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Can You Spell the Word That Decided This Joburg Spelling Bee Competition?

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Can You Spell the Word That Decided This Joburg Spelling Bee Competition?:

Refiloe Hlophe from Watershed Technical School competed in this year’s Windybrow Arts Centre Spelling Bee competition on Saturday. Refiloe was one of the top three learners.

The Windybrow Arts Centre in Hillbrow, Johannesburg was a hive of activity on Saturday where dozens of learners from inner-city schools competed in the 2nd annual Spelling Bee competition.

This year’s event was organised by the Windybrow Arts Centre and the non-government organisation, Camp I Am.

“This competition is about creating a fun and exciting environment, but is also aimed at getting children to read more,” said Kai Crooks-Chissano, executive director of Camp I Am.

Chissano worked with partners from other organisations and the Windybrow Arts Centre to craft a challenging word list from the Department of Basic Education’s CAPS curriculum. The participating learners had a list of over 600 words to study in preparation for this year’s Spelling Bee.

Last year’s inaugural competition only had grade 7s participating, but this year was open to learners from grades 7 to 9.

The Spelling Bee forms is of the Windybrow Arts Centre’s Literacy and Homework Support Programme, which equips local youth with reading and writing skills.

This follows a 2021 study by the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) that revealed troubling statistics showing that more than 80% of grade 4 learners in South Africa cannot read for meaning.

Lordwick Pako, the Windybrow’s librarian, told GroundUp “We know we have challenges with literacy in South Africa, so our aim is to build a literate society which would result in people having access to more information and therefore making better decisions.”

The Spelling Bee consisted of four rounds. Learners who spelt words incorrectly were eliminated in each round. Eventually only three contestants remained battling it out for the top spot.

At the end of the competition, Onthloletse Dimema from St Enda’s Secondary School in Braamfontein came out victorious after correctly spelling the word “Plateau” much to the delight of her English teacher who was in the audience.

Onthloletse Dimema from St Enda’s Secondary School in Braamfontein won the top spot after correctly spelling the word “Plateau” on Saturday.

“I really enjoyed the competition. It was so much fun even though I was nervous at the start. I love reading and writing, and English is my favourite subject, so I was familiar with a lot of the words we were asked to spell,” said Onthloletse. She won a R1,000 mall voucher as well as some books and a scrabble board game.

“We don’t have that many good news stories coming out of Johannesburg’s inner-city but I think this is one definitely is one,” said Gerard Bester, head of the Windybrow Arts Centre.

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The Rand Club: Redemption

The “redemption” of the Rand Club is a fascinating mirror of the city’s broader transformation. In 2016, a group of businessmen and heritage enthusiasts stepped in to save the club from permanent closure. They didn’t just renovate the physical structure; they fundamentally “decolonized” the institution’s culture. Today, the Rand Club is a vibrant, multi-racial hub of Johannesburg’s intellectual and business elite. It has opened its doors to the public for events, tours, and as a co-working space for young entrepreneurs.

One of the most striking changes is in the art. While the walls are still lined with portraits of historical figures, they are now interspersed with contemporary African art and photography that challenges the old narratives. The club has transitioned from a secretive “fortress” of the colonial elite into a shared space for the city’s new generation of leaders. It remains a place where history is physically present—you can still sit in the same leather chairs where Rhodes sat—but the conversations happening in those chairs are now about the future of a democratic, African-led Johannesburg. It is a testament to the fact that even the most rigid institutions in “Joburg” must adapt or vanish.