Western Cape learner crowned national spelling bee champion
3 October 2019
Bayyinah Manjoo from Star College Sybrand in the Western Cape scooped the 2019 Spelling Bee honours.
Twenty-seven hopefuls between Grade 4 and 6 from around country gathered in Pretoria to put their spelling skills to the test against their peers.
The spellers went through eight elimination rounds with words like quinoa, leprechaun, chronomentrophobia, apotheosis, insuperable, racketeering, incontrovertible and psychoacoustics, until the champion speller was the only one left.
Fatima Ismail of Boston Primary School in Bellville finished in third position.
The Spelling Bee, which was initiated in 2014, is part of the Department of Basic Education’s Read to Lead campaign. It was hosted in collaboration with The Department of Arts and Culture, SABC Education, The AVBOB Foundation and UNISA.
Well done to all the participants for braving the might of the adjudicators, holding their nerve and representing their provinces with aplomb. We are ever so proud of the Western Cape team!!