SPAR SCHOOL STARS 2026

Ashton International College Ballito’s Zara Reardon is an up-and-coming tennis star ready to rub shoulders with the country’s best.

The Grade 7 pupil has just been selected to the eThekwini U13A team and will represent her province at the Junior Schools Inter-District Tennis Tournament in Pietermaritzburg in August.

Curro Salt Rock’s Zimele Gasa proved his golfing bona fides with a recent SA Kids Golf win at Simbithi Country Club. The Grade 2 pupil is growing in confidence with every strong performance. That includes a recent second place finish at the 2026 World Championships qualifier at Huddle Park Golf Club in Johannesburg.

Mkhosiwentethelelo Mdlangathi is a Grade 7 pupil and head boy at Stanger Heights Primary School. The 12-year-old enjoys participating in both English and Zulu speech and poetry competitions. He took top honours at the annual Chief Albert Luthuli Museum speech competition in August last year, while also representing the school in coding and robotics.

At just 10, Nonjabulo Ngubane is making her mark on KZN’s athletics circuit. The Grade 5 pupil at Chibini Primary in Ndwedwe began running at eight and quickly rose through the ranks. In 2024, she represented KZN at the National Cross Country Championships, earning a silver medal. She later claimed gold in the 2km at the KZN Cross Country Championships. Nonjabulo has also competed nationally in the 600m and the 1 200m. Nonjabulo is coached by Cebo Maphumulo at Thandolwethu Athletics Club.

Sanelisiwe Sibiya is a language champion. A Grade 5 pupil at Nyamazane Primary School in Maphumulo, Sanelisiwe won the district Library Competition last year. She went on the compete at the provincial championships at UKZN’s Westville campus on February 20, finishing second for reading, writing and spelling.

Ashton International College Ballito Form 3 pupil Kiara Rajcomar-Ramprsad outshone thousands of entries to win Treeline Stationery’s recent Big National Sketch Quest. Kiara will now have the opportunity to work with Treeline’s professional design and media team to prepare her artwork before it is printed on 200 000 exam pads and distributed for sale countrywide. She also won R10 000 for Ashton and Treeline will plant a lemon tree at the school as part of its Back to Your Roots initiative.

Curro Salt Rock Grade 10 pupil Jack Thornhill has been racking up tennis title across the country.
Jack claimed Growthpoint wins in Durban and Johannesburg, as well as a doubles title at the ITF J60 Durban against international competition. This after earning a silver medal at the ITF/CAT Zonals.
He is currently ranked within the top 1 500 players in the world in the U18 division.

Destiny Life Academy matric pupil Akhona Banda is a promising young sportswoman on the soccer pitch and in diverse athletics disciplines. A key member of the Ballito United soccer club, Akhona is also a talented 800m runner and shot putter. In a KZN Provincial League meet last September, she earned medals in both events. “It’s not about winning – it’s about having fun and not giving up on something you are passionate about, even when it gets difficult,” she said.

Masonela “The Lion of Judah” Nguqu, a Guzana Secondary School pupil in Shayamoya, continues to make strides on the track as one of iLembe District’s top middle-distance runners. The eighteen-year-old runs for Thandolwethu Athletics Club and now competes under Hollywood Athletics Club through the Hollywood Foundation Rural Sports Development Programme. Originally a soccer player, Masonela’s endurance quickly set him apart on the track. Recognised as one of the top 800m prospects, he began competing at a high level in 2023. He has represented KZN twice at the ASA Cross Country Championships in 2024 and 2025. In the 2025 season, he claimed district titles, earned multiple junior podium finishes in 10km and half-marathon races, and consistently ran sub-33-minute 10km times. He also secured gold in both the 800m and 1 500m at KZN League 1.

Groutville High School Grade 11 pupil Nqobile Mbatha has an ear for languages and a talent for art. Nqobile is conversational in several non-South African languages, including Portuguese, Spanish and Arabic, the latter of which she has been studying since she was 12. Her current project is to learn Urdu. Outside of languages, Nqobile finished first in a recent iLembe visual arts competition and will compete provincially in Durban later this year. She is one of her school’s top achievers.