Top matric achievers overcame lack of facilities, equipment and power cuts

One of the 2023 matric top achievers who was among a group of pupils hosted by minister of basic education, Angie Motshekga at a breakfast on Thursday, says her school lacked resources and equipment.

Mavhungu Mbedzi, 17, from Patrick Ramaano high school in Venda, Limpopo, said the school was not fully equipped compared to other schools in the area.

“When studying science or other practical subjects, one often needs the science lab to do experiments but we didn’t have the equipment to do that. So, you would have to rely on what the textbook or your teacher said the reaction is without actually having seen it yourself.

“The lack of resources made it very hard but the teachers were very helpful. They really did a good job motivating us,” said Mavhungu.

Mavhungu said she was happy that she passed her exams and even happier that she was a top achiever.

“I was never really a social person, so sacrificing that wasn’t that hard. I made a timetable and sacrificed my time, making sure I had everything done before the exam started and not the night before the exam, but actually starting months ahead, making sure I was prepared,” said Mavhungu.

She said she wanted to study agricultural sciences at the University of Witwatersrand.

Another pupil, Zonke Thwala, 18, from Siphesihle secondary school in Waterloo, KwaZulu-Natal, said having no electricity made studying very hard.

“During final exams, we had an electricity problem in our home. The transformer exploded and no-one came to fix it, so I had to use a candle and sometimes a torch to study. It still has not been fixed but I persevered,” said Zonke.

Thwala said she was still shocked after being invited to the breakfast.

“It’s really unbelievable but I am so happy. I am proud of myself and grateful to God, grateful to my family and teachers. Honestly, matric was the longest year of my life.

“It was long because everything got so busy. There were after school classes that started at 5 until 7, Monday to Sunday. There was no break in between and it was very stressful.”

Zonke said she wanted to study BCom Accounting Sciences and hoped that the University of Pretoria would accept her.

Addressing the top achievers, Motshekga said everyone was worried about this group after the pandemic.

“Covid hit you guys just as you had chosen your prime subjects [in Grade 10] and we were worried that it would be difficult but here you are. We have come here to commemorate the exceptional achievements of these top matric learners.

“This is not only a celebration of their academic excellence but a testament to the resilience and determination of our young people,” said Motshekga.

Motshekga is set to announce the matric results on Thursday evening.

mashalek@sowetan.co.za