LIMPOPO – Khanyisa Education Centre Gr 12 learner Vulombe Nkuzana recently had the opportunity to meet and dine with President Cyril Ramaphosa and members of the cabinet in Cape Town.

Nkuzana was invited on an all-expenses-paid trip to the mother city to attend the Presidential Golf Challenge (PGC), which took place a day after the State of the Nation Address.

The Giyani-based learner earned the trip through his impressive work during a job shadowing programme at Geekulcha, a tech company, last year. While there, he was tasked with designing the PGC’s website, a project he executed exceptionally well for a beginner.

Nkuzana told the Herald that the president and ministers, including Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, were an unforgettable experience.

“Meeting the president was surreal. He was genuinely very kind,” he said.

“I also didn’t expect Minister Gayton McKenzie’s jokes during the gala dinner. He shared funny stories about the president and other ministers that had the whole room laughing. I honestly regret not getting a photo with him.”

Nkuzana travelled to Cape Town from Hoedspruit with his father and was struck by the contrast between Limpopo’s lush greenery, restored after recent floods, and Cape Town’s dry, brown landscape as seen from the airplane.

Looking ahead, Nkuzana plans to study computer science at university next year. He aspires to develop an AI tool that will make a positive difference in people’s lives.