Sibahle Zwane is only 14 years old, but if he gets the much-needed guidance he so deserves, our future may be in safe hands.
UCT vice-chancellor gifts Sibahle Zwane UCT scholarship
This past week has not been kind to Vice-Chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng, who was recently ‘cancelled’ for showing public support for controversial podcaster Mac G.
However, the resilience she’s shown in refusing to be forced off social media paid off when the genius of 14-year-old Zwane popped up on her timeline.
A video clip showing the math wizard solving complicated multiplication sums without the use of a calculator, let alone breaking a sweat, has gone viral, with more than 285 000 views on Twitter.
Professor Phakeng wasted no time in letting a life-changing opportunity easily pass by for the young lad. In a tweet, the vice-chancellor offered the teen math genius a fully-funded scholarship to study at UCT’s online high school.
“I want to pay for his studies to make it possible for him to access good education to enable him to use his talent to change the world,” she wrote.
Help me get the details of this brilliant Math genius, I'd like to help him study at @UCTOnlineHigh School🙏🏾 His talent cannot be passed by! I want to pay for his studies to make it possible for him to access good education to enable him to use his talent to change the world!🙏🏾 https://t.co/Y59REG7xlF
— Mamokgethi Phakeng🏳️🌈 (@FabAcademic) July 7, 2022
Further updates on Zwane’s journey to his new challenge will be provided but, from what we understand, Professor Phakeng managed to get in contact with the boy and, it’s believed, his transition to the online education environment has commenced.
Zwane first shot to fame in 2018 when his uncanny ability to solve complex math sums with great speed off the top of his head garnered national attention.
Back then, as a fourth-grade scholar, Zwane found a way to make a quick buck by challenging residents from his community in Lenasia, Soweto, to math games.
“I’ve seen this boy come home with R100 or R200 notes which he then gives to his grandfather to keep for him,” his mother, Mbali Zwane told Sowetan Live in 2018.
A chance encounter with a fan seems to have opened up a grand opportunity for the young lad. UCT’s online high school, albeit newly launched, is one of the top academic institutions in the country, with annual tuition fees fetching for R25 140.
Zwane will remain in the care of his family in Lenasia, but have remote access to premium education, thanks to Professor Phakeng.