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Highlights
- Participants in TCS Sustainathon South Africa 2026 were challenged to address the root causes of hunger and environmental degradation.
- The fourth edition of TCS Sustainathon South Africa saw a strong response, with more than 350 applications received across the country.
- TCS Sustainathon South Africa 2025 was held in partnership with the Tshwane University of Technology, University of the Witwatersrand, and incubation partner Skills Lab.
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About TCS Sustainathon South Africa
In August, the fourth edition of TCS Sustainathon South Africa 2025 took place. TCS Sustainathon, a problem-solving competition that encourages students to innovate ideas for leveraging technology to solve real-world sustainability problems, gives students a chance to present their innovative solutions to real-world problems across the world
Held at WITS University, Johannesburg, this initiative brought together the nation’s most innovative young minds to develop solutions for a few of the country’s most pressing environmental and social issues.
With this year’s theme, “Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security”, participants were challenged to address the root causes of hunger and environmental degradation, particularly in underserved communities.
This edition of TCS Sustainathon saw a strong response, with more than 350 applications received across the country. The top 10 finalists showcased their groundbreaking solutions at the grand finale.
Meet the winners
PowerLock team, led by Phemelo Maile, Mnelisi Mabuza, and Mohlomi Mahlomola, won the competition and the grand prize of ZAR 30,000.
AgriSentry, the solution developed by the winning team from UCT, helps small-scale farmers monitor soil moisture, sunlight, and temperature using low-cost sensors. Data is converted into simple SMS alerts in local languages, guiding irrigation, and crop care. Over time, it builds farm performance records, enabling access to loans, subsidies, and insurance that result in boosting productivity and income for resource-limited farmers.
They are utililising their prize money to refine prototypes, test with farmers, and possibly explore similar ventures.
The second prize was awarded to team Sustainoraise led by Madiba Tukiso, Pula Morema and Maake Daniel, receiving 20,0000 ZAR.
They created Peu, a web platform that connects rural farmers directly to urban markets, eliminating middlemen and ensuring fair trade. It features a digital marketplace for produce sales, a “Social Farm” hub for knowledge sharing, and a finance dashboard for credit insights. Supporting all South African languages, Peu integrates with payment services and uses AI to forecast demand, reducing waste. The team plans to pilot the web app, expand to mobile, and roll out across southern Africa.
Congratulations to our winners and finalists who took part in this year’s Sustainathon. The creativity, determination, and technical skill we have seen from these young innovators is truly inspiring. They are not only imagining a better future, but they are also actively building it, and that gives us great hope for a more sustainable South Africa.
Solutions that drive innovation
In third place was the team led by Zoe Hendricks, Amber Pillay, Taariq Smith, Emanuel Messiha and Wentzel, du Toit who won 15,000 ZAR.
They created Agri-link, a smart farming solution combining solar-powered sensor nodes and an ‘insight engine’ to give smallholder farmers affordable precision agriculture. The system tracks soil moisture, temperature, and micro-climate data, delivering actionable advice via app, SMS, or offline USSD. Additional features include crop health diagnostics, a community forum, and a subscription model. Agri-link aims to boost yields by 25%, cut water use by 30%, and reduce fertiliser inputs by 20%.
All remaining finalists received prize money of ZAR 5,000 each, along with certificates and gift vouchers. The event presented participants with challenges designed to encourage sustainable agriculture and food security solutions.
TCS Sustainathon South Africa was held in partnership with the Tshwane University of Technology, University of the Witwatersrand, and incubation partner Skills Lab.
About the Theme
This year’s theme, “Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security” addressed critical issues facing South Africa, and with the solutions that were presented by the students, the future of South Africa looks bright. Not only are they not viable but, they hold potential to set an example for the world to see.
From smart farming sensors to digital marketplaces, these solutions weren’t just ideas but they were blueprints for a brighter future.
“This year’s theme challenged students to tackle one of the most pressing issues facing our continent,” said Langa Dube, Regional Director at TCS South Africa and rest of Africa during the competition. “The solutions we have seen are not just ideas on paper; they have the potential to make a real and lasting difference in people’s lives. We are proud to support the next generation of problem-solvers who are using technology for good.”
TCS is committed to building South Africa’s green economy by investing in youth-led innovation. Through expert mentorship, cutting-edge resources, and a collaborative platform, we help turn vision into reality. This initiative, which is in its fourth year, is a movement to empower young innovators and drive sustainable change.
“At TCS, we believe in empowering the next generation to take on the challenges of our time. Sustainathon gives students the tools, mentorship and platform to turn their vision into reality. This year’s participants have shown that the future of innovation in South Africa is in very capable hands,” added Dube.