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Back in 2019, more than 60 aspiring student entrepreneurs had the rare privilege of learning from and

being mentored by a seasoned executive with extensive experience in the mining, rail, maritime and

agricultural sectors. It was during MUT’s 40-year anniversary celebrations and Dr Ngcobo had come

back to his

alma mater

more than 20 years after his graduation to share his expertise with the next

generation.

D

r Ngcobo ran a full-day masterclass on

entrepreneurship as his way of giving back to an

institution that had shaped and given him a very

strong foundation in agriculture. As he shared

memories of his time on campus, the students could not

believe that a man with such an impressive business resumé

had once been a student and spent time in the same lecture

halls and dining halls as them. They were only convinced

when Dr Ngcobo pulled out his archives and shared retro

pictures of himself and his friends on field trips and at MUT

parties – and then they were truly inspired to go after their

entrepreneurship dreams!

This masterclass class conducted by Dr Ngcobo two years

ago sharpened the skills of students to become more

innovative when designing their project plans and drawing up

their business proposals. This has resulted in many student

entrepreneurs competing successfully in the Department

of Higher Education and Training’s Entrepreneurship

Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme.

MUT STUDENTS ARE

DOING IT FOR

themselves

– with a little help from Dr Sakhile Ngcobo

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M U T A L U M N I M A G A Z I N E