Monash South Africa’s first African Spelling Bee crowns Johannesburg pupil, 14 year old Zameer Dada, as the best speller in Africa. Kedgeree, a cooked dish consisting of rice, lentils and spices, was the winning word.

As the winner of the competition, Zameer receives a Monash South Africa undergraduate tuition scholarship.

The African Spelling delegation consisted of 27 pupils from participating African countries, including Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Botswana, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Uganda and South Africa. Before the championship finale, the competitors had the opportunity to visit the Monash South Africa campus for a tour and a fun learning session.

Bronwyn Dugtig, head of community engagement at Monash South Africa said, “The African Spelling Bee brought together incredibly talented young people, who were not only given the opportunity to compete but by staying together and getting to know each other, they learned to celebrate each other’s culture and language. They are still all winners as they each left with new friends from over nine countries.”