By: Qhawekazi Memani – 24 October 2022

Notes Technologies, one of the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) Enactus businesses came out in the first place at the MTN App of the Year Campus Cup Challenge, walking away with a whooping R50 000.00 cash prize. The competition was hosted by MTN, one of the largest mobile network providers in Africa on 13 October 2022 at the Empire Conference Events, Johannesburg.

The challenge was opened to every youth between the ages of 18 and 24 years who is enrolled at an accredited tertiary education institution in South Africa, and it looked at university/college student/ teams which had designed the most outstanding App.

Notes Technologies is an educational solution that allows students to share their study material notes with their peers. The App is already assisting several students within the University and has even sparked interest of students in African countries like Tanzania. To keep the App functional, the students write study notes and upload them on the App, allowing those interested to view them notes via ads or by paying a monthly subscription fee. The more notes are viewed, the more income-generation for the students producing the content – producing student makes money.

According to Musa Rikhotso, Enactus VUT President, the Enactus VUT Team came up with the solution through a design thinking session around the campus where students were asked different questions about the way they study for tests and exams.  “The exercise not only revealed to the team that a lot of students cannot study in the library, and that they don’t know what and how to study. It also showed that those students who pass have a certain way of jotting/ structuring down their notes and that’s where the app comes in,” he said.

Elated about the achievement, Rikotso, added that it is testament that if you start doing something and you put in the work on it, you’ll most definitely get somewhere with it.

“We encourage VUT students to join the Enactus VUT Team because they get exposed to industries. Currently, the Team is working on a Harmony programme which has the following two projects: Food Security and training of Non-Government Organisations (NGO’s), Non-Profit Organisations (NPO’s) and Non- Profit Company (NPC’s),” said Onica Matsheke: Enactus VUT Team Advisor and Entrepreneurship Lecturer (VUT Logistics and Supply Chain Management Department).

VUT continues to play a crucial role in underpinning innovation and entrepreneurial activities for its students by providing the conditions, facilities and talent that foster the emergence of breakthrough ideas. Recently, the campus hosted the fourth internal round of Student Entrepreneurship Week (SEW) – the three winners of this round are already gearing up for the regional platform where they will prove their mettle against their counterparts from other universities.