Phinda Runeli MyZA

Join Port Elizabeth and MyPE in congratulating Mover and Shaker, Phinda Runeli.

14 year old Phinda Runeli obtained a silver medal for the development category at the Nelson Mandela Bay Region of Eskom Science Expo for young scientists and took part in the national competition which was held at the Birchwood Hotel in Johannesburg from 25 to 28 September 2013.

Phinda said taking part in the national competition was challenging but has spurred his enthusiasm to compete again. “I have learnt a lot, I’ve managed to gain exposure for myself and I look forward to the next competition,” said Phinda.

“Phinda is one of the many sterling students that have been identified through the Coega Maths and Science Programme as well as the partnership between Coega and DoSD. His achievement is something that we celebrate proudly and hope others within the programme will emulate,” said Thandi Rayi, CDC Corporate Social Investment Manager.

The Eskom Science Expo is highly competitive with four regions in the Eastern Cape, which are Nelson Mandela Bay, Grahamstown, East London and Umtata Regions taking part in the competition. The expo is a science fair where learners exhibit their scientific investigation in 25 different categories with the hope of elevating their success to the national competition.

“Our partnership with government entities is important as it facilitates a process where arms of government are able to work uniformly assisting members of society in achieving the best they can in life. This particular case is a perfect example of how when we work together we can achieve more in improving the lives of our people for the better,” said Nomzamo Bangani from the DoSD.

The CDC Maths and Science Programme is an educational intervention and vocational guidance programme which seeks to enable and encourage learners to enter into careers in Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET).

“The CDC is committed to socio-economic development through skills development. We hope to contribute positively towards a lack of critical skills throughout the province and most importantly the country as a whole,” said Ayanda Vilakazi, CDC head of marketing and communications.

Submitted by: Ayanda Vilakazi on behalf of Coega Development Corporation.