WATCH | Top four teams to compete in Herald Isuzu Schools Quiz semifinals

High school pupils from across the Nelson Mandela Bay and Kouga regions showed off their general knowledge mastery during the round of 16 and quarterfinals of the Herald Isuzu Schools Quiz at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Gqeberha on Sunday.

The eight teams that reached the quarterfinals during the closely contested morning session were DF Malherbe High, Sanctor High, Ncedo Senior Secondary, Paterson High, Nico Malan High, Riebeek College Girls’ High, Westville Senior Secondary and Alexander Road High. 

From there, the competition grew even more intense, with Sanctor, Paterson, Nico Malan and Alexander Road proving just too strong for the rest.

These four teams will contest the semifinals this Saturday, August 28, with the finals later that day – all streamed live on this page on our website and on our Facebook page.

Alexander Road High achieved the highest points tally on Sunday, finishing their round-of-16 showdown against Pearson with 11 points.

Team members Reith Schultz, 15, Bayolise Vukuza and Kieran White, both 16, and Isaac Ugue, 18, further impressed by earning 11 points in their nail-biting quarterfinal against a well-prepared Westville.

Isaac, in grade 11, said: “We read through the papers every week, but you can’t expect one person to go through every single paper, and so each of us focused on a specific section like world news or sports.”

Reith, in grade 10, added: “Our teacher, Gerdie Smit, was a big part of our preparation and success, and helped us identify possible questions.” 

Sanctor team members Lee Whall and Zane Nordien, both 15, with Kameelah Graham and Jamall Bouwer, both 16, were thrilled to win their quarterfinal round against DF Malherbe, crediting teamwork and preparation as the keys to their victory.

Kameelah said: “We are all in the same [grade 10] class, and we would first work through the papers individually and then quiz each other at break.” 

The quiz used to be an important part of the school calendar in past years and was revived in 2021, with more than 100 pupils from nearly 30 schools taking part. 

“This competition is great for promoting reading among younger readers, and enhancing literacy and general awareness of what’s happening in the world,” The Herald’s general manager: Eastern Cape, Ryan Megaw, said.

“It’s good to see schoolchildren in particular engaging with the news, and The Herald is the ideal source for this in the province. I was impressed with a lot of the teams’ knowledge, and there was some great sportsmanship and effort on display.

“I want to thank Isuzu for partnering with us, as well as all the schools that entered — well done and let’s see even more schools getting on board next year.”

Quizmaster Ian von Memerty said the competition was much more intense than in the first round, but that the strongest teams had triumphed. 

“Certain teams worked very consistently — Alex, for instance,” Von Memerty said. “They had certain team members focusing on specific areas of expertise and it paid off.

“Another team, Riebeek Girls, also had a very specialised and focused approach, but sadly did not make it through the semifinals as they were beaten by Nico Malan.” 

The Herald and Isuzu have been distributing copies of the newspaper to participating schools to help them prepare, with questions covering local, national and international news, sport, politics, business and entertainment.

The prizes up for grabs

The quiz boasts a prize package totalling more than R85,000. 

Pupils from grades 8 to 12 have been preparing since June and stand a chance to win R25,000 to be shared among the top three schools.

Another prize highlight is Vodacom’s sponsorship of four Lenovo E7 tablets, valued at R1,499 per tablet, for each pupil in the winning team. 

Axxess will provide three months of free LTE data with a MiFi device or three months of free fibre internet connectivity, to a total value of R14,000.

The following prizes are also up for grabs: 

• Pickwick Books prize vouchers valued at R9,100; 
• a full-day safari to Addo Elephant National Park from Afroventures Tours and Safaris (value R8,600); 
• breakfast, dinner and spa vouchers valued at R5,900 from venue sponsor the Radisson Blu Hotel;
• fuel vouchers to the value of R7,000 from Caltex to be shared among the top three schools;
• gift vouchers totalling R7,000 from Walmer Park Shopping Centre; 
• First Choice hampers to the value of R4,800 from Woodlands Dairy; and
• vouchers valued at R300 from Gravity Indoor Trampoline Park.

In keeping with Covid-19 precautions, Sunday’s rounds were split into a morning and afternoon session as a crowd-control safety measure, with each team permitted only one teacher, quiz mentor or parent to accompany them. 

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