One of the country’s top performing pupils, Hamandishe Mathivha, wants to compete with the likes of Google and Microsoft after completing his university studies.

The 17-year-old said his application to study computer science at the University of Cape Town had already been accepted and he was looking forward to starting a life in the Western Cape.

Mathivha received a national award for the best results in physical science and mathematics. He was a pupil at Mbilwi Secondary School in Sibasa, Limpopo.

Explaining how he managed to achieve such high results, he said — with a stern look on his face — that he adopted a giant-killing “David mentality”, borrowing from the biblical story of David and Goliath.

He urged all future matriculants to adopt a similar approach. From the start of the year, they had to start preparing and decide what they wanted to achieve in the finals.

“That’s what kept me focused on my goals because I wrote them down and I read them each and every day.”

He wrote a list of motivational sentences that he stuck on his bedroom door and read to himself every morning before leaving home.

“It was just simple: do your best, have a David mentality, and also examine the exam. The exam is not going to examine me, I’m going to examine the exam and see how good the exam is,” he said.

During the year, he and his classmates had complained about studying during the school holidays.

“The teachers were teaching every single holiday and at the time we were complaining ‘why are you taking away our holidays’, but now when we look back it was worth it.

“We also had weekend classes on Saturdays and during the final exams they were even teaching on Sundays, so they were sacrificing their church time just to teach us, and I’m really grateful for that.” — News24