Ubukhosi Print and Engraving hosted the second annual Tembisa Matric Awards at Tembisa Christian Family Church, Hospital View, Tembisa, on January 18.
The awards ceremony is aimed at recognising and awarding top matric achievers of every year. This year teachers and best-performing schools in the area were rewarded.
Ukhosi Print and Engraving also took the opportunity to share a slice of cake to commemorate their 10th year of existence.
Prince Mkhize, founder of Ubukhosi Print and Engraving, said with this event they give learners hope and acknowledge their hard work throughout the years.
“Mainly, we give them trophies for exceptional performance. The top learners receive a cash amount every month for approximately five months as well,” said Mkhize.
Mmenzeli Ncube was named the Overall Top Achiever in Tembisa.
“I have been living alone for the past three years and it’s been hard. Inspired by my sister’s matric success, I knew I had to push extra hard to do better than she did.
“Staying alone was a great challenge, I had to discipline and restrict myself from fun outside while my friends enjoyed themselves. I said no partying and alcohol and I had no WhatsApp to distract me,” he said.
Ncube also said he used to wake up early to leave for early morning sessions and arrive home late after leaving school at around 8.30pm when he finished studying.
“At first I started reading alone, but soon people joined me because they saw my results remained high. Since Grade 10 I was on the top achievers’ list at school.
“Finally my hard work has paid off and I have bursaries lined up. All I have to do is choose,” Ncube said.
“These kinds of awards are exactly what we need in Tembisa, but we need to be recognised from earlier grades. The top achievers from different schools should meet up and share ideas, skills and knowledge, and by the time we are matric we would already know who we are competing against and our performances would be better.”
Rachel Mhlanga, the 2018 overall top achiever, who is currently studying for a bachelor’s degree in accounting at the University of Johannesburg, received seven distinctions and 100 per cent in accounting.
Mhlanga said the learners are about to enter a different space where discipline is most crucial and they need to work even harder than before.
“I am very proud of myself for my hard work because it paid off. My advice for the Class of 2019 is that they need to be committed and stay focused,” she said.
Ekurhuleni North District director Nonceba Ntuta said it is a great achievement for Ekurhuleni North to have local business partners stand up and say they want to recognise and reward learners who did exceptionally well in matric.
“On January 7 the premier announced the province’s results. We have the The Gauteng City Region Academy (GCRA) Bursary Programme which seeks to help underprivileged Gauteng youth pursue tertiary level education. All information is available from their respective school principals.
“To the 2020 matrics, please attend your classes and work hard. The department offers extra classes, but it won’t work if the teachers are there but there is no one to teach. We need to see learners who achieve a 90 per cent average,” said Ntuta.
Tembisa West Secondary School was named the Best Achieving School in Tembisa. The school’s principal, Rakeleje Seleho, said it’s a pleasure to have been given this award.
“It means our children listened to what we said.
“Our teachers are dedicated, they offer morning and afternoon classes. We thank God for giving us the strength to stand firm and say we are going to do it no matter the circumstances,” Seleho said.
