Hero's welcome for Thendo on returning home from USA

Thendo Nekhavhambe, a Grade 11 learner from the high-riding Thengwe Secondary School in the Mutale area, received a hero’s welcome on his return from the United States, where he had attended a month-long experiential course on how to sustain the world by generating electricity using carbon dioxide from factories.

Thendo (17), who is one of the top learners in his class, told this newspaper how he ended up in Houston, Texas, in the USA. “In February this year, I was invited by one of the teachers at a primary school near Thengwe Secondary to apply for an online innovation project in carbon capture. The winners were to be invited to attend the training course in Texas, and I was eager to apply,” he said.

However, convincing his parents and school that this was the real deal was not easy for him, as they initially feared that this might be some kind of a trap involving child trafficking abroad.

The young man, from the rural village of Tshandama, said he was so surprised when he received the call in March for an online interview. “They were impressed with my presentation and later informed me that I was one of the learners invited to the USA for one month to attend the innovation project. This was like a dream come true for me. I did not hesitate for a moment and grabbed this chance to go overseas. It was great, and I thanked God for the opportunity I got. Boarding an airplane for the first time and travelling outside of South Africa was a wonderful experience for me,” he said.

Thendo encouraged his classmates to just stay focused and trust in their dreams, and one day they might come true.

The deputy principal of Thengwe Secondary, Mr Norman Munyangane, said Thendo had made the school very proud with what he had achieved. “He didn’t use his cellphone for cyberbullying on social networks but used it to empower himself. And here he is, back from the USA. We never dreamed that one of our rural learners would go overseas and represent the school on such an important project,” he said.

Date:11 August 2022

By: Silas Nduvheni

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