Fifteen years ago, it would have been unthinkable for South Africa’s top matriculant to come from KwaZulu-Natal’s uMkhanyakude district.
Once ranked the lowest-performing district in the country, uMkhanyakude has transformed into the most improved. It now proudly stands as the third-best district in South Africa for 2024, and is home to the nation’s top matriculant, Owethu Shangase.
Achieving national recognition required a complete overhaul of the predominantly rural district’s education system — and buy-in from communities, traditional leaders and pupils.
KwaZulu-Natal department of education district director, Thanduyise Motha, said improving their performance had been a long and challenging journey. “Fifteen years ago, our district was ranked last in the country, sitting at the bottom of 75 districts. Turning this round required a combination of strategies and perseverance,” he said.
“First, we focused on uniting all stakeholders, both internal and external. Internally, it took time to align officials, managers and educators to work cohesively as a team. Externally, we engaged with the broader community, parents and learners to address conflicts and ensure schools were insulated from disruptions like community protests. Conflict management was key, as unrest, whether within school management or in the community, significantly hindered performance.”
Building a strong foundation was the next critical step. “We introduced teacher development workshops and emphasised subject-specific improvements to address underperformance,” said Motha.
Fifteen years ago, our district was ranked last in the country, sitting at the bottom of 75 districts. Turning this round required a combination of strategies and perseverance.
— Thanduyise Motha, KZN department of education district director
Gradually, we began shifting from being at the bottom to achieving better results, focusing on building solid strategies and fostering collaboration. Effective teaching, monitoring and ensuring that learners are present and engaged were central to our approach.”
Another critical factor was transforming the community’s mindset. “We worked to eliminate a culture of constant complaints and encouraged officials and communities to focus on solutions rather than problems. This mindset shift helped us build resilience and a shared commitment to success,” said Motha.
“Today, the district not only prioritises quantity, such as higher pass rates, but also focuses on quality, with a significant increase in Bachelor passes and academic excellence. By fostering a culture of persistence, collaboration and investment in education, we have successfully moved from the bottom to becoming one of the top-performing districts in the country.”
On Monday, Shangase — from John Wesley Kosi Bay Private School — was named top matriculant, alongside the Western Cape's Rayyan Ebrahim.
Hailing from a rural town on the Mozambique border, Shangase said his success was not limited by his background. “Our district is often known for negative things [such as] car theft and witchcraft, but we are changing that narrative. It’s about proving that greatness can emerge from anywhere,” he said.
“People are surprised that the top pupil can come from a rural town in northern KwaZulu-Natal, and it gives us a lesson — your background should not really define your future. Yes, I do come from a rural area [but] I am not rural minded and my abilities are not rural.”
Shangase said the district’s pupils were motivated by past cohorts, who had put their areas on the map “We do not want to get off this pedestal that we’re on. We want to do it consistently. Because we want it. We want our hallmark to be consistency and quality. We want to remain number one.”
University of KwaZulu-Natal education professor Wayne Hugo said South Africa's decision to maintain the CAPS curriculum and consistent assessment practices had given both pupils and teachers clearer guidelines and improved expertise in these frameworks, laying the groundwork for improved pass rates in 2024.
“Consistency in curriculum means improvement in marks. Extra initiatives, such as ‘Just in Time’ support materials offered by the department, have helped bolster learning across a wide range of subjects,” he said.
“In rural areas, these resources complement the efforts of community-led schools like John Wesley Kosi Bay Private School. Though fees at this school are relatively low, community involvement and dedicated teaching have kept results strong. Over time, this has contributed to improvements in matric pass rates, particularly in provinces that previously struggled.”.
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