Mudimeli High School won R50 000 and a trophy as the winners of the Eskom Enterprise Education Simama Ranta 2013 national schools competition. The awards were presented during a ceremony in Gauteng two weeks ago.

Matsa Primary and Langanani won the second and third prizes in the competition and R25 000 and
R10 000 respectively, as well as trophies. Pupils from the three schools were introduced to entrepreneurship programmes in 2013, when a number of projects were initiated to equip learners with business skills, welding and gardening services and sewing and cultural activities.

Mr Alfred Mafukaduvha, a teacher at Mudimeli, said that he was happy because they had won money which would be used to equip learners from disadvantaged areas. He said that the pupils at his school were doing sewing, gardening, welding and were also operating a tuck shop.

Ms Haylene Liberty, CEO of the Eskom Foundation, said the competition aimed to identify, honour and showcase those South African secondary schools that are examples in entrepreneurship education. The goal of the competition is to highlight the variety of quality entrepreneurship education in South Africa’s education system, she added.

She also mentioned that entrepreneurship has been identified as one of the ingredients vital to South Africa’s economic growth. She says South Africa has one of the lowest numbers of entrepreneurs among its population, when compared to other developing countries.