‘This feels unreal’: SA’s top matriculants celebrated for resilience and defying the odds

Rayyan Ebrahim from Pinelands High School in Cape Town credits starting high school at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic for instilling his work ethic to become a top achiever. (Photo: Lerato Mutsila)

By Lerato Mutsila

13 Jan 2025

As the Class of 2024 patiently awaits the official release of the matric results, the nation’s top achievers joined Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube and Deputy Minister Dr Reginah Mhaule at the MTN Innovation Centre in Johannesburg for a celebratory breakfast for the top 39 matriculants.

“This feels so unreal. If I am being honest it was never one of my goals to end up here, it was not part of my plan. My goal was just to be the top of my class but I never thought it would happen nationally,” said Malwandla Baloyi, one of the top achievers of the matric Class of 2024.

Baloyi is among 39 other learners across the country who through grit and determination achieved the best results of the 2024 academic year.

The 18-year-old matriculant, who lives with a physical disability, told Daily Maverick that she would not let what others thought of her condition determine what her future would look like.

“Many times I was told all the things I could not do because I use a wheelchair, but I always believed that there is nothing I couldn’t do if I put my mind to it, and being here today just proved that to me,” Baloyi said.

Top achiever Malwandla Baloyi from New Hope School in Pretoria said that living with a disability should never dictate a learner's ability to rise up the ranks of academia. (Photo: Lerato Mutsila)

Having clinched her place in the top 39, Baloyi will be heading to Stellenbosch University to study psychology, and is a testament to what the nation’s brightest minds can achieve when nurtured.

Baloyi was joined by 38 other learners from across the country who started their high school journey at the height of the Covid-19 outbreak, all of whom gathered at the MTN Innovation Centre in Fairland, Randburg, for a congratulatory breakfast in honour of their achievements.

The celebration of the nation’s top 39 achievers was hosted by Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube and Deputy Minister Dr Reginah Mhaule on Monday, 13 January 2025, before the official release of the 2024 matric results.

“These learners gathered here today are being sworn in, if not inaugurated, as ambassadors of our public schooling,” Deputy Minister Mhaule said.

‘The Class of Covid’

Mhaule added that the magnitude of being a top learner in the 2024 matric year could not be downplayed.

“The class of 2024 is literally and figuratively in a class of its own. It is the class that was merely entering secondary education when Covid-19 forced a lockdown that forced us to close schools,” Mhaule said.

The deputy minister added that as a result of the academic challenges created by distance learning, the results of every matriculating class since 2020 were a feat the nation should be proud of.

Nicknaming the top 39 “The Stars of South Africa”, Mhaule implored the new matriculants to continue being ambassadors for South Africa as they entered a new chapter of their lives.

“We rely on you to show even those who come after you that it is doable, that when you have courage, commitment and dedication, anything is doable,” Mhaule said.

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube takes a selfie with the top achievers from the Matric Class of 2024 during a congratulatory breakfast hosted in their honour at the MTN Innovation Centre in Fairland, Randburg, on 13 January 2025. (Photo: Lerato Mutsila).

Mathanzima Mweli (Director-General of the Department of Basic Education), Siviwe Gwarube (Minister of Basic Education) and Reginah Mhaule (Deputy Minsiter of Basic Education) at the Ministerial Breakfast With Top Achievers at MTN Innovation Centre. (Photo: Gallo Images / Luba Lesolle)

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube took the podium beaming with pride as she congratulated the top achievers, urging the audience to give the learners a rousing round of applause for achieving “what many thought was impossible”.

“I want to thank all of you all. Learners, we are here to celebrate your brilliance and assure you that today the spotlight belongs on you. The long hard hours, even the tears, they have all paid off. Look at where you are now,” Gwarube said.

“South Africa needs you, and as we continue to navigate the complexities of the modern world, we require leaders who are innovators, who are thinkers and who are going to take us forward. You are not just leaders for tomorrow, you are the hope of today. I am filled with energy and beaming with hope about the potential that will come from this room,” Gwarube said.

The minister made a point to thank two groups of people who were instrumental in the learner's success, the parents and educators who supported them along the way.

“We thank you for your work because these young people need your cultivation, need your guidance and they have needed your support and you have showed up. That’s what we mean when we say education is not only dealt with in the classroom… Your parents have sacrificed time, money, and everything that they have to make sure that these young people are seated here today, and for that, we say thank you,” she said.

Reaching for the stars

While parents, educators and government officials gathered to give the hard-working matriculants flowers, humility was the order of the day, with many of the top achievers expressing disbelief at their accomplishment.

Top achiever Tatenda Porusi from Jafta Mahlangu Secondary School in Mamelodi, Pretoria, is excited at the prospect of studying chemical engineering at the University of Pretoria. (Photo: Lerato Mutsila)

Born and bred in Mamelodi, Pretoria, Tatenda Porusi only hoped to pass his final year. However, armed with a recipe of hard work, consistency, time management and good planning, Porusi said he was able to put his best foot forward and land in the top achiever category.

“I honestly didn’t think I would be here, but here I am. The competition was so high and you have to get really good marks, so it’s very hard to imagine that I would ever be part of the top 39,” Porusi said.

While apprehensive about the release of the results later today, the new matriculant said being a part of the top 39 gave him confidence that he had achieved at least seven distinctions.

With a passion for physics, chemistry and mathematics, Porusi plans to study chemical engineering at the University of Pretoria.

Maselesele Lalamani from Thohoyandou, Limpopo, is reaching for the stars with aspirations of working with Nasa after she completes her astronomy degree at the University of Cape Town. (Photo: Lerato Mutsila)

“It’s amazing being here and knowing that the hard work I put into my studies is paying off,” said Lalamani Maselesele from Thohoyandou, Limpopo.

Maselesele, who is set to study Astronomy at the University of Cape Town, said she had aspirations of working at Nasa and becoming the first female South African astronaut.

“I love outer space, it has been my interest since I was young. I want to study the potential outer space has to make our life here on Earth better,” she said.

Speaking to Daily Maverick, Lalamani’s father Mbangiseni Maselesele said that his decision paid off to take her to the highly competitive Tshivhase Secondary School, which is one of the top-performing schools in the Vhembe district.

“She was also attending extra lessons, which means she was serious about learning. When she didn’t understand something, she would get help from other teachers. While at Tshivhase she would win trophies every year because she was performing well,” the father said, beaming with pride.

Rayyan Ebrahim from Pinelands High School in Cape Town credits starting high school at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic for instilling the work ethic needed to become a top achiever. (Photo: Lerato Mutsila)

Pinelands High School in Cape Town boasted two top achievers, Rayyan Ebrahim and Mathew Wise, both of whom will study statistics and data science at UCT.

Speaking on the impact of starting high school at the height of Covid-19, Wise said that distance learning instilled discipline, which helped him throughout his academic journey.

“It was a very unusual start to high school but I think as long as you worked hard when there was nobody to monitor you meant that you could come out of a situation like that still competitive,” Wise said.

“Covid just solidified that I’m willing to do well no matter what, that an obstacle would not determine how successful I would be,” Ebrahim echoed.

Ebrahim added while he was overwhelmed to be recognised for his hard work, being part of the top 39 was an indicator of a bright future.

Minister Gwarube will announce the top two learners in addition to the final results for the Class of 2024 later on Monday night. DM

Categories:

Tags:

DM is much better if you are signed in...

South Africa

‘The Class of Covid’

Reaching for the stars