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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

Childhood passion becomes a successful career

2016-12-19

Dr Makae took up his studies at the South Campus
of the UFS, and now serves as a community vet in Tshwane.
Photo: Anja Aucamp

Dr Thapelo Makae’s youthful passion has been a driving force in his chosen career. He says: “Like any veterinarian, my love for animals started from childhood. Growing up, I always asked myself why animals didn’t have doctors like we kids did, when our pets fell ill or died.” While veterinary services were unknown where he was raised in the Phelindaba location in Mangaung, Bloemfontein, Dr Makae started doing his own research as early as Standard 1 (Grade 3). He affirms, “I’ve always wanted to help these creatures that, it seemed, no one could help.”

Having started his academic journey on the South Campus in the CPP (as the University Preparation Programme was then known), Dr Makae obtained an undergraduate degree in Agriculture, later completing an honours degree in Agriculture. “It was at this stage,” he says, “that I was recruited by Prof Johan Greyling and the late Dr Luis Schwalbach. With their support, I completed my MSc Agric, besides having the opportunity to be a junior lecturer in Animal Physiology. Dr Schwalbach was my supervisor, my mentor, and a veterinarian himself, and I worked very closely with him. He encouraged me to pursue my passion and the dream to go ahead and study Veterinary Medicine.”

Realising that dream, Dr Makae is now employed at the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development as a community veterinarian. Among his many responsibilities, he is charged with serving the communities of the Tshwane Metro, where he visits farmers, assisting them with health and vaccination plans, and providing advice to help them develop their skills.

Dr Makae also seeks opportunities to pass on his dream. “What I am most passionate about is going to schools and giving talks to schoolchildren, especially those from previously disadvantaged communities, who might not know much about Veterinary Medicine,” he says.

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