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Cape Town - Zwelethemba High School (ZHS) is known for its robotics team, a young group of intelligent science learners who call themselves The Einsteins.
The group has been selected as one of the best performing teams to participate in Massachusetts, in the United States Robotics Open Tournament, in June 2023.
It has only been a year since The Einsteins were formed but they have already won The Core Value Award in Johannesburg and were crowned the Regional Champions at the Western Cape Provincial First Lego League Robotics Tournament in September 2022.
Lilitha Siyo, a member of the team, said that she was inspired by the uniqueness of robotics; hence, she joined the team. She said it was something new that most people do not know about, and she wanted to explore and become part of the evolving technology.
Siyo also said it has only been a year but she has already learnt a lot from the team including about values, differences and respect.
“I’m so excited about going to the US. As you might know, it’s our first time leaving South Africa. It’s a dream I hoped for one day. I am grateful to all my teachers because they are the ones that push us to do our best, they are always there and we know we have their full support. All in all, what makes us a unique team is prayer in everything we do; we always put God first and we know everything happens for a reason,” she said.
Khuselo Jini, who is the leader of the team, chose robotics because he believed it was a way to open himself up to more career opportunities. He said being a team leader is a lot and sometimes you make mistakes but other members are there to guide and correct those mistakes. He also said that as a leader you must understand and know each and every team member’s emotions.
“We are proud of ourselves because we managed to hit the internationals in a year with only one year experience and we are one of the best teams in the Western Cape, and I am really proud,” said Jini.
Kudakwashe Takawira, a coding, robotics and mathematics teacher, as well as the club founder at ZHS, said this all started in 2021, and the aim was to come up with better methods of teaching and learning that are more practical. It was also to encourage learners to embrace subjects like science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“Most learners come from disadvantaged informal settlements with parents that are earning a little from working on farms, so my goal was to come up with a different technique to teach the learners something that could change their lifestyles when it comes to education,” said Takawira.
He said that when they formed the science club at ZHS, it was not easy because the learners did not even know how to use a computer.
“Surprisingly, one year down the line, after 12 months, in September 2022, the same children who didn’t know anything about the computer stood out to become Regional Champions at the Western Cape Provincial First Lego League Robotics Tournament. And the championship award gave them a chance to fly to Johannesburg for a national tournament”, he said.
Takawira said they are currently busy with documentation and raising funds for their trip to the US, and at the same time they are preparing for another national tournament that will take place at the end of February in Johannesburg. They are the only black community and public school selected.
To assist in any way directly contact Mr. Takawira on 074 913 5590.