South Africa (SA) has achieved a milestone by finishing fourth overall at the Inaugural Spelling Bee World Cup in Shanghai, China, emerging as the highest-ranked African nation at the global tournament.
The six-member national team represented SA against participants from more than 20 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America, building on the country’s recent title as Overall African Champions at the 8th African Spelling Bee.
Speaking following the competition in Shanghai, Pretoria Boys High School learner George van Wyngaard highlighted the close link between literacy and spelling success, encouraging young people to build strong reading habits.
“Follow your passions. Spelling is really linked to reading, and if you read more, you’ll be able to spell better,” Van Wyngaard said. “So read a lot, read what you want to read because that’s important. You need to be able to comprehend and understand what you’re reading, and yeah, make sure to have fun because that gets lost sometimes.”
SA’s Department of Basic Education Deputy Director-General Simoné Geyer commended the delegation, noting that the national spelling bee programme serves as a vital pillar for boosting literacy, confidence, and character in learners from local classrooms to the international stage.
–ChannelAfrica–
