- Husnaa Haffejee and Kelly Prowse tied for first place in the National Senior Certificate 2022 results.
- The matric results were announced at an event in Johannesburg on Thursday.
- Haffejee hopes to pursue a career in medicine and Prowse plans to study Actuarial Science.
Husnaa Haffejee, a pupil from Al-Falaah College in Durban, was overwhelmed to find out that she was among the top achievers in the Class of 2022.
She and Kelly Prowse tied for first place in the National Senior Certificate 2022 results, which were announced on Thursday evening when the Department of Basic Education awarded top students at a ceremony in Johannesburg.
Although the matriculants knew they were top achievers, they didn't know any of the specifics, like where on the list they featured.
Haffejee's parents said they were concerned when the announcer didn't call their daughter's name until the very end. But they were overcome with joy when they found out that she was one of the top students.
The couple was too overwhelmed to give an interview, saying that their phone had not stopped ringing.
Haffejee hopes to pursue a medical career so that she can "benefit humanity".
"My advice for the Class of 2023 comes in a motto I follow: 'Hard work does not betray'," she said.
Prowse, from Rustenburg Girls' High School in Cape Town, is looking to study Actuarial Science this year.
On Thursday, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced that the Class of 2022 had achieved an 80.1% pass rate. The rate increased by 3.7 percentage points from 76.4% in 2021.
She said the pass mark was especially significant, considering that the matrics experienced challenging senior years.
Director-general of Basic Education, Mathanzima Mweli, said the Class of 2022 performed better than expected, considering the challenges they had, including:
- Covid-19 lockdowns in Grades 10 and 11
- the worst of the rolling blackouts in 2022, and
- protests which disrupted schooling, such as a protest in Witbank which prevented them from writing their maths exams.
Motshekga said students who still need to pass their exams can enrol in the Second Chance programme.
It is important to remember that this period may not be positive for everyone who wrote matric exams.
If you or someone you know is at risk, reach out:
Suicide Crisis Line: 0800 567 567
SADAG Mental Health Line: 011 234 4837