Enactus UKZN Celebrates 12 Years of Innovating Social Entrepreneurship

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Enactus UKZN hosted a business breakfast seminar to commemorate notable achievements in the 12 years the organisation has empowered communities around South Africa and Africa.

Held at UKZN’s UNITE building on the Howard College campus, the function also acknowledged sponsors and partners who have made it possible for Enactus to champion projects.

Executive Director: Student Services, Dr Sibusiso Chalufu, expressed his fondness for the student organisation. ‘Enactus is one of those organisations which is very dear to my heart because it gives me hope that there is still a future for this country. It gives me hope that there are still young people whose orientation is altruistic and who espouse this notion of servant leadership.’

He applauded the students for not being swayed by greed, materialism and the pursuit of tenders at any cost.

Chalufu encouraged members of Enactus UKZN to ‘fly like eagles,’ saying: ‘you don’t win an international competition twice if you are not an eagle. You don’t do the kind of great work that Enactus does, if you are not an eagle.’

He commended Enactus UKZN for hosting the Business Breakfast and thanked all the partners, sponsors and organisations that support the organisation, helping the members ‘make a difference in the lives of others’.

Ms Slindile Mncube, a past member of Enactus UKZN, shared her journey with the organisation. ‘We were a team of honest people, we told each other the truth and were driven by being excellent.’

Mncube spoke about the team competing in Malaysia and Washington DC as well as being selected by Walmart to travel the United States to represent Africa in America as Walmart was coming to South Africa in that year.

She said: ‘It has been a journey of growing - where you honed skills learned in the classroom.’ A former President of Enactus UKZN on the Pietermaritzburg campus, Mncube encouraged the current team to avoid mediocrity and to ‘drive change in our community’.

Another former UKZN Enactus member, Mr Sazi Gcume, now an Entrepreneur who also works at Enactus South Africa, spoke on the first time he heard about SIFE (SIFE was recently rebranded as Enactus). Referring to it as a “secret society”, he joked that the student organisation was not well known on campus. ‘Once we understood what Enactus was all about, and what it could achieve, we couldn’t keep it to ourselves.’

He cautioned Enactus UKZN against complacency and encouraged members to reflect on the organisation’s achievements so far saying ‘be the best that you can ever be’.

Head of Training and Organisational Design at Ithala Development Finance Corporation, Mr Siyabonga Dube, discussed social entrepreneurship. A UKZN alumnus, Dube owns  a company, BlackStone Towers, which handles media, communications, human resources and agriculture.

Dube advised students to be trendsetters and to have a mentor to guide them, echoing Chalufu’s sentiments about ethical leadership and encouraging students to maintain their honesty and integrity.

He extolled the merits of talent scouting to drive a vision forward. ‘Don’t just take people for the sake of having employees. Have people you know will add value - they will grow your business.’

Discussing social entrepreneurship, he said: ‘To address social issues, you need to become a social thinker and social innovator.’ 

He encouraged entrepreneurs to come up with innovative solutions for social issues including poverty, health, water, energy, sanitation and security.

Enactus UKZN alumnus and Chairperson of KwaZulu-Natal Youth Designers, Mr Njabulo Buthelezi, was the Programme Director, while the vote of thanks was delivered by Enactus UKZN’s Ms Bongeka Dlamini, who acknowledged everyone who contributed to the success of the event.

*Established in 1975 in the United States, Enactus brings together a community of students, academics and business leaders who are committed to harnessing entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world.

 Raylene Captain-Hasthibeer