By By Marcus Motshegwa
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) together with water sector entities recently hosted the 2025 Water and Sanitation Education Programme (WSEP) National Adjudication in Benoni, Gauteng with week-long activities from 06 to 11 October 2025.
WSEP is the Department’s school-based education initiative aimed at creating awareness for the learners and society about water resources management, water services and sanitation, and it also promotes careers in the water sector for the learners.
The programme also gives exposure to school learners to identify water and sanitation challenges in their respective schools and communities, and to develop innovative inventions to address the challenges.
Young school learners from primary schools in the Free State province participated in Baswa Le Meetse (Youth in Water) competition that featured five creative subcategories: drama, music, poetry, praise poetry, and posters.
The competition is meant to recognize the achievements of youths in their efforts on educating society about intergraded water resource management, promoting water use efficiency including health and hygiene, use and care of sanitation facilities
Learners from Setshabelo Primary School in Welkom scooped number one position in Poster category and received R30 000 prize money on behalf of their school. Bhekilanga Primary School in Heilbron came second in Praise Poetry with R25 000 prize money.
Grade 9 and 10 high school learners also competed in Aqua Enduro and Public Speaking categories. Aqua Enduro, is an initiative to address the skill shortage in the scientific and engineering disciplines within the water sector at grass grassroots level and it encourages learners to come up with science and technology-based projects to address water resources challenges in their schools and communities.
In this category, it was represented by Nkgopoleng Secondary School in Sasolburg. The school’s learner, Tshireletso Rangwaga, won the Best Participant in Aqua Enduro Group Leadership Award.
Lephola Public School from Welkom represented the province in Public Speaking category, with three learners scooping Educational Bursaries to study any course of their choice related to the water and sanitation sector. The bursaries are funded by DWS’s Learning Academy.
“The learners demonstrated their passion for both mathematics and science with their technological innovations” said Ms Maditaba Tau, the educator from Nkhopoleng High School.
Ms Tau also acknowledged the collaboration of the participating schools with Central University of Technology (CUT). She hailed Ms Lerato Mofokeng, from the institution as a good mentor who tirelessly guided the learners.
“My advice to new schools participating in the program is to form collaboration with higher institutions of higher learning to adequately prepare for the competitions. Congratulations to the learners who received DWS bursaries. The ball is in their court now, to work hard and archive university entry marks”, she concluded.
Learners, educator, schools who wishes to participate in Water and Sanitation Education Adjudications for 2026 should contact the coordinators for the WSPE in Free State province for more information, they are Kelebohile Saha @ 073 440 8781 and Nkosinathi Zungu @ 082 556 0545.
