Passion, excellence and the drive to solve problems are what characterise the star inventors and provincial competition winners Tumisang Hoffman (16) and Onkabetse Mutloane (17), learners from Golfview Secondary School in Mahikeng, North West.
Hoffman and Mutloane represented their school during the annual Provincial South African Youth Water Prize Competition (SAYWP), hosted by the North West Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), on Tuesday, 2 May 2023.
The pupils competed against other Grade 9 to 11 learners from across the province who are doing Mathematics and Science as part of their subjects at school.
They scooped the first prize with full bursaries and laptops from the Department of Water and Sanitation.
They secured fourth position while representing the North West province at the national competition held on May 18 and 19, 2023, at the Holiday Inn Johannesburg Airport in Boksburg.
The South African Youth Water Prize (SAYWP) is a Science and Technology based project from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). The competition begins at the provincial level and then proceeds to the national level.
The national winner represents South Africa in the Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) in Stockholm, Sweden, to compete annually with learners from 30 countries.
According to the Department of Water and Sanitation, this competition will go a long way in addressing water and sanitation-related challenges, promoting the protection of South Africa’s natural resources, encouraging and empowering the youth to participate actively in integrated and community-based water resource management as well as exposing and enhancing the interest of the youth to science and technology.
The pupils presented a project called “Full Tank Alert and Automated System”, an invention that aims to solve the problem of wasted water from full water tanks. The invention can set an alarm to alert the house and automatically switch off the tank when it's full, assuming there's no response.
The invention was inspired by people who use the tap without using cups or closing the taps correctly.
The tap system would save wasted water by allowing the water to go to the waste container and then pushing the water upstream to a water reservoir, where it can be collected and used for agricultural purposes.
“It was very difficult and challenging, but I am very grateful that in the end, we won. Hoffman and I only met up this year. I would think it's because of our teacher's motivation; he kept motivating us, helping us and pushing us that we would win this.
So, Tumisang and I absorbed that positive energy from our teacher. We had to pull through, and we pulled through together, we had a goal, and we had to achieve it," expressed Mutloane.
His partner also spoke about her competition experience and gratitude for receiving a bursary before matriculation.
“It was a great journey but a difficult one at the SA Youth Water Prize competition as we were able to scoop up the first position at the provincial level and go represent the province in the national competition, it wasn't easy, but with Mr Mokomele's mentorship, he made us believe that we were going to win this prizes and we won them,”
"I am more than grateful for this opportunity because I got to learn many things and win a bursary for my tertiary studies. If I had a chance, I'd do it again, and I'll advise learners to join this competition as it opens more doors for you. Last but not least, I thank Mr Mokomele," said Hoffman.
Mr Modise Mokomele, the Departmental Head of Maths and Science at Golfview Secondary School, who coached the learners throughout the competition, appreciates the opportunity because he has to ensure the learners' future is secure.
Mr Mokomele has extensive knowledge of this competition because he has participated as a mentor and educator from his former school, Z.M.
Seatlholo Secondary School. He was given a chance to win the first position at the provincial level in 2019 and 2022 as a result of his mentoring and guidance.
“I was quite very impressed with their achievement because all the sacrifices and efforts we put through on this project, myself and these learners, were finally paid off with the prize they wanted to win.
So, it was quite an amazing experience for them to have got an opportunity to win the competition at the province," concluded Mokomele.
