KENMONT School’s TO3 learner, Bandile Ndlovu Gumede, was awarded cream of the crop at the awards ceremony for the Central Applications Office (CAO) KZN’s High School Arts Competition, which took place at the White Box, Durban, on October 4.
Also read: Kenmont School sows seeds for a sustainable future
A proud Phindile Mtshare, the school’s art teacher, said two of their learners, Bandile and Tymlyn Potgieter, placed in the top 50 out of 300 participants from 53 schools. The theme for the competition was titled Roots and Wings: A Celebration of Heritage Through Art.
Bandile won the first prize with his piece titled South African Community.
He explained that his inspiration came from the stories his grandmother used to tell him. “There was this lively South African community that liked to dance and sing while working because even the most mundane work would be performed in harmony and became joyful. Music is still a prevalent and loved part of our culture,” he shared. He added that he was excited to have won and make his parents proud.
Another piece placed in the top 50 was the Grand Protea, done by Tymlyn.
She explained that the protea is symbolic of courage, change and hope. “They are strong and can withstand severe weather and can regenerate easily. They were also my late grandfather’s favourite flowers. The vase is a container that my great-grandparents used to make and store food in,” she said.
Mtshare said she was immensely proud and was simply overjoyed to hear of the learners’ successes. “It was a thrill to see our learners winning the CAO KZN Art Competition. I was happy our school’s artwork didn’t go unnoticed. Winning this competition will encourage more learners to believe in themselves,” she said.
For more Southlands Sun news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and get news delivered straight to your inbox.
