MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Indwe Secondary School's top performer in the matric class of 2023 knows what hard work is all about.

Iviwe Piliso finished his matric with three distinctions for accounting, maths literacy and business studies.

Iviwe was born in Engcobo in the Eastern Cape and grew up with his mother, grandmother and grandfather.

He attended school in the Eastern Cape until Grade 6. "I was struggling with school and with learning and was also struggling with my health. My parents decided to send me to Mossel Bay because of the better hospitals here."

Iviwe says he struggled to pass Grade 7 at Imekhaya Primary School in Mossel Bay.

"I was surprised when I passed Grade 7. I went to high school and I made friends with people who believed in me. My mother, Sihle Piliso and her sister, Siyanda Piliso, also had faith in me and motivated me and made me believe that I could perform better. 

I thought I was dumb and it made me depressed. I am grateful for my family and friends."

Never pressured him

Iviwe says his mother and aunt never pressured him but always reminded him how important it was to attend school and to try to study further.

In Grade 10 he decided to study even harder. "My sister, Ambesa Piliso, was in matric at that time and she was always studying and she always came back home with good results. I learned the importance of studying from her."

In Grade 11 Iviwe was in the top 10 at school and he decided to reach even higher. "I became obsessed with studying and that was all that I did over weekends. I set a goal for myself to keep on improving."

Iviwe always dreamt of becoming a professional soccer player and still enjoys the sport as a hobby.

He is planning to study teaching at the University of the Western Cape.

His advice for other learners is: "Work harder, as things get tougher and study if you want to pass." 

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