Two rural whizzkids applauded
Executive Mayor Freda Nkondo joins many in applauding their innovation
The Village Voice
When two rural whizz kids from Gumbani village in the Collins Chabane Local Municipality created an E-learning application to assist learners from grades 8 to 12, never in their wildest dreams had they reckoned it would receive the reaction it received.
The Novar e-Learning app has catapulted Marvellous Shibambu, 25, and Malunghelo Shibambu, 22, to international prominence.
The two are products of Khatisa High School in Gumbani.
The APP provides free quality learning to kids.
It has become boon to kids from disadvantage backgrounds who do not have access to study materials.
The two youngsters have received amazing attention for their innovation.
Giant Insurance Company Liberty Life has given their role in improving education a thumbsup.
The company gave them an amount of R1-million for their e-Learning application, Novar.
Communications Minister Solly Mahlatsi facilitated the handover of the amount to the two youngsters.
The Village Voice joined an event on Friday in which Vhembe District Executive Mayor Freda Nkondo was meeting the two youngsters in order to give them a pat on their backs.
Nkondo said she was overjoyed and had not fathomed youngsters from such disadvantaged background could come up with such an app that is rivalling big platforms with lot of resources.
“I am happy that you did it out of love to assist learners and this is great,” she said.
She said the App will assist the district and also improve the economy.
“As the Executive Mayor of the municipality comprising four municipalities, namely Musina, Collins Chabane, Makhado and Thulamela, I am overjoyed that this innovation that has shaken the whole world is taking place in our district, particularly in the village of Gumbani,” she said.
“I think you deserve support both morally and financially and we must always be briefed about developments involving your venture and we will be ready to assist,” she said.
Shibambu said after they decided to start the project, he had to leave his job to concentrate on it.
“We had no money and we started in 2023 using a computer bought for R700,” he said and added that the application now has downloads of over 50 000 a day.
Assisting learners with all subjects from grade 8 to 10, the App also assists in other technologies like quantum computing, anatomy, business skills and many others.
“We were aiming at introducing kids to the Fourth industrial revolution,” he said.
Shibambu said they started the project after realising that many talented kids were missing out on opportunities to go to universities because of the environment under which they studied.
They wanted to change that and they feel they have already made a mark although this is just a beginning.
The two will now work from offices in Johannesburg.
