Matric 2024 | Flying colours earn pupil his first flight experience

When Kwazi Sitsheke, 18, sat for his 2024 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination, his mind was set only on obtaining exceptional results to gain university admission.

Sitsheke, a pupil at Tutor Ndamase Senior Secondary School in Nyandeni, Eastern Cape, didn't know that his achievement would be his ticket to board a flight for the first time in his life. 

“It was nerve-wracking to be on a plane for the first time ever,” he said. 

Sitsheke is one of 39 pupils who were invited by basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube to attend a ministerial breakfast for top achievers at MTN Innovation Centre in Fairland, Johannesburg.

“I was very nervous, especially when the plane landed. Sometimes we were clueless about how to do certain things, but the flight attendants were very kind and polite and they took us through everything when we told them that it was our first time,” he said.

Sitsheke said he was shocked when he received the call as he had not expected it. . 

He said he put more effort into his studies throughout the year while learning at a school which did not have the resources at its disposal. 

Sitheke hasn't decided what he will be studying but wants to explore engineering which he believed would help him expand on his mathematics and physical sciences.

His message to the class of 2025 would be to ask pupils to push even harder. 

“I will tell them that talent is beaten by hard work ... they must remember that and keep that in their minds,” he said. 

Phathutshedzo Mudzanani, 17, from Malavuwe village outside Thohoyandou in Limpopo couldn't believe it when he received an invitation and he almost cried.

He initially thought it was a joke, but when the reality sunk in, he wasted no time telling his parents the good news.

It was only when he received an email that it started to sink in that he was among the 2024 top learners in the country. 

Mudzanani was a pupil at Fhatuwani Secondary School, which he described as a rural school with limited resources. It lacked a science laboratory and computer centre. 

“In terms of resources we are limited, you find that we have to borrow books from the neighbouring schools. Our school is under-resourced so we had that challenge,” he said. 

He credited his teachers and the networking he established with pupils from other schools in the region while he was in grade 11 for his achievements.

“They are the ones who pushed me to be here, and also my parents; I cannot say that I struggled that much because I had that support system —people who told me I could do this. Even the teachers believed in me more than I believed in myself,” he said.

He said in chemistry, especially in physical sciences and life sciences, there were practicals that they need to do at a laboratory, but they could only watch videos of scientists on YouTube. 

“I don't have first-hand experience of doing any science practical. I just watch a video and rely on that to answer the examination questions. We just have classrooms where they can teach, that' all,” he said. 

Fanelesibongile Ngema, 18, from Maphumulo village in KwaZulu-Natal, credited her family, especially her parents who are teachers, for her success. 

She wrote her matric examination at Vukile High School and she said her father transported her to school daily, especially when she had to attend evening classes. 

“My mother gave me data which helped me to access YouTube and all the information I needed for my studies,” she said. Ngema plans to study medicine at the University of Cape Town. 

“My aunt is a mathematics teacher. My father — not necessarily an accounting teacher but he did accounting — also assisted me,” she said. 

Rayyan Ebrahim, 19, from Pinelands High School in the Western Cape, said it took a lot of hard work and commitment to obtain what he achieved. 

“I had to face certain challenges like Covid-19 and load-shedding [during his years of learning in secondary school] and just change the way I was approaching my studies. I have to learn a lot of things about myself,” he said. 

He said everywhere he went while he was in grade 12, he was met with encouraging words from his peers, parents, community members and teachers.

“They all wanted to see me succeed and that is just so motivating because in matric you really need that constant motivation,” he said.

Ebrahim said he is going to study data science at the University of Cape Town, multidisciplinary field which combines mathematics, computer science and business knowledge.

He said these are the subjects that he has a keen interest in and it excites him to be part of a career field that is so dynamic and relevant to South Africa.

“I feel very passionate about reducing unemployment in South Africa because I think all young people deserve an opportunity to thrive in our country,” he said,

Maselesele Lalamani, 17, from Tshivhase Secondary School, one of the schools outside Thohoyandou in Limpopo, known for producing exceptional results,, said when she received the call she was overwhelmed and she was shaking. 

“It was a bittersweet year, when it gets hectic it gets very hectic and when it gets good, it gets very good,” she said about her matric year. 

She said her school is very strict, and pupils made sure they attended the extra lessons on offer.

“Sometimes you have to go to school on weekends and knowing that it is a good school you have pressure to keep working very hard so that you are not the one that downgrades the school,” she said.

Lalamani plans to study astronomy at UCT which has been her interest since she was young.  

“I have always been interested in what is going on in outer space. I also figured that astronomy is the best career for me because I can enjoy working and at the same time be earning something,” she said.