The Department of Basic Education wishes to congratulate the national winners of the SADC Secondary Schools Essay Competition. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) recently held the 12th edition of the SADC Secondary Schools Essay Competition, started in 1999, which is open to all secondary school students in the region in order to encourage youth participation in regional integration affairs.
The essay topic for 2010 was: How best can SADC harness and better manage water in order to avoid flooding disasters while ensuring continued sufficient supply of the life giving resource for all as well as have water available to further contribute to the region’s social and economic development?
A panel of adjudicators of Department of Basic Education officials selected the winning entries from a number of South African schools.
The winners are as follows:
- 1st prize, US$500: Steve Kganyamane, Sasekani High School, Limpopo province
- 2nd prize, US$300: Xolisile Nkosi, Indonsa Secondary School, KwaZulu-Natal province
- 3rd prize, US$200: Robert Matema, Sititile High School, Kanyamazane, Mpumalanga province.
The three winners were acknowledged by the Minister of Basic Education and the Council of Education Ministers at the Council of Education Ministers’ meeting held in Pretoria on 7 to 8 October 2010. The minister congratulated the learners and stated that they were role models for all learners through their hard work and commitment to academic excellence, even in the most challenging circumstances.
The department’s national coordinator of the SADC Secondary Schools Essay Competition Mr Carlton Mukwevho attended the SADC Summit in Windhoek, Namibia, on 16 August 2010, as part of the South African delegation led by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), in order to receive the prize money for our national winners.
Profile of Steve Kganyamane, South Africa’s first place winner:
Born 27 May 1991, at Ramotshinyadi, he moved to Mpakane village, around Dzumeri to stay with his maternal grandparents in the year 2000. His father was working at ZZ2 (a tomato farm in Mooketsi). As he was not well educated for a decent job, he was a driver. Steve started school at the local primary school, Govani.
Around September 2005, his father passed away to leave Steve, his two brothers and a younger sister with their mother who later died the same year. His two brothers were forced to leave school to go and look for a job from the neighbouring farms. The intention was to fend for their siblings. Steve and his younger sister were left with their grandmother who was very old to can cook and fetch water for the two kids. This became Steve's responsibility and disturbed him to attend school regularly and his performance deteriorated. A lady teacher, madam Rampedi, became worried and conducted her investigations on what might be the cause. She then discovered that Steve was an orphan who has to take care of an old lady and his younger sister as his elder brothers were working in the farms. She contacted the Department of Health and Welfare which sent a social worker to the family.
After Mrs Rampedi's interventions, Steve managed to attend school regularly as he got a foster care family, the Mahlos, who made sure he attended school. He passed Grade 7 in 2006 and moved to Sasekani High School in 2007 for Grade 8. He became interested in writing short stories, and was very encouraged by his educator Miss Tsakani Mahuntsi. Presently, he has a collection of stories under the title, the lonely looking sky, and the journey of life.
Steve is a very hard working and dedicated young man who wants to bring a change in his community. He hopes by winning this competition, gradually, his wish of making a difference has began, his journey of touching lives will see his community gaining momentum in realising their potentials in education! He always aims for the best and achieving high goals in life.
For more information contact:
Granville Whittle
Cell: 072 1489575
Source: Department of Education
