By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Two learners from Buhlebemfundo Secondary School in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, were announced as the winners of the national South African Youth Water Prize (SAYWP) competition.
Their innovation awareness project “Drop-Drop”, earned them an opportunity to showcase their project on a global platform and compete against other talented learners from around the world.
The duo also walked away with prizes including R15 000 each, tickets to Sweden, laptops, a first-place trophy, R10 000 allowance and bursaries to further their education at the university of their choice.
The SAYWP is a science and technology based project and is coordinated by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).
The learners – Sanelisiwe and Sandisiwe Nhlozi – will represent South Africa at the Annual Stockholm Junior Youth Water Prize event in Stockholm, Sweden at the end of August.
The competition, organised in partnership with Xylem Water Solutions, Water Technology, the Water Research Commission, and other key stakeholders in the water sector, aimed to identify a project that would best represent South Africa at the 2024 Stockholm Junior Water Prize in Sweden.
The final competition follows a culmination of months of hard work and dedication from young water and sanitation enthusiasts’ countrywide.
Sanelisiwe and Sandisiwe expressed their gratitude and excitement for the opportunity to represent South Africa on the global stage.
“We feel super excited, we are so emotional right now. We are so grateful to the teachers, mentors, and everybody who supported us to this far and our family,” the duo said.
They also pledged to elevate South Africa to new heights and secure the top spot on the global stage of the competition with their awareness approach.