Motor Mech competition paves the way for learners futures
Clairwood Secondary School learners picked up first and second position in the Motor Mech competition and secured themselves an apprenticeships.
MEADOWLANDS Technical School hosted the first ever Motor Mech competition in the region on September 14 and was supported by the Motor Industry Workshop Association (MIWA) an association of the Retail Motor Industry (RMI) organisation.
Also read: The classic motorcycle mechanics show
A total of 12 keen learners from the schools of Meadowlands Technical School, Clairwood Secondary School and Phoenix Technical School participated in this first-time event.
Even though it was a highly contested event, Siyathemba Mntungwa from Clairwood Secondary School outwitted the rest to claim first prize. His colleague at Clairwood Secondary School, Mbongeni Lwazi Tshezi, and Phoenix Technical School ‘s Yuvir Rambridge claimed the second and third positions respectively. The amazing performance by the Clairwood Secondary School learners left their teacher, Mohammed Hamid beaming with joy. “This is the highlight of my teaching career,” said Hamid.
Siyathemba said this was a dream come true for him. “I was given a life-changing opportunity, and I just cannot thank the sponsors enough. This is all I’ve prayed for. I was extremely nervous at first, but by the second portion of the event, I managed to calm my nerves,” he said. The win awarded Siyathemba with a tool box from Idemitsu, a training course from Bosch and an offer of an apprenticeship to Diesel Electro Centre.
Morne de Jager, MIWA’s regional representative and chairperson of the local organising committee for the event, together with the MIWA KZN chairperson Dhaya Naidoo and RMI’s Peter van Mosseveld, organised the event. “I am thrilled that the competition performed this well, as we did not know what to expect because it was our first competition in this region, but the response from the community was overwhelming,” De Jager said.
It was also important to the motor industry to nurture the talent of the youth, added Naidoo. “We do have problems on the quality of technicians and a shortage in motor mechanics. That’s why the improvement of training standards is so critical. As an organisation, we are going to continue working towards assisting technical schools in realising their objectives,” he said.
De Jager thanked event organisers for their involvement and the event sponsors for their support in securing prizes for all participants.
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