Masibambane Secondary School matriculant Unam Ngcwangu, 18, is aiming higher after he won a laptop in a coding competition that was held in Khayelitsha.
The WeCode24 is an after-school coding programme designed to inspire a culture of curiosity, creativity and agency among the youth.
Pupils from 17 Cape Town schools gathered at the Khayelitsha CBD Hall, on Wednesday November 29, for a day of competitive coding at the HackFest event.
Unam received a laptop, a coding certificate and a tea cup.
He said next year he was hoping to be accepted for a biomedical engineering course at the University of the Witwatersrand or UCT
“This particular competition helped in spreading my name even further because I got to meet a lot of people in the IT Industry. I also got a laptop which will help me next year with my studies and to further my coding knowledge,” he said.
One of the coordinators of WeCode24, Nomonde Ndlangisa, said Unam won in the “final boss challenge”.
“He has been a part of WeCode24 for a number of years. He has consistently been an engaging learner showing high levels of creativity and an eagerness to sharpen his coding skills, and has always been willing to help others get better at coding too,” she said.
Unam’s former maths teacher and a mentor, Emile van Niekerk, applauded him for his hard work.