Risinga learners third in world cup
Risinga High School in Giyani came third at the Student for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (Sage) World Cup competition in Abuja, Nigeria

LEARNERS from Risinga High School in Giyani who came third at the Student for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (Sage) World Cup competition in Abuja, Nigeria say the experience was worth far more than the US$500 (approximately R4 880) prize money they won.
The learners, Tiyani Chavalala, Daisy Ngobeni, Bornwise Dube, and Tirhani Bila were excited to participate in the competition, which introduces students to entrepreneurial initiatives by encouraging them to be innovative as well as to enable them to identify opportunities that could help create jobs or provide sustainable income for themselves.
The learners’ social responsibility idea, wherein they stage events and organise shows, and then use the profit for charity purposes got them position three in the competition in Abuja. The winning school was from China and in second place was a school from Nigeria.
Speaking about their experiences in a strange country, the learners singled out food as one of the things that stood out, saying although delicious, some foods were strange. “You’d find meat cooked with vegetables in one pot with bananas,” Daisy said. According to Bornwise, Nigerian rice was very hot, and when eating it, it was a good idea to have enough water to drink nearby.
They were impressed that the Rand was stronger than the Naira. “R1 gave us between 16 and 17 Naira. But some things were very expensive,” Tiyani said.
They said they were very grateful to Giyani mayor Pat Hlungwani for giving them pocket money to take with them. “The R2 000 each the mayor gave us ensured that we enjoyed the trip even more. We would like to thank him for that,” Tiyani said.
“To us the prize we won was nothing compared to the experience we gained there. We had the opportunity of meeting different people from different countries and exchanged numbers with them. This will give us an advantage in future since we’re already connected,” he said.
School principal Moses Maswanganyi said he was ecstatic that his school had done so well at the competition.
“If you’re in a school where teachers and learners all strive for a common goal, obviously you’ll feel great. I’m very proud of them, and I think there’re lot of things to come from this school…we just need support from the government,” he said.
