The Geekulcha student chapter on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus recently participated in the annual Geekulcha Hackathon at UNISA’s Pretoria Campus, and two teams – Code Blooded and What’s next – made it into the top 10.
The annual hackathon challenges developers, digital practitioners, data enthusiasts, economic policymakers, and others to create solutions that help Africa to define and live up to the next African Digital Narrative and make people’s lives easier through technology.
Since its inception in 2014, the hackathon has congregated developers from different parts of Africa to showcase and put their skills to real use. More than 300 students from various universities participated in this year’s hackathon.
"This is a great opportunity for our students to apply their theoretical knowledge in a practical setting and to develop their skills in a fun and engaging environment, while collaborating with and competing against students of other universities,” says Dr Japie Greeff, deputy director of the School of Computer Science and Information Systems.
He adds that the school is very proud of these students, especially since this was the first time they participated in this event.
"Overall, they have not only gained valuable experience and skills, but they have also made their university proud and showcased their talents on a national level," adds Dr Greeff.
Prof Linda du Plessis, deputy vice-chancellor for planning and Vanderbijlpark Campus operations, also congratulated the students on their success and encouraged them to continue pursuing their passions and exploring new ideas.
Gerrard Lewu, Morena Ramateletse, Sinovuyo Sondara, Kamogelo Seale, Gratitude Phoku, Nhlanhla Nwariwe and Jenifer Brown made up team Code Blooded. Their project was called HarvestHub Technologies, and they focused on transforming rural economies with a special emphasis on the agricultural sector.
The second team, Who's Next, consisted of Dean Dube, Boiketlo Ramoabi, Fortunate Sadiki, Lesego Lubisi, Siphokazi Malesa, Boitumelo Moile and Themba Mabuza. Their project, Emerge Connect, focused on improving the turnaround time for emergency services such as the fire department and ambulance service in South Africa.
