The 2017 winners of the 14th annual SAICE Aqualibrium Schools Water Competition have been announced. The competition teaches learners to design, build, and operate a water-distribution system exactly as if they were qualified civil engineers operating in a municipal environment.
The winners are:
First place: Maritzburg Christian School from Pietermaritzburg
Team members: Jason Mather, Malcol Govender, and Grace Ngeleka
Penalty points: 15
Second place: Parel Vallei High School in Somerset West
Team members: Charl du Toit, Stefan le Roux, and Juan Swanepoel
Penalty points: 25
Third place: Kimberley Boys’ High School
Team members: Guy Jansen, Tumisang Shuping, and Thato Seipato
Penalty points: 40
The winners shared total prize money of more than R23 000.
Regional winners came from Bloemfontein, Dendron, Durban, East London, Harrismith, Kimberley, Port Elizabeth, Pietermaritzburg, and Somerset West to compete against the teams from Johannesburg and Pretoria, and the national winning team from Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
“Without the sponsorship of major companies like Incledon and DPI Plastics, and entities such as Rand Water and the Water Research Commission, this yearly competition would not be possible,” SAICE Outreach Officer Marie Ashpole comments.
Incledon Chief Marketing Officer Kelly Wilson explains that the company, which focuses on the engineering, mining, municipal, civil, plumbing merchant, and irrigation markets, was a proud sponsor of Aqualibrium. “Initiatives such as these play a vital role in encouraging the civil engineers of tomorrow.”
Ashpole concludes, “Aqualibrium strengthens the government’s initiatives aimed at encouraging learners to take mathematics and science at school, and to follow a career as a science or civil engineering practitioner. Only in this way can we ensure that the quality of life of all South Africans will be better in the future.”
