TCS Sustainathon SA edition crowns 2024 winners.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has announced the winners of the third annual South African TCS Sustainathon.

The competition, held under the theme "Affordable and Clean Energy" in collaboration with Pick N Pay, Geekulcha, and incubation partners Wits University, SkillsLab, and the Centre for Student Development, attracted over 180 registrations from over 40 universities.

TCS said the competition's theme is related to the African continent's energy poverty, with approximately 43% of the population lacking access to electricity.

The winners were chosen from a group of top finalists who presented their answers at the Grand Finale.

The first prize of R35, 000 went to team Nexura from the University of Cape Town, the University of the Witwatersrand, and Nelson Mandela University, who proposed Vitals-Vault, a portable and energy-efficient cooling solution designed to store vaccines in rural Africa while reducing both medical and energy waste.

The second prize of R 25,000 was granted to team Green Energy Engineers for their Waste to Watts proposal, which focusses on the production of bio batteries from organic waste.

Team South Solar Synergy received the third award of R15,000 for their project, Ubuntu Solar Farm.

In addition, the winners were given an opportunity to intern with TCS South Africa and further develop their ideas into concrete solutions. The remaining finalists received R7, 000 in prize money, certificates, and engraved trophies.

Commenting on the winners and their innovations, Langa Dube, director and country head for TCS South Africa & Rest of Africa, said: “We were amazed by the quality of the presentations at the grand finale and are excited about how young people are helping to find solutions to our country’s energy challenges. They really offer hope for creating a prosperous, more sustainable future, through technology.”