Hendrick Fourie and Gideon De Jager of Western Cape were declared the 2011 South African Youth Water Prize (SAYWP) winners for their innovative Water Conservation: Windmill Operation project during the national finals event held on Friday, 3 June at Birchwood, in Boksburg - Johannesburg.
The Grade 10 learners from Vredenburg High School in Saldanha Bay, were competing against learners from eight other provinces. As the national winners, they will represent South Africa at the Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) in Stockholm, Sweden in August. There, they will compete against learners from 30 other countries at the event which is organised annually to celebrate World Water Week in Sweden.
KwaZulu-Natal which has been doing well and won the past two consecutive years came second in this year’s competition. Husna Moola, Palesa Maphosa and Richard James, all in Grade 11, carried an awareness project on keeping Amcor Wetlands clean and protected. It went so well that they were interviewed on an international radio station and had a joint awareness campaign with their local municipality.
In third position was Grade 11 Free State learner Winston Mthabela who carried out a science research titled “A Golden Time Bomb: Mining Cyanide in our water resources.”
During the process of adjudicating the judges noted that “there certainly are budding scientists in our schools; the passion that we see here is amazing. We have great thinkers who tackle serious threats to water sustainability.” The judges added, “With guidance and polishing of some aspects of their projects, the learners can be developed to make a difference in their communities and the water sector. Some of these inventions are excellent, showcasing Engineers in the making.”
Among the projects that were showcased were those that address water pollution, saving water and preventing water wastage. The judges lauded some of the projects and noted that, “it is good to see learners coming up with innovative ideas.”
SAYWP is part of the 2020 Vision programme that seeks to promote science and technology learning among high scholars from grades 9 to 11. It aims to encourage and empower youth to participate actively in integrated and community based water resource management. The competition also motivates youth to pursue water and sanitation management careers. Through the SAYWP, youths get the opportunity to interact with their peers, share knowledge and experiences related to water and the environment.
Through the competition, learners identify problems related to water in their schools or communities, do research and recommend solutions to those problems. It has the awareness and invention categories. Various prizes that the top three winners get include; bursaries from DWA for careers in the water sector, tickets to Stockholm – Sweden, subsistence allowances during the trip, cash prizes and computers or laptops.
The Departmental Water Use Efficiency (WUE) unit runs workshops all over the country to schools that apply to participate in the SAYWP competition by assisting them how to go about the competition. There are initially provincial competitions whose winners go on to compete at the national competition. The winner(s) then participate in the international leg at Stockholm. The WUE team then links up the winning project with a relevant stakeholder to assist the learners with further development and implementation of the new innovation.
For more information contact:
Mr Malusi Rayi
Tel: 021 941 6001
Cell: 073 226 4558
