After three days of intense competition, cooperation and exchange of innovative and out-of-the-box entrepreneurial ideas, a team of students from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom was crowned the 2015 Enactus World Cup champions at the Sandton Convention Centre on 16 October.
The English beat 33 other teams from universities across the world to claim the top prize. The second prize was won by a team from Brigham Young University in Hawaii in the United States. Morocco’s Mohammedia School of Engineering and the Seoul National University of South Korea also finished in the top four. This was the first time that the Enactus World Cup was staged on African soil since its formation 40 years.
It was one of several major global events that the City of Johannesburg has successfully hosted this year alone. The others include Meetings Africa, World Congress on Healthy Ageing, International Public Relations Association’s Congress and the month-long EcoMobility World Festival.
Enactus chairman Kees Kruythoff said during the closing ceremony that Johannesburg would be a hard act to follow as hosts of the 2015 Enactus World Cup.
“We would like to thank the Rainbow Nation for being such great hosts. Enactus is beautiful because of our diversity … you are all winners. Keep working hard and reach for the sky,” he says, paying tribute to the late former President Nelson Mandela for leading by example.
“When I was your age South Africa was engulfed in [political] turmoil and violence. Mandela stood up and said we will not die; we will not quit. In life you will be knocked sideways, others will be knocked flat but refuse to quit, refuse to die.”
