The future is bright! Meet the Matrics of 2024's top achievers...
Over 615,000 learners have passed; the highest number in South Africa’s history.
Grade 12 pupils writing their final exams. Picture: @Siviwe_G/X
Bongani Bingwa is joined by some of the Independent Examinations Board's (IEB) top achievers of 2024.
Listen below.
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The release of the matric results every year is always an exciting time in South Africa, and this year is no exception.
The Independent Examination Board (IEB) has had yet another successful year, with an overall pass rate of 98.47% in the 2024 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations.
It's the highest pass rate recorded in the past five years.
Almost 90% of learners from independent schools achieved a university entrance pass.
One of them is Roedean student Zhuoyi Wu. She has bagged five distinctions.
Wu was born in South Africa, completed her early education in China and then returned to South Africa in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She credits her school with assisting with her smooth transition between the two countries at a very difficult time and also with her success, not just academically.
"They are trying to prepare me as a very well-rounded person, not only academically. I'm doing well at school and with cultural things like music, piano and violin."
- Zhuoyi Wu, Matriculant - Roedean School
Wu intends to pursue BCom Accounting and says she is currently receiving offers from various universities.
"... Wits, UP, UCT and Stellenbosch. I'm leaning towards UP because it has one of the best accounting programs."
- Zhuoyi Wu, Matriculant - Roedean School
Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls matriculant Dimakatso Serite is also celebrating excellent results, having achieved six distinctions.
Serite applied to the academy when she was in grade six.
She admits the transition was something of a culture shock.
"Everybody goes to the school because they are smart... You have to be a seriously smart girl [to go to the school]..."
- Dimakatso Serite, matriculant - Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls
And how does Serite imagine her life would have been different had she not attended Mama O's world-famous school?
She says her family still would have pushed her to achieve great things.
"It's just that being at the school made it easier... [her family] didn't have to worry about a lot of stuff and I had a lot of opportunities from the school."
- Dimakatso Serite, matriculant - Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls
Serite wants to go to the University of Cape Town to study physics and mathematics.
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Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interviews.