Nothing ’ s going to stand in their way
How to make a meal from food waste From creating a prototype of a self-charging electric car to starting a booming business at age 18, these South African students are driving change in their communities — and beyond
● Vaal University of Technology (VUT) student Tumisho Thobejane is making a meal out of food waste.
The fourth-year biomedical technology student launched a company, Foodable, as a social enterprise project aimed at reducing food waste and feeding the hungry.
There is more food in the value chain than we use. A third of all good, healthy food is wasted.
“We looked at food waste and found that the biggest contributor to the problem is the fastfood industry. So for eight months we researched and explored ideas. We looked at what ingredients are excessively used before the final idea took shape,” Thobejane, 24, told the Sunday Times.
The Foodable concept, which she set up in the Vanderbijlpark area, involves taking excess waste that would have been thrown away to create healthy meals.
“Restaurants have to pay to dispose of waste food. We came up with a way for restaurants to save on their disposal expenses while serving affordable meals.”
Foodable is a cashless business. Thobejane and her team worked with a team at the VUT Southern Gauteng Science and Technology Park to 3D-print tokens that can be redeemed from Foodable partner restaurants for a full meal made of excess ingredients.
“You can use the token yourself or donate it to someone in need. The tokens cost R20, with R15 going to the restaurant and R5 coming to us once the token has been redeemed. ”
Foodable has two partner restaurants — Glamour Magic Takeaway and Pizza Mobile in the Vanderbijlpark area.
Each token has a unique QR code on the back, helping Thobejane and her team to better understand customer trends.
“We are able to tell when and where the token has been sold and how long it has been in circulation before being redeemed. We developed an app that the restaurant can use to scan the token. Since March, we have sold 135 tokens, generating an income of R2,700 in sales, which amounts to 78 meals for people who need them.”
The project has been successful in reducing food waste while helping people in need.
“Our aim is to feed people, not garbage bins, one token at a time while reducing food waste in our country.”
Last month she he won the social impact category of the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education intervarsity finals.
● When Munei Budeli spots an opportunity, he acts on it.
The 24-year-old final-year civil engineering student at Nelson Mandela University (NMU) was in his first year in 2018 when he started an e-hailing business.
Five years later, he runs a fleet of cars and trucks, as well as a driving school, and employs five people.
Budeli, from Limpopo, had dreamt of studying near the ocean. He was accepted for biokinetics at NMU in Gqeberha, and was funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.
Since his classes often ended early, he had a lot of time to explore the city, using e-hailing services to get around.
“I started doing research ... on the profits and what cars are needed and the requirements. ”
Budeli asked his parents to use the stipend they sent him every month to pay for a car for him.
By the second semester, he had his first car and hired a driver. “The market wasn’t flooded at the time in [Gqeberha], so it was great. ”
In a short time, he and his driver were each earning R10,000 a month. Budeli took care of the car’s maintenance and insurance, while the driver paid for fuel.
In 2019, he changed courses and registered to study civil engineering. He eventually also signed up for NMU’s entrepreneurial training programme.
He started working on building a good credit score through clothing accounts and a cellphone contract, and was soon approved for another car, doubling his monthly income.
“I did not have a car. I was still walking to campus. I also started to buy and sell cars at a mark-up. Just before Covid, I applied for another car and was approved. I decided to drive onemyself, registered it as an e-hailing vehicle and worked between 3pm and 7pm,” he said.
Budeli had to return home during the pandemic, where he worked on his parents’ farm. He left his vehicles with the drivers, telling them to keep the earnings and take care of the cars.
It later occurred to him that many students at NMU did not know how to drive, so he decided to use one of his vehicles to start a driving school.
He identified a demand for code C licences and used his savings, a credit card and a favour from a friend to buy his first truck. After buying an automatic car, he started offering driving lessons to students with disabilities.
Budeli also noticed that students required furniture removal services when moving from their accommodation at the end of the academic year. He used his truck for removals and provided storage space in his two-bedroom flat. Nowadays, he has office space in the form of containers on campus.
Budeli is expected to graduate in 2024 and hopes to find formal employment, though he feels he already earns enough from his business.
“Even people who have finished their studies and are working are not earning what I earn, and I worry employment won’t give me that. I feel I should keep running my business and studying further.”