President Thabo Mbeki congratulated the country’s top matric students of 2007 — 18 pupils from the nine provinces — at the presidential guest house in Pretoria on Thursday.
”It’s an honour to meet the president and shake his hand — he’s cool to talk to,” said Gomolemo Mangwathe, shortly after receiving a full scholarship through the Thabo Mbeki Matric Merit Awards programme, which is administered by the Thabo Mbeki Education Trust.
The programme selects two of the best-performing matric pupils from each province.
Mangwathe, from the Zinniaville High School in Rustenburg in North West, said that he had seen the president when Mbeki came to his community about four years ago.
Mangwathe will be studying actuarial science at the University of Cape Town, a course choice he thought of ”a couple of months ago”.
A casually dressed Mbeki congratulated the pupils, 11 of which were female. ”I think you’re quite capable of reaching the stars,” he told them.
Mbeki said it is important for them to further their studies. ”Our development as individuals — as a country — depends critically on education,” he said.
He said that the pupils carry a responsibility to be examples to all.
Mbeki — seated next to Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka — addressed the pupils briefly as a result of a Cabinet meeting that was taking place in another room.
”All the ministers are here, the political leadership is here. If you wanted to carry out a coup, now is the time,” he said, to which there was laughter from everyone, including some of the ministers who came to have a peek at proceedings.
Thabo Mbeki Education Trust chairperson Hasmukh Gajjar said that each of the pupils will receive a laptop, a 3G card as well as a digital camera. A blog on Mbekiedutrust.org.za has also been set up.
Each pupil is required to encourage future matrics to strive for academic excellence and to become ambassadors for the trust, which has supported more than 200 students through its scholarship programme.
Education Minister Naledi Pandor also congratulated the pupils, saying that they will play an important role, particularly with reference to the current skills shortage. ”These are some of our best students. I am pleased for them. I am also pleased for the girls, they are entering important fields,” she said.
Linda Oosthuizen, who matriculated with nine distinctions at the Afrikaans Hoër Meisieskool in Pretoria, said she ”was very privileged” to have met the president, who had a ”very firm handshake” and showed ”interest” in the pupils.
Farah Dawood, of the Orient Islamic School in KwaZulu-Natal, said she was in awe of the president, while Malebelo Maphutha said she was excited to have met the president.
”It was pretty fun. It’s nice to know that you get recognised for all the hard work you’ve done,” said Maphutha, who will be studying for a BSc in chemistry and chemical engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Before posing for group photographs with the pupils, Mbeki jokingly advised them to avoid political posts — as politicians only sit under a tree and drink mbamba (African beer), he said. — Sapa