Mandela University student entrepreneur’s year of winning #R2bP

Sandakahle Sanchez Sivungu at the Latitude59 global networking event

The event was attended by over 4 000 international entrepreneurs and 800 investors.

His agri-tech startup, Batho Pele BioLoop Africa Farm converts food waste into organic fertiliser through a circular bio-conversion farming system.

He was one of 25 participants selected to participate in the Latitude59 from the global Challenger Digital & Green Accelerator Programme.

This programme is aimed at accelerating innovative African startups and is supported by a number of European countries and the European Commission.

This is in partnership with startup accelerators: the Estonia-based CIVITTA and Startup Wise Guys, mLab South Africa,and GrowthAfrica Kenya.

Sivungu says, “All my life I’ve been struck about the growing problem of food waste, environmental degradation, unemployment and food insecurity. I noticed that large amounts of organic waste from households, markets and businesses end up in landfills, and I decided to do something about it. Lots of research followed and I consulted with peers in Zoology and Agriculture.”

Six of the Bhalo Pele team member from left, Philasande Khubeka, Akhona Gamana, Sandakahle Sivungu, Kanya Soji, Syabona Jaji and Yamkela Komani.

At the beginning of 2025, along with a team of five Mandela University students and a Master’s graduate in Agricultural Science from Fort Hare University, he founded Batho Pele. “Our innovation uses specific indigenous larvae to convert food and garden waste into organic fertiliser and animal feed in a solar-powered, container-based bio-conversion system,” he explains.

“The fertiliser is then used to hydroponically grow vegetables on vertical shelves in the container, which is effectively a mobile farm, with each container able to feed 18 to 25 people all year round. This creates a circular economy that reduces landfill waste, cuts carbon emissions, improves soil health, and supports local food production. At the same time, it creates green job opportunities, particularly for youth and women.”

Sivungu’s motivation comes from a “deep desire to create solutions that put people first – which is also reflected in the name “Batho Pele” (People First). I believe that as young people and students, we have a responsibility to apply our knowledge to solve real problems in our communities”.

Sivungu says he is grateful for the mentorship he received through the Mandela University Africa Hub (MUAH), which drives student and township entrepreneurship and social innovation.

Sivungu was among the Top 10 in the MTN, Nedbank, Indalo Inclusive Pachi Panda Challenge

He participated in the Hub’s Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator programme and then entered the 2025 Smart Agriculture Hackathon, hosted by MUAH for teams developing agricultural solutions using ICT. Batho Pele was one of two innovations selected for further acceleration.

“I want to thank the Director of MUAH, Professor Thobekani Lose for his mentorship,” says Sivungu. Commenting on Sivungu’s achievements, Prof Lose says: “Universities are pivotal in advancing entrepreneurship and business incubation as a core function.

"We regard creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial thinking as key attributes in our students, and we are committed to creating an atmosphere that encourages entrepreneurial growth. Sandakahle’s achievements attest to this and we are incredibly proud of him.”

Sivungu is grateful to Dr Ncebakazi Galada, a MUAH research fellow and technology transfer specialist for her guidance. She  provided business incubation and intellectual property support.

He says the team’s hard work has paid off this year, culminating in Latitude59 where Batho Pele was one of six teams from three African countries (South Africa, Botswana and Namibia).

“It was just incredible being there with so many entrepreneurs and investors from so many countries worldwide in this massive space called the A.S.K. Dome in Nairobi. I made great contacts and I am so excited that there are organisations and hubs willing to help young entrepreneurs.”

The six African teams from Latitutde59 are attending a bootcamp in Pretoria led by mLab from 10 to 11 December.

From this bootcamp three people will be selected early in 2026 to go to Talin, Estonia, in May 2026, to further develop their innovations through accelerator programmes coordinated by CIVITTA Estonia.

“I really believe that student and youth entrepreneurship in Africa is finally getting the attention it deserves, with a growing number of calls for innovators to participate in top programmes. But these calls also need to come to our schools, and to our township and rural areas because if you don’t have internet you won’t know about them. I, for one, had never heard the word entrepreneurship until Grade 9,” says Sivungu whose family home is in Mqanduli in the Eastern Cape.

It’s been a year of winning for Sivungu and Batho Pele:

• Runner up in the 2025 Student Innovation Challenge at the Sustainability & ESG Africa Conference on the 15th October 2025.

• Top 10 MTN, Nedbank, Indalo Inclusive Pachi Panda Challenge

• Top 10 Finalist at Sustainable Development Solutions Network South Africa (SDSN) Innovation Challenge South Africa

• Top 70 in the Irish Tech South Africa challenge 
• Eastern Innovation Challenge Finalist

Nelson Mandela University aims to be a student entrepreneurship university and the Mandela University Africa Hub recently won the first-ever EDHE Champion Award, introduced at the 7th annual Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Awards recently.

The award recognises exceptional institutional teams that have significantly contributed to the institutionalisation of entrepreneurship within South Africa’s 26 public universities.