Last week learners gathered at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, Gauteng to receive their prizes for various water and sanitation-based competitions that have been held over the course of the year.

Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Ms Pamela Tshwete personally handed out awards for competitions including Baswa le Meetsi, Aqua Enduro, and the South African Youth Water Prize on 28 September, bringing a formal conclusion to all those events.

Both teachers and pupils stood to win bursaries, prize money, trophies and certificates of excellence from the Deputy Minister at the ceremony.

One 14-year-old innovator, Kwazi Zwezwe from Ixopo High School in KwaZulu-Natal, scooped first place in the SA Youth Water Prize Award (SAYWP) after representing South Africa at the Stockholm Junior Water Prize in Sweden two months ago.

“I will forever be grateful for the opportunity presented by the department. Not only has it broadened my mind to become more innovative, it provided a platform for me to engage with other global innovators,” said an excited Zwezwe.

Among other things, Zwezwe walked away with a bursary, prize money worth R9000, and a laptop.

Joining Deputy Minister Tshwete were her counterparts from Higher Education and Training, and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Buti Manamela and Andries Nel respectively; and Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi who all lauded the Department’s youth programme promoting water and sanitation education in schools.

These competitions form part of the 2020 Vision for Water and Sanitation Programme which is aimed at encouraging schools to implement water projects that solve water and sanitation challenges at both school and community level. The long-term goal is that educators and learners are both exposed to water and sanitation education and are therefore better equipped promote behavioural change on water use and the use of toilet facilities in their communities.