Two Gr. 11 learners of the Kimberley Technical High School (THS) emerged victorious at the recent 2024 South African Youth Water Prize competition, where they received second position for their impactful innovation called “Eco-Flow”.
Sibusiso Mazabane and Uwami Kumalo took part in the final stage of the competition held at the Xylem Water Solutions offices in Kempton Park, Gauteng, earlier in June following a culmination of months of hard work and dedication.
The duo not only impressed the judges, but also earned themselves prizes that include R15 000 cash, laptops, a second-place trophy, and bursaries to further their education at a university of their choice.
The competition aimed to identify a project that would best represent South Africa at the 2024 Stockholm Junior Water Prize in Sweden.
Micheal Ludick, principal and mentor of the learners, indicated that it is the second year that the Kimberley THS received second position in this competition.
“We expected to receive the first position, but the quality of the competition was high. We are grateful for the bursaries they received.”
He said another highlight was their interview for the TV news channel, eNCA.
Ludick said the school strives to prepare learners for the real world by creating platforms to display their engineering skills.
“We are a fully-fledged technical school and prepare our learners to be engineers and artisans. The success we receive in these competitions proves that we are busy reaching our goals. Our motto for the year is ‘Technically, we are the best’. Watch this space, more is yet to come,” he said.
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) explained that the project is about water conservation in the agricultural sector where the learners are using electrical engineering skills.
The learners’ project is a four-in-one project addressing food security, water conservation, energy efficiency, and climate change.
The learners aligned their project with Sustainable Development goals, and with the No Drop programme.
The department, in collaboration with the Stockholm Water Foundation in Sweden coordinates the South African Youth Water Prize competition. It proceeds at provincial and national level and culminates to the Stockholm Junior Water Prize which is held annually in Stockholm, Sweden, during World Water Week in August. Here, youths from 35 countries compete.
