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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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