Soneike High School’s YCAP team has ended a 17-year drought for the Western Cape, becoming the first team from the province to win a category at the national Youth Citizens Action Programme (YCAP) Championships.

The team secured first place in the Creative Culture for Good category and third place overall at the 17th annual championships, held at the Wanderers Club in Johannesburg on Saturday 17 October. All nine provinces were represented.

Culture

The Creative Culture for Good category, which replaced the former Cultural Award, requires teams to present a cultural item and a social-ills item. It is designed to celebrate South Africa’s diverse cultural heritage while raising awareness of social issues affecting communities and schools.

For the cultural item, Soneike’s team celebrated South Africa’s cultural diversity through a performance incorporating Zulu, Xhosa, Indian and Cape Malay cultures, highlighting the uniqueness of each while promoting unity and mutual respect. For the social-ills item, they focused on toilet pride and hygiene, encouraging learners to take responsibility for their surroundings and understand that cleanliness is a shared responsibility.

Soneike was followed by Richmond Combined School (KwaZulu-Natal) in second and Dendron Secondary School (Limpopo) in third.

In the overall standings, Soneike placed third, behind Rainbow Preparatory Academy (Eastern Cape) in first and Seageng Secondary School (Gauteng) in second.

The team’s ‘Health management and hygiene’ project, under the tagline ‘From Neglect to Ownership’, focused on improving school toilet facilities and changing learner behaviour. The project earlier won the team the provincial senior category championship on 5 September.

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Recognition

Rowan Esau, school enrichment coordinator who represented the Western Cape Education Department at the national championships, said that the Western Cape had not had a team win at nationals in the 17-year history of YCAP.

In a message to principal Ronel Baker, Esau said that he was deeply impressed by the learners’ discipline, humility and exemplary conduct throughout the competition. “You represented your school with distinction and demonstrated that true success is reflected not only in winning, but also in character and sportsmanship,” Esau said.

He thanked the teacher who accompanied the team, Chrystal Buys, for her dedication. “Your care extended far beyond the competition and reflected the profound impact that a passionate educator can have on young lives.” Esau also thanked Baker and coach Kuda Chizema for creating an environment where learners can grow and achieve excellence.

The team will now look to build on the Own It! movement, which has already expanded from Soneike to three feeder primary schools in Kuils River.

ALSO READ: Soneike High’s YCAP winners spread ‘Own It!’ message to feeder schools