The winning team: Valencia Mdletshe, Amaarah Ahmed, Waarisah Ismail, Rayha Naidoo and Isabella Balram.
Southlands Secondary School's all-girl coding team made the country proud by placing fifth at the global Coding4Mandela Tournament held virtually on Thursday.
The grade 9 pupils competed against 50 other schools on an international level and was the only South African school to be placed in the top five.
The team comprised Waarisah Ismail, Rayha Naidoo, Isabelle Balram, Amaarah Ahmed, and Valencia Mdletshe. They demonstrated outstanding problem-solving skills and creativity throughout the national and global competitions.
Praveena Chetty, principal of the school, which is based in Chatsworth, said she was proud of the pupils.
"They flew the school and country's flag high," said Chetty.
“The victory of the coding team marks a great milestone and achievement for Southlands. It also highlights the growing presence of young girls in the field of coding and technology. We are incredibly impressed by their success. Seeing these young women represent our school and country on the global stage is indeed a proud moment."
Earlier this year, the team won the national Coding4Mandela Tournament, which earned them the honour of representing South Africa in the global Coding4Mandela Tournament.
They represented KwaZulu-Natal in the senior category.
Chetty said the global Coding4Mandela Tournament gave the team a chance to participate with other pupils from various countries, which helped them improve their skills.
“Our all-girl team was eager to take on the challenge. This achievement not only reflects the hard work and dedication of these young women but also implies that the future of technology is in good hands,” Chetty added.
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