Senamile Prudence Tabete: A Journey of Resilience and Academic Excellence

The story of 17 year old Senamile Prudence Tabete from Mathubesizwe Senior Secondary School is an inspiring tale of resilience, dedication, and hard work.

Against all odds, Tabete achieved seven distinctions in her matric results, marking a monumental milestone in her academic journey.

Tabete was among some matriculants from the Class of 2025 in the Ilembe District, who performed with excellence.

On Saturday, the Ilembe District hosted a ceremony at the KwaMaphumulo Town Hall to honour the accomplishments of their high-achievers.

The event was attended by several key figures, including Deputy Minister of Public Works, Sihle Zikalala.

Tabete's path to success was laden with challenges. Living a considerable distance from her school, she faced extensive travel both daily and on weekends, often relying on public transport, which has been a costly option.

Despite the barriers, Tabete remained unfazed in her pursuit of excellence, now she looks forwards to pursuing her academic studies to become a chartered accountant.

“My challenge was that I had to travel long distances to school, and we were dependent on one person as a provider in my family, my father. This meant that sometimes I didn’t have transport money.

"Sometimes I had to go to school on weekends, and at times I felt demotivated,” she said.

Her perseverance has led her to the University of Johannesburg (UJ).

“I'm so excited."

Tabete said she was motivated to do better as she was about to embark on her next step, a Bachelor of Accounting degree.

"Hopefully, it will become easier for me to get a job,” she said.

Doctor Musa Madondo, a district director in the Department of Education, noted a commendable increase in the district's overall pass rate, which shifted from 89.5% in 2024 to 91% last year.

Madondo noted the improvement and was typical of learners' performances in the region in recent years.

“Since 2017, district's performance has improved significantly from 51% to 91%,” Madondo said, which was indicative of the hard work put in by pupils and educators alike, over the years.

Another high for the entity was that no circuit in the district scored below 80%, with schools in the area producing results ranging between 84% and 96%.

Another high for the district was having two learners who were counted among the Top 40 pupils in country in 2025, as compared to the solitary learner achieving that recognition in 2024.

Last year's contingent of pupils also included a pupil who performed excellently in Mathematics and achieved a seat at the University of Cape Town (UCT) for the 2026 academic year.

Among the top performing districts were KwaDukuza at 90.67%, Maphumulo at 92.26%, and Ndwedwe at 92.74%.

Madondo said the district was commitment to providing quality education to all pupils   in the Ilembe District.

Deputy Minister Zikalala said at the event that a new bursary programme aimed at empowering pupils to advance in fields like civil, electrical engineering, and project management had become available.

“Education is a key tool to end generational poverty and achieve economic freedom,” said Zikalala.

DAILY NEWS