Enactus UWC's WebMax Honoured at 2025 SAB Foundation Social Innovation Awards

From a Bright Idea to a Business Built for Impact

In a country where digital access and skills remain unevenly distributed, a group of students from the University of the Western Cape (UWC) saw an opportunity to bridge the gap. Through the Enactus UWC programme, they founded WebMax (Pty) Ltd, a social enterprise committed to equipping young people and small businesses with the digital tools they need to thrive.

What started as a university project has grown into a nationally recognised enterprise. WebMax has trained and empowered dozens of youth in web development and digital skills, while helping local small businesses establish an online presence — unlocking new markets and growth opportunities in the process.

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Recognised for Innovation and Impact

In 2025, WebMax was recognised by the SAB Foundation Social Innovation Awards — one of South Africa’s leading platforms celebrating enterprises that tackle pressing social challenges through business-driven solutions. The recognition highlights how student-built ventures can deliver measurable, scalable impact long after the competition stage.

This milestone follows a series of remarkable achievements. In 2024, WebMax made history by winning the Enactus South Africa National Exposition, earning the honour of representing the country at the Enactus World Cup in Astana, Kazakhstan, where they placed in the Top 16 globally. Earlier this year, they also placed third in the global Ford College Community Challenge (Ford C3), further validating the strength of their business model.

Each success tells a story of transformation — from a campus idea to an award-winning enterprise driving youth empowerment and digital inclusion across South Africa.

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The Strategy Behind the Success: Building Real Businesses, Owned by Students

A few years ago, Enactus South Africa adopted a refocused strategy, shifting from traditional community-based projects to student-owned and student-led enterprises.

Too often, impactful initiatives struggled to survive beyond graduation due to unclear ownership, limited scalability, and a lack of full-time founders. The new model changed that — empowering students to establish legally registered businesses, build sustainable operations, and continue scaling after their Enactus journey.

WebMax stands as a landmark validation of this approach — born entirely within the Enactus framework and proving that students can be both social innovators and successful entrepreneurs.

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Standing on the Shoulders of Pioneers

While WebMax may be the first to reach the SAB Foundation Social Innovation Awards stage under Enactus South Africa’s refocused model, they follow in the footsteps of earlier innovators who laid the groundwork for student-led enterprise success.

Projects like Iziko Stoves — an Enactus UKZN venture led by Lindokuhle Duma in the early 2010s — showed how students could build scalable, socially impactful businesses, earning recognition from SAB in 2018. Similarly, Luvo Gugwana’s Green Arch Innovation, which evolved from an Enactus DUT aquaponics project, represented South Africa at the 2018 and 2019 Enactus World Cups in Silicon Valley, and went on to feature in the 2024 SAB Foundation Social Innovation Awards.

These trailblazers proved that Enactus projects can grow into long-term, profitable enterprises — and WebMax now carries that legacy forward.

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The Fruits of Focused Innovation

WebMax’s success is a beacon for every Enactus team in South Africa. It demonstrates what’s possible when students are given ownership, mentored through real-world business development, and connected to platforms like SAB Foundation, Ford C3, and UWC’s Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

This journey proves that Enactus South Africa’s strategic refocus was not just a policy shift — it was an evolution. It embodies the intersection of vision, empowerment, and sustainable entrepreneurship, setting the standard for student enterprises nationwide.

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Looking Ahead

As WebMax continues to scale its impact and refine its business model, their story invites the next generation of Enactus students to take bold ownership of their ideas.

Start something that lasts. Own your idea. Build your legacy.

At Enactus South Africa, we believe that when students take ownership of their businesses, they take ownership of their future — and in doing so, they make the world a better place for us all.

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