More than 25 postgraduate students in Engineering and Water Resource Management from all over South Africa participated in the University Challenge of the Trade Fair for Water, Sewage, Refuse and Recycling (IFAT 2019) held at Gallagher Estate Convention Centre from 9-11 July 2019. The competitions was facilitated and adjudicated by the German Association of Water Wastewater and Waste (DWA) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and involved various challenges including the design of an environmentally sustainable wastewater treatment system.

This year, a team of three postgraduate students from the UP Chemical Engineering Department, Job Tendenedzai, Carla Horstmann, and Hester Oosthuizen won first place in the competition, while another team from the same department (Shane Tabana, Siyabulela Tshemese, and Mary Mahlako) won second place. The winning team won an all expenses paid trip to compete in the International University Challenge at the IFAT 2020 to be held in Munich from 4-8 May 2020.