Tsepo Makwela
By Ephodia Mudau
Rivoni School for the Blind in Njhakanjhaka Village, Limpopo produced three top achievers in the matric Class of 2022, recognised at an awards ceremony held on Friday, January 20 2023 at the Ranch Hotel in Polokwane.
Tsepo Makwela (20) came first with six distinctions, followed by Ponahatso Moripa (19) with four and Mpho Tshishonga who bagged two.
Rivoni’s Class of 2022 had 18 learners who all passed. Principal Constance Mabaso, in an interview with Munghana Lonene FM, said that the school had always had a small grade 12 class which enabled teachers to provide individual support.
“We are used to getting 100%. What we are aiming at now is to produce a quality 100% rather than just producing 100%,” James Mahlangu, a teacher at Rivoni, told Thisability newspaper.
Makwela was also among 30 learners honoured at a breakfast hosted by Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga on Thursday, January 19 in Johannesburg. He was the top performer in the national special schools category, with distinctions in English first additional language, Sepedi, Economics, Business Studies, History and Life Orientation.
Makwela said he put more effort in his schoolwork by forming a study group and studied for more than five hours every day. He had a great study partner who helped him to understand visual aids depicted in textbooks.
His mother, Shelly Makwela, told ThisAbility that her son wanted to become a doctor before he lost his eyesight in 2019. “I encouraged him to be strong and to follow his dream because we cannot change the situation. Then he told me he wanted to be a teacher. I am proud of him. I never thought he would understand braille [so soon]. Little did I know that he was serious about his academic work. He achieved more than he used to before he lost his eyesight.”
Makwela believes that his performance was influenced by previous learners who passed with distinctions. “Our driving force was the previous learners’ performance which motivated us to greater heights than everyone ever hoped we would amount to.
“The key to success is through making good decisions. To the 2023 class, be passionate, disciplined and engage in healthy competition,” said Makwela, who is studying towards a teaching degree at the University of Limpopo.
Mahlangu told ThisAbility that learners’ performance was not promising during the first quarter. “Our expectation was that we would achieve around 75% [pass].” To make up for a delayed start to the 2022 academic year, “Teachers had to make arrangements to teach during Saturdays and Sundays to cover all the topics.”
Moripa said the class appreciated the extra classes in the evenings and on weekends, and that what helped him to achieve the good marks was the good relationship he had with his classmates. They shared knowledge on the topics each one of them understood better. Moripa also appreciated the support he got from his parents who used to buy him data to do research and teachers who always made notes available on time.
Moripa wants to become an advocate and is pursuing an LLB at the University of Limpopo. “If I could go back to 2022, I would start taking my studies seriously early in the year. My plan for 2023 is to keep going no matter how hard it can be. It is a must for me to become successful so that I can change my family background.
“To the Class of 2023, every step matters. Whatever little you can catch in class, stick to it until you are good at it. Do not undermine yourself. It may be a long year but tell yourself that you will do better and being successful is a must,” Moripa advised.
Mahlangu said that the 2022 class’s performance serves as a motivation to the school. “We walked extra miles, and it paid off. If we continue with the same strategy and the same energy, we will achieve better in 2023.”
