“Hard works pays,” said Limpopo's top Grade12 pupil, Ntsundeni Ndou (18) of the Tshivhase Secondary School.

He obtained seven distinctions and received 100% for geography and physical science. His other distinctions are in Tshivenda, English, life orientation, life sciences and mathematics. During the official announcement of the province’s results at the Ranch Hotel outside Polokwane on Tuesday, Ntsundeni also received a brand new Toyota Etios from the Department of Education.

He encouraged pupils who had failed the exams to work very hard and not to give up. "Your knock-down is not your knock-out," he added. He said that they should just study more and play less. He said that he came from a disadvantaged community, but “I dreamed big and worked hard and here I am today”. Ndou said that he used to study for more than 10 hours a day. “People may think that I am intelligent, but I am not," he said.

Ndou said that there were many companies that wanted to finance his studies and he was expected to choose one. “No matter where you come from, hard work will always be rewarded,” he added.

Ntsundeni is going to study mechanical engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand.

His father, Mr Johannes Ndou, said that Ntsundeni was the pride of his family, Tshivhase High and the community of Mukula. He praised his son for his dedication. He said that Ntsunde spent most of the time doing school work and he also helped other pupils with their school work.

During the announcement of the results, the MEC for Education, Ms Dikeledi Magadze, said that the department continued to make strides forward. She said pupils should know what they wanted from life and should take decisions that they would not regret later.

The Vhembe District senior manager of education, Dr Gerson Rambiyana, said he was pleased with the commitment shown by pupils and teachers. He urged them to work extra hard in order to improve the results of the Vhembe district. “It is up to you to make us proud. Only hard work will make you achieve the best in life,” he said. He congratulated all teachers, pupils, parents, unions, principals and traditional leaders with the success of the Grade 12s this year. “We managed to obtain 80,6% and is the top district in the province and one of the top 10 districts in the country,” he said.

As usual, Mbilwi High School was the top school in the province. Limpopo Mirror will publish a report of their success and of other individual accomplishments in next week’s edition.