Carletonville, Gauteng, 5th April 2024 – Eric Mhlanga, the visionary founder of 1912 Holdings group, has
achieved a remarkable feat by securing the third-place position in the highly competitive Artificial
Intelligence for Small Businesses Hackathon. The event, which took place 16th March 2024 in
Johannesburg, at University of Johannesburg’s business school, JBS Park, in collaboration with the
Centre for Emerging Researchers (CER), JBS’s Innovation Lab and the Gauteng department of
Economic Development brought together some of the brightest minds in the business and technology
industry to showcase their innovative solutions.
Eric's success in the hackathon underscores his exceptional talent and dedication to pushing the boundaries of technology. Competing against 74 talented participants, presenting groundbreaking
solutions in the Ed-Tech and Disability services categories that impressed the judges and audience alike.
"It's an honor to be recognized among such a talented group of individuals," said Eric Mhlanga. "This
achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team at the 1912 Holdings
Group. We remain committed to driving innovation and delivering impactful solutions to our customers.
"1912 Holdings Groups is an emerging organization with expertise in various fields and industries
including, IT, AI, Disability Support, Food preparations (restauranteur), is known for its commitment to
excellence and innovation in all the industries we are part of. Eric Mhlanga's success in the hackathon
further solidifies the company's reputation as an emerging player in the Industries it occupies, some of
which are Niche industries.
The hackathon required participants to develop and showcase their unique product/services innovation
using AI tools and demonstrate how this product/service was enhanced by using AI to ensure that its
better received by the customers. Eric was able to showcase this through our disability support services
Software as a Service (SaaS) tool “AbleBooth” which upon launch will be the first of its kind with multiple
applications for people with disabilities, support coordinators, HR, and recruiters. Furthermore, he
demonstrated 1912’s capabilities with yet another innovation which focusses on Ed-Tech, “Ngonza”
Learning Management System which focuses on delivering academic courses in indigenous African
languages.
This event shone a spotlight on the work that the company is doing and enabled strategic
partnerships to be formed going forward to help enhance the visibility of the work being done by the 1912
Holdings group through the use of Artificial Intelligence.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Clarissa
Group COO
1912 Holdings Group
+27 87 700 0618
Clarissa.mhlanga@infas.co.za
Press Contact:
Maqekoane Shale
Group CFO
1912 Holdings Group
+27 87 700 0618
Maqekoane.shale@1912.co.za
