Northern Cape students have won top prizes for the second consecutive year at the ITWeb Security Summit 2024 Hackathon.

This year the competition was hosted at the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg, at the start of June.

SPU’s GKSS LEADING THE NORTHERN CAPE’S DIGITAL FRONTIER

SPU continues to pioneer digital advancements, we are immensely proud of the strides made by our GKSS team who rocked the stage for the 2nd consecutive year at the ITWeb Security Summit 2024 Hackathon. pic.twitter.com/BoZKfxvs6b

— Sol Plaatje Univ. (@MySPU) June 7, 2024

“We only met once the night before travelling to Sandton and did some challenges for the whole night,” said one of the SUDO SPU team members.

They continued to say that they were not afforded much time for preparation as they had academic exams the same week leading up to the competition, which put pressure on the team.

First place winners, Team Art-VeriAI, from the Sol Plaatje University. Picture: iWeb

The second team, Art-VeriAI, mentioned that they were a bit late to the opening of the competition, however, they were fortunate enough to have balanced teams in terms of skills. They had to allocate time efficiently, often sacrificing sleep and leisure to ensure they were well prepared.

“Knowing that we had upheld Sol Plaatje University’s legacy of excellence in the competition filled us with pride and gratification. It was a testament to our hard work, dedication, and the unwavering support of our mentors – Mrs Eva Mamabolo, Dr Silas Verkijika and the institution,” said Art-VeriAI’s team leader.

Second place winners, Team Sudo SPU, from the Sol Plaatje University. Picture: iWeb

Team SUDO SPU won the Best Capture The Flag (CTF) Team Award and Blue Team Award which was a proud moment for the group because it was the first hackathon for most of them.

The team also aims to go through the qualifying rounds of the SANReN Cybersecurity Challenge, to represent their university and the Northern Cape at the year-end cybersecurity competition.

Sol Plaatje teams with their supervisors. Picture: SPU

“This is not just a win for us but also for the entire SPU family. This experience must be shared with the upcoming generations. These experiences not only provide us with the exposure, it also challenge us to push the boundaries of our imagination and capabilities.”

OFM News/Casey-Lee Anthony cg