Grade 6 learner wins national Spelling BEE-Tshivenda

A Grade 6 learner, Dembe Gangazhe from the deep rural Nyahanelani Primary School in Mukula village outside Thohoyandou, is an “instant heroine” at her school and the community at large after she won the national Spelling Bee competition in the Tshivenda category.

She competed against other learners from Gauteng and Mpumalanga in her category and surpassed them all. Gangazhe (11) won a big trophy, medals and an English dictionary.

Her mother, Ms Mercy Gangazhe, was over the moon to learn that her daughter had emerged as the winner of the competition. She said that she noticed her daughter’s interest in the movie, Akeelah and the Bee, which is about an 11-year-old girl living in South Los Angeles who discovers she has a talent for spelling. “I was surprised to hear her name called as the national winner of the competition, and I thank God for her success,” she said.

The principal of Nyahanelani Primary, Mr Konanani Mushavhanamadi, was very impressed to learn that one of his learners had done so well in the competition. “We are excited that a rural-based school, with few resources at its disposal, can deliver such achievements, but we have learned that hard work and determination can put you on the map,” he said. According to Mushavhanamadi, Gangazhe’s prize is the first of its kind in his school’s history.

Date:07 December 2019

By: Silas Nduvheni

Read: 3118