Machadodorp — The Emakhazeni Local Municipality hosted the District Mayoral Academic Awards on 23 January 2026 in Machadodorp (eNtokozweni) at Emakhazeni Boarding School.
Executive Mayor Nomhle Adelaide Mashele described the occasion as a great honour and privilege to welcome top-performing learners from across the district. This celebration culminated because Nkangala District increased its matric pass rate, sitting at 87,4%. This is the highest in three years.
District Director Douglas Maja said performance consistency in the final National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations reflected sustained effort from schools.
“It is through education and skills development that we can overcome unemployment,” Mashele said, encouraging learners to remain focused and grounded as they pursue higher education.
Maja applauded the Class of 2025 for their resilience, consistency and commitment to excellence, crediting principals, teachers, learners, circuit managers and subject advisers for the district’s strong performance.
The district had set a target of a minimum 80% pass rate per school. However, 43 schools fell below the benchmark and will undergo accountability sessions, while four circuits will undergo intervention and monitoring. Despite challenges faced by some schools, Maja stressed that every school has teachers and that the district is committed to ensuring that each classroom has an educator.
“Conditions do not determine results. We have an obligation to educate the learners of our communities,” he said.
In terms of pass quality, the district achieved: 7,202 Bachelor passes, 5,230 Diploma passes and 2,467 Higher Certificate passes. Maja said the district aims to increase the number of Bachelor passes further to expand university access.
Nkangala District Executive Mayor Thomas Ngwenya described the Class of 2025 as a cohort that has secured its place in national academic history.
“Against formidable odds, this group has inscribed its name in the national record books. They contributed to a national pass rate of 88%, the highest ever recorded in the country,” he said. “Excellence must be sustained. Consistency is what distinguishes a good school from a great one.”
Fariha Carrim, a learner at Middelburg Muslim School (MMS), in the Steve Tshwete Circuit 2, was named best learner in Nkangala District for 2025. She has been accepted to study Medicine and Surgery at the University of the Witwatersrand and hopes to use her future skills to serve others.
Carrim said consistent effort and support from family and teachers contributed to her success.“I feel so excited, blessed and grateful to the Almighty,” she said. “I’ve always enjoyed seeing how my hard work paid off in previous years. I’ve learned that when I give my best, I see results. What motivated me particularly in matric was the desire to continue my studies further. ”Carrim admitted that keeping up with the syllabus was sometimes challenging, but she used extra learning resources, including YouTube lessons, to strengthen difficult subjects.
Her advice to other learners is simple but powerful: “Work hard, use multiple resources and learn from your mistakes. Someone else’s study methods might not work for you, so find your own rhythm and keep your goal in front of you. Hard work in the pursuit of academics is never wasted.”
