Prosthetic Designers Take Top Awards at the Entrepreneurship Intervarsity 2025
A young man’s determination to help the thousands of South Africans who cannot afford a quality prosthetic spurred him into action. It led him to design a pneumatic-actuated prosthetic foot, winning him the title of 2025 EDHE Studentpreneur of the Year at the seventh annual EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity.
Mr Zanodumo Godlimpi, a postgraduate student at Walter Sisulu University, won R120 000 in overall prize money and a further R25 000 for another win in the Academic Research Commercialisation category.
A fellow prosthetic designer and innovator – Ms Amohetsoe Shale from Stellenbosch University – was named Top Student Womanpreneur, winning R25 000. Her company, Navu, designs and produces cost-effective, high-performance assistive technologies, beginning with a passive polycentric prosthetic knee. Ms Shale emerged a runner-up in the Academic Research Commercialisation category.
Below is the breakdown of the 2025 EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity Award winners:
The EDHE Studentpreneur of the Year
· Zanodumo Godlimpi (Walter Sisulu University), founder of a pneumatic-actuated and affordable prosthetic foot. (R120 000).
Top Student Womanpreneur
· Ms Amohetsoe Shale (Stellenbosch University) founder of the NAVU Group, who design affordable, high-performing prosthetic knees for amputees. (R25 000).
Existing Business – Tech
· Winner: Ms Kholofelo Makhubupetsi (University of Mpumalanga), co-founder of CSK Environmental Consulting which guides businesses towards sustainable practices while leveraging government grants. It helps organisations reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve biodiversity (R25 000).
· Runners-up: Ms Khanyisa Mokgolobotho and Ms Rosemary Erawemen (Stellenbosch University), co-founders of Techmed Connect, a company revolutionising South African healthcare with technology through innovative AI solutions and helping bridge language gaps (R10 000).
Existing Business – Social Impact
· Winner: Ms Malehu Mohale (University of Cape Town), founder of the Early Bird Testimony Academy, an online tutoring and mentorship platform. (R25 000).
· Runner-up: Mr Kabelo Makhetha (Central University of Technology), founder of OWA Jewellers which creates jewellery that blends African design with safety technology, making it a potential life-saving tool for individuals with conditions like epilepsy or dementia. (R10 000).
· 2nd runner-up: Mr Katleho Mphutlane (University of Fort Hare), co-founder of Incremental Education which seeks to bridge the gap between education and employability and empowers students with practical skills and global opportunities, focusing on supporting TVET college and university of technology students in tourism, hospitality and agriculture. (R10 000)
Existing Business – General
· Winner: Mr Tumelo Ratala (University of South Africa), founder of Drink & Print which offers purified water and printing services (R25 000).
· Runner-up: Mr Thando Mzimela (University of Cape Town), co-founder of uniMark by TM Agrichem that connects university students with essential services through an online platform that streamlines access to local businesses (R10 000).
Academic Research Commercialisation
· Winner: Zanodumo Godlimpi (Walter Sisulu University), founder of a pneumatic-actuated and affordable prosthetic foot. (R25 000).
· Runner-up: Ms Amohetsoe Shale (Stellenbosch University) founder of the NAVU Group who designs affordable, high-performing prosthetic knees for amputees. (R10 000).
The Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE), a programme of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) administered and implemented by Universities South Africa (USAf), is the custodian of the annual EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity. EDHE is predominantly funded through the University Capacity Development Programme (UCDP) of the DHET.
The Intervarsity is a platform designed to identify, recognise and celebrate top student entrepreneurs at South Africa’s 26 public universities. The event has, over the years, enjoyed the support of numerous private sector entities, including the Allan Gray Foundation, the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation and the SAB Foundation, which, in 2025, supports the initiative for the sixth year in a row.
Mr Phillip Tshabalala, Chief Director: Teaching, Learning and Research Development in the Department of Higher Education and Training, delivered the keynote address during the award ceremony. Labelling the event both timely and significant, he said it represented an important step forward in collective efforts to advance entrepreneurial universities.
Referencing the recent G20 Summit and its commitment to boost inclusive growth — with a strong focus on Africa and the broader Global South – he said: “Universities play a vital role in preparing students, not only to participate in the labour market as employees, but also to serve as future employers, industrialists, innovators and leaders. DHET works closely with universities, USAf and other key partners to transform the academic landscape. A major component of this transformation is the integration of entrepreneurship within our universities and in the curriculum nationally.
“I congratulate the winners who are part of a movement to turn the tide for economic growth in our country. May they continue with their businesses and mentor those who are still finding their way.”
Said Dr Kirston Greenop, Head of Corporate Citizenship, Standard Bank South Africa: “For us at Standard Bank, there are only two ways to achieve growth in this country – through education and with entrepreneurship. With these awards, and with the work done by EDHE, you combine the two and so, for us, it is an absolute win/win.
“Without a small and medium enterprise and entrepreneur base, this country is lost. We need to get the EDHE message out there to a wider community while celebrating its work. It is an absolute truth that when we invest in entrepreneurs, we invest in hope, in self-determination and in community upliftment.”
Mr Mahlubi “Chief” Mabizela, Director: Operations and Sector Support at USAf, emphasised the importance of entrepreneurship for higher education.
“Every graduate of higher education must come out equipped with entrepreneurial skills, whether or not they intend to use them thereafter. Universities cannot simply produce graduates who wait for jobs that may never come. Universities that embrace entrepreneurship remain relevant by aligning curriculum with societal and economic needs while producing well rounded graduates. Entrepreneurship fosters creativity, problem solving and adaptability; skills which are critical to compete, to participate in society, and for social development. In other words, entrepreneurship is not just about profit but about social innovation.
“Our ultimate aim is to have entrepreneurship embedded in the DNA of higher education, not as an elective, but as a pillar of the sector’s transformation,” he concluded.
Participating in the panel of judges for the 2025 EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity Awards were Mrs Pabalelo Banks, representing Analytics X, Mr Billy Bokako from the Small Enterprises Development Agency, Ms Khwezi Cenenda, representing Avocado Vision, Ms Onthatile Ditshego from the SAB Foundation, Ms Uve Nathi Gcilishe from The Innovation Hub) and Mr Marshall Grant, representing the Garden Route Innovation Hub.
