A North West rural villager, who has invented a reflective paint for livestock that makes animals visible at night to motor vehicle drivers, has been selected for several awards, including the prestigious SAB Foundation Social Innovation Award.
The inventor, Morebodi Memphis Kaotsane who is from Pudimoe Village in the Taung area, also won a place in a North West Innovation Competition for his invention.
The reflective livestock spray paint was launched in Taung as part of Mandela Month initiatives.
Spokesperson for the NW Development Corporation Annemarie Marx said a proudly North West product, Moonshine Reflective Livestock Spray-paint was launched to the communities of Dryharts and Matlapaneng villages near Taung.
"The innovative product, Moonshine, is a reflective paint for livestock that makes animals visible at night to motor vehicle drivers, thus avoiding accidents and protecting livestock and motorists alike.
During the launch, members of the community received the product to use it to spray and thus protect their livestock.
The development of the product started after Morebodi won second place in the 2016 North West Innovation Competition that was hosted by the Office of the Premier, NWDC, North-West University and TIA (Technology Innovation Agency).
Since its conceptualisation, the NWU's Technology Transfer and Innovation Support Office, in collaboration with the NWDC, has been assisting Morebodi with the technical development of the product, which included ensuring that the spray is not harmful to livestock’s hides.
Pictured in Dryharts village at the launch of Moonshine Reflective Spray, were, from left: Siphamandla Gumbi, from Road Safety at RAF; Malebo Molefe, provincial RAF manager; Morebodi Kaotsane, inventor of Mooshine; Hannes Malan from North West University and Hantie Hoogkamer from North West Development Corporation. Picture: Supplied
Morebodi has also been selected as a 2019 finalist in the SAB (South African Breweries) Foundation’s Social Innovation Awards that provides a platform for innovators, social entrepreneurs, institutions and social enterprises to showcase their work in prototypes or early-stage businesses to solve social problems.
- African News Agency (ANA)
