Team South Africa poses with trophies and the national flag after clinching the top overall ranking at the 8th African Spelling Bee in Harare.
Team South Africa delivered an outstanding performance at the 8th African Spelling Bee, finishing first in the overall team rankings, narrowly edging out Nigeria (2nd) and Zimbabwe (3rd).
In the Junior Division, Ashton Singh from KwaZulu-Natal secured an impressive 2nd place, continuing South Africa’s strong showing at the continental level.
The full junior standings were;
1st – Oluwadamilola Adeolu (Nigeria)
2nd – Ashton Singh (South Africa)
3rd – Abdurrahman Yusuf (Nigeria)
In the Senior Division, the competition remained equally intense, with the top positions as follows:
1st – Daniel O. Adesiyan (Rwanda)
2nd – Bree Kambasha (Zimbabwe)
3rd – Nicole Manguluti (Malawi)
Spellers were severely tested by words drawn not only from English but also from 21 African languages. This reflects the African Spelling Bee’s commitment to being a truly African spelling bee, rather than simply an English spelling bee in Africa. Words such as griot (pronounced gree-ho), “Moshoeshoe” (pronounced mo-SHWE shwe), and “Ouidah” (pronounced wee-dah) challenged participants not only in spelling, but in their ability to navigate language, pronunciation, and African cultural heritage.
The African Spelling Bee, founded in 2016, is a continental championship that brings together countries from across Africa to promote literacy, educational excellence, and cultural exchange among young people. It continues to grow as a flagship Pan-African education initiative, celebrating both linguistic diversity and academic achievement.
This year’s Team South Africa participation was made possible through the full support of the Department of Basic Education (DBE).
Mr Roger Dickinson, CEO of the South African Spelling Bee, expressed his appreciation: “We are deeply grateful to the Department of Basic Education for their continued partnership and commitment to advancing literacy through the Spelling Bee programme.”
Accompanying the team, Mr. Musa Zulu, Assistant Director in the Reading Directorate, commended the group: “I am very proud of the team, not only for how they performed on stage but for how they represented South Africa. They were a true reflection of our excellence and diversity as a nation.”
Looking ahead, Mr. Dickinson emphasised that this achievement marks the beginning of the next chapter: “This is not the end of the journey for this team. The next step is to represent South Africa at the World Spelling Bee Championships, set to take place in Shanghai, China, in mid-July 2026.”
