Online Reporter
Raymond Jaravaza, [email protected]
INSPIRED by the everyday struggles faced by ordinary Zimbabweans, a small group of five students from the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) decided that learning should not end in the lecture room. Instead, they chose to turn theory into something tangible, something useful.
Drawing from three critical sectors of the economy — agriculture, health services and security — the students pooled together the skills they had acquired from different disciplines and set out to create an innovation they believe can make a real difference. What emerged from that collaboration is a piece of technology that hints at a future shaped by local ideas and local problem solving.
The idea was not born in isolation. It was shaped by President Mnangagwa’s consistent calls for Zimbabweans to develop practical, home grown solutions to the challenges confronting citizens in their daily lives.
Taking that message seriously, the five students looked inward, using what they had learned at the University of Zimbabwe to design an innovation with the potential to improve how ordinary men and women live, work and stay safe.
Working mainly with materials easily accessible within the country, and supplementing them with a few specialised components sourced outside Zimbabwe, the team built what they call a “vertical take-off and landing fixed wing drone”.
It is an ambitious creation, blending different areas of engineering into a single working system and proving what is possible when young minds are given room to explore.
The innovation is currently on display at the University of Zimbabwe stand at the ongoing Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), where it has attracted steady interest from exhibitors and members of the public.
Visitors have stopped to ask questions, to peer closely at its design, and to understand how such technology could fit into everyday Zimbabwean life rather than remain a distant concept seen only abroad.
Speaking to Zimpapers, UZ final year student studying Avionics and Software Development, Evans Sabvure, explained how the project came together. He teamed up with Sekayi Lusewa, a Communications Systems student, and Nathaniel Jambulosi, who specialises in Electronics and Propulsion Systems.
They were joined by Tadiwa Mandizvidza, an Airframe Design and Assembly student, and Jabulani Mitole, who focuses on Navigation Systems.
The team worked under the supervision of Naison Kunaka, with George Penyaitu serving as the Innovation Lead.
“The innovation is known as a vertical take-off and landing fixed wing drone that has the ability to charge itself by harnessing solar energy mid-flight and can be used for security surveillance, agriculture as well as delivering medical supplies.
“The maximum distance that the drone can fly is 40 kilometres and in terms of endurance it can last for up to two-and-a-half hours using its batteries. On a sunny day, it can go an extra one hour of flight time to bring the total number of its endurance to three-and-a-half hours,” said Sabvure.
The potential uses of such a drone are far from theoretical. In countries like Rwanda, drones have already been used to deliver medical supplies to remote areas where road networks are poor and access by vehicle is extremely difficult.
Launched in 2016, Rwanda’s drone system has helped overcome mountainous terrain and weak infrastructure, allowing health workers in distant clinics to place orders and receive critical supplies quickly.
For Zimbabwean farmers, the students’ drone could also open new possibilities. From spraying chemicals to applying fertiliser, the innovation is designed to support modern farming methods. At its current stage, the drone can carry a payload of three kilogrammes.
“Because of innovation is a pilot project we restricted its payload to three kilogrammes since it’s a student- based project but for industrial drones the payload can be increased to 25 kilogrammes or more,” said Sabvure.
According to Penyaitu, one of the most significant aspects of the project is how much of it was built using local resources.
“In terms of materials that were used in manufacturing this drone, we sourced some of the items from outside the country. For components such as the airframe and other materials we made them ourselves through our 3D printing technology at the university,” said Penyaitu.
Looking ahead, the university is already thinking beyond the prototype.
“With regards to manufacturing the drones en-masse, UZ considers the innovation a students’ owned project but still remains a part shareholder of the project.
When an investor shows willingness to manufacture the drones en-masse, a company co–owned by the innovators and university can be created to deal with the investors side of the business and receive the receive venture capital needed to manufacture the drones,” he said.
The project reflects a broader vision within the university. UZ continues to position itself as a leader in innovation and technology, focused on creating an environment where students are encouraged to solve real problems.
“Being a leader of technology and innovation is at the core of UZ’s vision so seeing our students coming up with innovations that can assist Zimbabweans in their everyday lives is of paramount importance.
“One of the key pillars of Education 5.0 is to install STEM (Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) in our tertiary students and young learners at primary school who will graduate one day with the necessary skills that uplift the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans and also empower the ordinary men and women of our country,” he said.
For the students, success will not be measured by applause at exhibitions or academic recognition. It will come when the drones are produced in numbers and used by farmers, hospitals and security agencies such as the Zimbabwe Republic Police. That is when the innovation will truly have fulfilled its purpose.
“The motivation behind this innovation was to use the skills that we learn at UZ to solve problems within our communities so it was in that regard that we made this drone that will one day assist Zimbabweans in three key areas – agriculture, security and health services,” said Sabvure.
