Student entrepreneurs at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) from the Bloemfontein and Welkom Campuses took part in the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Entrepreneurship Intervarsity Competition on 8 June 2022. The intervarsity competition is an annual competition implemented across the 26 public Universities in SA, aimed at recognising the top studentpreneurs at these universities, showcasing their business and inviting a cohort of funding onto their businesses. The fourth edition of this competition is underway, and the Universities are busy with their Internal Rounds, gearing up to compete on this magnificent platform.

Prof. Samson Mashele, CUT acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Engagement, stated that seeing students engaging in entrepreneurship was exciting. He said the recently launched CUT Entrepreneurial Development Unit would start incorporating entrepreneurship into the university’s curriculum.

“As CUT our vision states that come 2030 CUT should be a leading university of technology in Africa and we should be leading the future through innovation, specifically placing an emphasis on innovation. That is why it is important that we inculcate that spirit towards students. Remember that when you graduate, especially in this day and age, it’s difficult to find jobs, and we don’t want to train our students to go out there and only be employees, but we want to train them to become employers. When we look at statistics, we see that unemployment, especially among the graduate’s numbers are not very good. And then looking at those that have gone through university, we believe that they are the ones that should be generating jobs for those who did not have the opportunity to get a tertiary education.”

Regional winners receive an exclusive invitation to pitch their businesses in the national finals and attend the prestigious EDHE Awards 2022. Category winners in the national finals not only walk away with cash prizes of R20 000 each, but also qualify for business support and mentorship to develop their business ideas and or grow their winning businesses.

Sandile Shabalala, Senior Student Engagement officer: EDHE (USAf), encouraged participants to grab the opportunity with both hands as the opportunity to grow their business could go beyond the competition. “Only 8 students will represent CUT at the regional rounds, and 4 studentpreneurs will go and represent your region at the national finals. These finalists have ample opportunity to network with like-minded peers, given that they spend two days with the top studentpreneurs across the country. In the process, valuable business connections and friendships are developed. The overall winner will walk away with 100 thousand rands and the coveted title of national Studentpreneur of the Year 2022,” he stated.

Studentpreneurs who have been selected to represent CUT are:

Category 1: Business Ideas: Sandra Scheepers and Siphosethu Bambiso

Category 2: Existing Business – Tech: Thebe Masopha and Noluvuyo Zaca

Category 3: Existing Business – Social Impact: Kedibone Sweis

Category 4: Existing Business – General: Lerato Nyelimane and Tebogo Dithejane

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CUT Studentpreneurs took part in the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Entrepreneurship Intervarsity showcasing their businesses and seeking further funding.