa can effectively integrate this ‘third generation’ of collective rights within an existing democratic constitution, this will send a clear message to Africa and the world that indigenous rights are a necessary component of human and civil rights in modern democracies,” he said.

Mr Le Fleur proposed an institutional framework based on set principles that would satisfy the needs and aspirations of the Griqua and other first indigenous peoples in South Africa. “The proposed framework was based on the notion of vulnerability as a result of colonialism and apartheid, which stripped us of our indigenous identity, cultural identity and pride as people. This injustice can hardly be addressed within the existing mechanisms provided by the current text of the Constitution,” he said.

Mr Le Fleur also proposed that the principles of unique first-nation status, as recognised in international law, should be applied in the construction of the framework of the constitutional accommodation for the Khoe and San.

Mr Le Fleur further proposed that the Khoe and San’s indigenous status in constitutional terms must be separate from the constitutional acknowledgement of their status as a cultural community, as envisaged in sections 185 and 186 of the Constitution of 1996.

According to Mr Le Fleur, the suggested mechanism should make provision for structures such as:

A statutory representative council for First Indigenous Peoples of South Africa at a national level;
a separate Joint Standing Committee on Indigenous and Traditional Affairs, in both the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces on which the Khoe and San can be represented;
a representative structure for the Khoe and San in the legislature of each relevant province; and
ex officio membership in the relevant structures of local government.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
24 August 2006

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