MSAWENKOSI Buthelezi (17) who comes from a humble home in KwaThema, Ekurhuleni has emerged as a champion.
When he entered the South African Institute of Professional Accountant's (SAIPA) Accounting and Maths Olympiad last year, he didn't know what was in store for him.
He found himself competing with boys and girls from affluent schools, and the winner was to be crowned as SAIPA's Accounting and Maths champion.
Despite his background, Msawenkosi was crowned as a champion in November 2023.
He said he's always been passionate about numbers and in grade 8, his teacher Sabelo Duze motivated him to take maths seriously.
"He encouraged me not to box myself and expand my knowledge for maths," he said.
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Msawenkosi said last year when he entered the SAIPA's Accounting and Maths Olympiad, he knew he was in for it as he was competing with grade 11s' best brains across the country.
SAIPA's Maths and Accounting entrants were writing an online assessment which was followed by a subsequent series of multiple-choice questions related to the respective subject.
Tested further, they had to select the most appropriate answers from the given options based on their understanding and application of the concepts covered in the syllabus.
SAIPA used this format as a benchmark to evaluate the entrants' fundamental knowledge and grasp of the subject matter.
His principal, Thembinkosi Msimango, said they are proud of Msawenkosi's achievement.
"He put our school on the map and for that we are proud," he said.
Msawenkosi, who is in grade 12 this year, said he has started working hard to achieve good results in maths and physics.
"I want to pass all my subjects to be able to do medicine next year," he said.
