EIGHT NORTH WEST LEARNERS AWARDED TERTIARY BURSARIES AT NATIONAL WATER AND SANITATION CEREMONY

Eight learners from the North West Province are among 54 learners from across the country who received tertiary bursaries at the Water and Sanitation Educational Programme (WSEP) National Adjudication Award Ceremony hosted by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) in Benoni, Gauteng, on Friday, 6 October 2025.

The WSEP is an educational initiative by the DWS aimed at promoting awareness on water use efficiency, management of toilet facilities, protection of water resources, and hygiene education. The programme engages schools through various competitions including Aqua Enduro, Public Speaking, and Baswa-le-Meetse.

The Aqua Enduro competition focuses on addressing the shortage of professionals in the science and engineering disciplines within the water sector. It targets Grade 10 and 11 learners studying mathematics and physical science and aims to raise awareness about water quality. The competition includes technical, poster, and Aqualibrium assessments.

The Public Speaking competition targets Grade 10 and 11 learners and is conducted in a debate format to encourage a change in attitude and behaviour towards water and sanitation use efficiency. The Baswa-le-Meetse competition focuses on primary school learners from Grades 4 to 7 who use creative arts such as music, drama, poetry, and posters to communicate messages on water and sanitation themes.

The North West Province was represented by 11 schools and 37 learners and educators who took part in the national competitions. Six learners participated in Public Speaking, six in Aqua Enduro, and 25 in Baswa-le-Meetse.

Schools that represented the province in the Public Speaking and Aqua Enduro competitions included Thuto-Tsebo Secondary School in Orkney, Ramotshere Technical High School in Dinokana, ZM Seatlholo High School in Lotlhakane, Living Faith Independent Combined School and Golfview High School in Mahikeng, Tigerkloof High School in Vryburg, and Pinagare High School in Taung. Baswa-le-Meetse was represented by Boikhutsong Primary in Ventersdorp, Kamogelo Primary in Migdol near Schweizer-Reneke, Maiketso Primary in Morokweng, and Modimokwane Primary in Mathibestad.

Two North West learners, Warona Kuntwane from Tigerkloof High School and Loane Monnanorwa from Pinagare High School, received tertiary bursaries and certificates for their performance in the Public Speaking competition.

The North West Aqua Enduro team came third nationally and received bursaries, a trophy, and certificates. The learners were Lwandle Nhlengethwa from Golfview High School, Warona Mahoko from Living Faith Independent Combined School, Neo Sebekedi and Oarabile Tlhaole from Tigerkloof High School, Tlhalefo Sempe from Pinagare High School, Lethabo Maoba from Ramotshere Technical High School, and Kananelo Vilakazi from Thuto-Tsebo Secondary School.

A special award was presented to Lethabo Maoba from Ramotshere Technical High School, who received a laptop for being the overall top achiever in the 2025 Aqua Enduro competition. Lwandle Nhlengethwa from Golfview High School was named the second overall top achiever.

Bursary recipients from both Public Speaking and Aqua Enduro competitions will pursue water-related studies at universities of their choice.

In the Baswa-le-Meetse competition, two North West primary schools walked away with a combined cash prize of R30 000. Kamogelo Primary School in Migdol won first place in the poetry category and received R20 000, while Maiketso Primary School in Morokweng came third in the poster category and received R10 000.

Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, David Mahlobo, who handed over the awards, congratulated all learners and educators for their hard work and creativity. He said the programme gives young people an opportunity to become future leaders and innovators in solving water challenges facing the country.

“We should allow these young minds to grow, dream and be creative so as to develop the country. With high population growth and water demand, the economy needs more water, however human behaviour has given rise to challenges such as pollution, climate change and drought which require the expertise of these young scientists and engineers,” Mahlobo said.

He highlighted that globally, 2.2 billion people do not have access to clean water, while 3.4 billion lack decent sanitation. South Africa, he said, is among countries classified as water-stressed, receiving below-average annual rainfall of 480mm compared to the world average of 900mm.

Since its inception in 1996, the WSEP, formerly known as the 2020 Vision for Water and Sanitation Education Programme, has awarded more than 3 500 bursaries to learners across the country.