The RU Water Wonders was a team of dedicated students from Rhodes University who participated in the 7th edition of the Water4Future Student Hackathon, organised by the UNESCO International Centre on Freshwater (ICIREWARD) in Montpellier. The event, held from the 21st to the 22nd of February 2025, brought together a record-breaking 82 teams, split into 10 pools, comprising 450 international students from 16 countries across Africa, Europe and South America. The focus was to develop innovative solutions under the theme ‘Water & Transitions.’
Meet the RU Water Wonders Team
RU Water Wonders was composed of Njabulo Dlamini, Onke Mabhula, Siyabonga Mazibuko (Institute for Water Research), Cikizwa Matomane, Huresha Padayachee, Tafadzwa Makhuza (Geography Department) and Markan Andreas Nkhwazi (Department of Environmental Science).
Figure 2: RU Water Wonders Team after the final pitch night. TOP (left to right): Advisors Patsy, Jamie and Jane. MIDDLE (left to right): Huresha, Cikizwa, Njabulo and Onke. BOTTOM (left to right): Siya, Tafadzwa and Markan.
The Competition
Before and during the intense 48-hour challenge, RU Water Wonders collaborated with over 12 committed advisors, from a range of fields and throughout all times of the day and night, to identify and solve a local water-related problem in Makhanda, Eastern Cape (which experiences an ongoing myriad of governance, infrastructure, water quality and water supply challenges). The team developed the idea of an application that would link stokvel communities (who use the power of community networks to raise funds towards an identified goal) with producers, funders, training and mentorship towards building immediate and long-term water resilience.
Figure 3: Advisors and students collaborating throughout the Hackathon
The team also contacted local businesses, experts, and stakeholders for their input. Markan and Njabulo remotely presented the idea in a 3-minute pitch to their pool (Pool I, which comprised Hackathon judges and nine other international teams). The team secured 2nd place in the pool earning them the W4F –Water Talent Prize. This placed them in the top 20 of the total 82 participating teams.
Figure 4: Njabulo and Markan about to present their 3-minute pitch
Looking Ahead
The interdisciplinary expertise of RU Water Wonders (students and advisors) as well as the division of tasks according to individual strengths played a substantial role in developing a well-researched idea that harnesses the power of the community to solve water needs within a perpetually water-scarce town. Such disruptive ideas are necessary in a world with inevitable anthropogenic and climate-related problems. The RU Water Wonders team acquired many skills and lessons throughout the Hackathon and encourage future students to engage in such innovative global competitions.
By Tafadzwa Makhuza