Goal in reach for brainy Manenberg girls

These two Manenberg girls have beaten the odds to come out as top performers at their schools.

Vuyiswa Kubalasa, 17, and Charanick Schrader, 18, didn’t let gang bullets and crime keep them from achieving their goals.

Vuyiswa, a pupil at The Leadership College, a no-fee school, came top of her class with distinctions in all seven subjects and a 92% average.

Her top scores include 98% in physical science, 97% in accounting and 94% in maths.

“I’m still in shock, the marks I got were a lot to take in. I mean, I knew I was going to pass because I worked really hard,” she said.

“I haven’t decided on where or what I will be studying. At this stage, it is between actuarial sciences at Wits University or engineering at Stellenbosch University.

TOPS: Vuyiswa Kubalasa

“I faced a lot of challenges and had to work extra hard to get where I am. We don’t exactly live in the safest place, and there is a shebeen right in front of our house that plays music at all hours of the day and, of course, the gunshots as well.

“Most nights I didn’t get enough sleep because I was trying to study as much as I could, but my mom always switched off the lights whenever she thought I was overdoing it.”

Charanick Schrader came out as the top pupil at Christel House SA.

Charanick, whose mother died two years ago, said the family was proud of the six distinctions she achieved.“I am very excited, this means I get to study next year, and get that much closer to my goal of being a chartered accountant.

“Christel House has helped me grow tremendously.”