Sitintile Secondary School and Hoërskool Sybrand van Niekerk will represent Mpumalanga in the National Road Safety Competition after winning the provincial finals in Mkhuhlu.

The two teams won the annual provincial Road Safety Participatory Educational Technique (PET) competition held at the Mpumalanga Traffic Training College in Mkhuhlu on August 29.

PET equips learners with road safety measures so they can play a meaningful part in reducing road crashes.

ALSO READ: More than 200 elderly residents join KaNyamazane fun walk

The initiative started at school level before progressing to regional stages, where all four regions, namely Bohlabela, Ehlanzeni, Gert Sibande and Nkangala, participated.

Learners from grades 10 and 11 participated in the competition.

It encourages learners to do research and identify road safety challenges in their communities. They then propose solutions for the identified challenges and present them to panels of adjudicators at all levels of the competition.

Schools win urban and rural categories

Sitintile Secondary School represented the Ehlanzeni region and competed against Khayalami Secondary School from the Nkangala region in the urban category. Hoërskool Sybrand van Niekerk from the Bohlabela region contested the top spot in the rural category against Masizakhe Secondary School.

Both Sitintile Secondary School and Hoërskool Sybrand van Niekerk will face other provinces in the national competition on September 28.

Sponsors reward top learners

All participating learners and trainers received certificates, medals, R500 cash vouchers and goodie bags. Buscor (Pty) Ltd donated the goodie bags and vouchers.

ALSO READ: Acorn City smart city development in Bushbuckridge gains momentum

Each learner from the two winning teams received a tablet donated by Old Mutual and a trophy, while their trainers walked away with goodie bags.

Dignitaries congratulate winning teams

The executive mayor of Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, Matlanatso Lydia Moroane, congratulated the learners and wished them well for the next phase of the competition.

In addition to Moroane, the event was attended by Cllr Lorencia Shakwane, who represented the executive mayor of the Ehlanzeni District Municipality, members of the mayoral committee from Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, representatives of the Hoxani Traditional Authority and other stakeholders.