We arrived Sunday evening on the 28th of June 2015 and had a role modelling campaign that evening. A couple did a presentation on engineering field. The lady is an electrical engineer and the husband is a civil engineer.
On Monday morning we went to Cullinan Mine. The mine was said to be the largest mine in the world producing a large percentage of diamonds in the world. We were exposed to all kinds of careers in the mining industry.
We visited the Origins Centre at Wits University. Here we learnt were humankind comes from. We were shown the evidence of some animal species which used to exist. I came to appreciate the use of archaeology in research.
We went to DENEL which is in Centurion. This is a company that manufactures missiles for the Defence Force of South Africa and other countries. We had a discussion with electronics, mechanical and computer engineers who work for DENEL. We talked about their current jobs and different fields they had worked in, in the past.
We went to the Observatory in Johannesburg for sky viewing. We looked into space using different telescopes. We viewed the planets – Venus, Saturn and the Moon. It was fascinating to count the craters on the moon surface.
We then visited the University of Pretoria. Here we learnt about science in entertainment. We saw one of the biggest camera in obscurers. From a room we could view the whole university live.
The biggest event was on Thursday night which was the award ceremony at Emperors Palace. I was in the top 5 SADC learners and I won an iPad. I also got a R200 gift card for being one of the top 10 learners.
The whole week was amazing and it appeared to be quite short.
Written by: Yeukai Songore
What I saw in South Africa was way beyond what I expected. I knew it was going to be great but not so great. We got a chance to meet people from different countries and people of different professions. The trip was also very educational, the food was great and above all, the prize was just something else. This trip is just unforgettable, the memories live forever.
I was a bit ambivalent of what I was going to do between engineering and medicine. When I went for the focus week it became crystal clear that I am an engineer. All thanks to the opportunity that we were given to meet people who had taken such career paths. We also got a chance to visit some of the mines in South Africa. What fascinated me the most was the diamond mine located in Johannesburg. I felt like I was one of the workers as we could go as far as the tunnels observing and learning how diamond is extracted from the earth. I also got a chance to touch the world’s largest diamond – Cullinan. I have never had such an experience before!
The learning was also accompanied by a bit of some fun. We went to a zoo that is just outside Pretoria. This was my first time at a zoo but now it feels like I know everything about zoos. I wish such events could come at least once every year.
From this trip I can safely infer that it is fundamental that students from different parts of the world should get a chance to interact with each other. We met people from all over SADC. We made friends from countries like Cameroon. It was really quite fun learning new languages, new cultures and even tasting food from different countries.
Then came the greatest moment of the whole week – the prize giving ceremony. I have attended countless prize giving ceremonies but this one was phenomenal. I have won a lot of prizes but not an international prize. Not to mention the prize itself. I now own an iPad – something I had never dreamt of possessing. Surely accomplishments boost self-esteem, now I believe I can do anything.
Last but not least, I would like to thank the Makomborero crew for giving me the opportunity to experience such a prominently amazing event. If not for Makomborero, I would not be in possession of such a valuable gadget and the experience that I had would only come in the dreamland. Surely Makomborero Zimbabwe turns dreams into reality.
Written by: Michael Dzine
