ROBBEN ISLAND SCHOOLS FEST: ESWATINI NUMBER FOUR OUT OF NINE COMPETITORS

MBABANE – Eswatini took fourth position at the recent Robben Island Schools Festival, where the kingdom was represented by five pupils.

The five pupils, Mnelisi Mkhabela from Elangeni High School, Asande Mkhonta from Ekukhanyeni High School, Smilwesihle Dlamini from Manzini Nazarene High School, Sibahle Shongwe from Moyeni High School and Billy Matsenjwa from Vulamasango High School got the opportunity to represent the country at the festival. This after their outstanding performances during this year’s Inyatsi Schools Arts and Culture Competition.

Position

The students left the country for South Africa (SA) last month on September 20 and they have now returned having attained the fourth position in the competition which was hosted by the rainbow nation, popularly known as South Africa. This was revealed by Inyatsi Schools Arts and Culture Competition Vice President Mandla Shongwe who accompanied the pupils to SA. “We had a good trip, as there were no problems faced at all, while we were in South Africa. After our arrival, the pupils were given pre-tasks, which were mainly about traditional food, traditional attires from different cultures and cultural performances. They were further trained on different courses, mainly from agriculture, information technology (IT), broadcasting, computer science and creative writing,” Shongwe said.

He further revealed some of the things which the pupils brought back home. “They came back with certificates and they took position four at the festival. The position was based on overall traditional food presentation, cultural dresses presentation, cultural songs and dance presentation,” he said. Worth mentioning, Inyatsi Group who are the proud sponsors of the schools arts and culture competition, bid farewell to the pupils with a sponsorship of E20 000, at the Ministry of Education and Training, before leaving for SA.

Alongside

This was done alongside the Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture (ENCAC), who bought flight tickets for the pupils amounting to E53 600. Inyatsi Group was represented by Gcinile Nxumalo, who announced the E20 000 sponsorship, citing they were excited to have participated at this year’s edition of the competition. “As the pupils are set to represent the kingdom in Cape Town, as Inyatsi Group, we will be sponsoring their trip with E20 000. We were happy to have played a role in supporting these young people as they prepared for their trip. This sponsorship catered for their allowances, toiletries, track suits, as well as sneakers, which they will wear during the trip,” Nxumalo said. Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture (ENCAC) were represented by Thembekile Dlamini.

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