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UFS students claim top honours in 2025 SDG Challenge South Africa

12 November 2025 | Story Vuyelwa Nkoi | Photo Supplied

A dynamic team of students from the University of the Free State (UFS) has secured first place in the 2025 SDG Challenge South Africa – a prestigious competition that unites students and industry partners in addressing real-world issues aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). This outstanding achievement celebrates the creativity, collaboration, and strong commitment of UFS students to building a more sustainable and inclusive future.

Hosted by Soapbox South Africa, the SDG Challenge pairs student teams with industry experts to co-design practical solutions to pressing societal needs. Competing against leading institutions – including the University of Pretoria, University of Zululand, University of Johannesburg, the University of the Witwatersrand, and the University of KwaZulu-Natal – the UFS students distinguished themselves with a community-driven, scalable approach.

The winning UFS team consisted of Almaré de Bruin, Njabulo Dlamini, and Vuyelwa Nkoi from the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development, as well as Hanipher Mili and Gugulethu Nhlapho from the Department of Agricultural Economics – reflecting a powerful interdisciplinary collaboration.

Innovative Agrihub solution for community sustainability

Partnering with Ivanplats mine, the students developed a holistic solution to reduce food insecurity and promote environmental sustainability in resource-limited communities in Mokopane.

Their innovative project, built around a WhatsApp-based Agrihub, enables agricultural knowledge sharing, market access, and community engagement. The solution included the following:

A WhatsApp Agrihub platform for real-time agricultural support
An Implementation Manual for community rollout
A low-cost irrigation prototype designed for small-scale gardens
A scalable model for replication in other communities
A final showcase presentation demonstrating its feasibility and long-term impact

To reduce surplus produce waste and create entrepreneurial opportunities, the team also produced value-added products – including pickled beetroot and carrot preserves – in the UFS food lab.

The Agrihub doubles as a community marketplace where residents can sell both fresh produce and recyclables. A R20 subscription fee supports local facilitators and content creators, promoting sustainability and community ownership.

Their project advances multiple UNSDGs, notably Zero Hunger, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, and Decent Work and Economic Growth.

“This victory is a testament to the calibre of our students and the mentorship they receive,” says Prof JW Swanepoel from the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development. “Their innovative thinking and commitment to real-world impact reflect the values of the University of the Free State.”

The UFS team’s success not only underscores their potential as emerging leaders in sustainability, but it also affirms the university’s growing role in driving development and resilience across African communities.

News Archive

Curriculum of UFS School of Management best in South Africa

2010-09-17

Prof. Helena van Zyl

The School of Management at the University of the Free State (UFS)’s curriculum has been rated in the September 2010 edition of the Financial Mail as the best in South Africa for the second successive year. According to Prof. Helena van Zyl, Director of the School of Management, this rating was done by the school’s MBA students and alumni after the Financial Mail had used an independent company to do a survey about business schools in South Africa.

Apart from its curriculum, from the group of 14 accredited business schools in South Africa, the UFS’s School of Management was also rated by its students and alumni as one of the top three schools in terms of the quality of its lecturers (first position), the degree to which the students enjoyed the course (third position) and the value for money that the school offers (third position).

“This positive rating means that we have clients that are really satisfied with our service, and that is important to us. Our students and alumni feel that we add value, that we empower them, and that we open worlds for them,” said Prof. Van Zyl.

“In this environment where business schools are very competitive, it is an important message to send out that students and alumni are satisfied. It influences prospective MBA students’ choice of a future institution where they would want to study.

“The fact that the UFS’s School of Management has received such a good evaluation, even though we are situated in the centre of South Africa and not in a commercial hub like Johannesburg or Pretoria, is a great privilege for us. Also, if the quality of the programme is taken into account, our MBA programme is very affordable and really offers value for money,” said Prof. Van Zyl.

The School of Management, which is the flagship of the Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences at the UFS, affords this faculty a specific position in corporate South Africa.

Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt@ufs.ac.za
17 September 2010

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