Mayor celebrates the class of 2023

Ekurhuleni Mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana congratulates all matriculants who passed and encourages those who did not pass never to stop trying.

“The matriculants of 2023 have proved to be historical by achieving a record-high 82.9% pass rate nationwide. However, as the Gauteng province and the CoE, we fell short because other provinces and districts scooped top honours,” he said.

“Congratulations to the learners, educators and other stakeholders for spotlighting our region. Although this class had to deal with serious challenges, mainly recovering from the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, they still did us proud.

“This makes these results even more significant and demonstrates their resilience. Special congratulations to all of you.

“As much as Ekurhuleni did not have any district featuring in the top 10 best-performing districts nationally like the previous year, they cannot call us failures. The over 82% pass rate is a testament to the fact that we still have hard-working young people.

“Let me also encourage those who did not do as well to continue soldiering on and working towards succeeding and bettering their lives.

“There is always a next time. This rings true in such situations, where you must pick yourself up and go forward re-energised and determined to do even better than the first attempt.

“To the class of 2024, you have the challenge of bettering the achievement of your predecessors. You must take Ekurhuleni to the top where it belongs. No amount of adversity must derail you on your mission to be the best you can be.

“The city has faith in you and wishes you the best of luck in your endeavours.”