2014 marks the twentieth year that MinquizTM has been run in the Western Cape and this year saw many schools that have become regular participants as well as many newcomers. Schools entered a team of three learners in either the Gold or Platinum category, based on their schools average pass rate

MinquizTM is regarded as South Africa’s premier annual national Science competition for Grade 12 learners, and it aims to encourage interest in careers in Science, Engineering and Technology, especially in minerals and metallurgy, and to promote an awareness of the importance of minerals and metallurgy to South Africa.  

The 2014 Western Cape provincial competition took place on 15 May and was organised by Dr Kirsten Corin, from the Centre for Minerals Research in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Cape Town with assistance from a team of Chemical Engineering postgraduate students. The event was kindly hosted by Wynberg Boys’ High School.  

Participating learners wrote a preliminary multiple-choice question test individually, the top five schools in each category competed as teams during a live, on-stage oral quiz. The Platinum category saw Bishops, Wynberg Boys’ High, Rondebosch Boys’ High, Herzlia and SACS face off, while Worcester Gym, Cape Academy, South Peninsula High, Pinelands High and Livingstone High competed in the Gold category.

SACS scooped the Oral Quiz top prize in the Platinum category, while the top individual learner of the written quiz hailed from Bishops; Mr Thomas Orton. The Cape Academy for Maths, Science and Technology gained both the Oral Quiz top prize and the top individual learner; Mr Zak Toyer, in the Gold Category.

The best two learners from each category in the provincial written quiz were selected to form a regional team of four finalists; Mr Murray McKechnie (Bishops), Mr Robert Waddilove (Rondebosch Boys’ High), Mr Zak Toyer (Cape Academy) and Mr Cornelis van Eeden (Worcester Gym).

This team represented the Western Cape at the national final quiz held at Mintek in Johannesburg on the 15th and 16th of July 2014. After writing the final national multiple-choice question test, the 15th of July was a day of fun and teambuilding for all the finalists and a chance to mingle with learners from the other provincial teams. Mr Zak Toyer won the simplest design prize for his stunning propeller project which allowed an egg to be dropped 3 storeys without breaking.

Our Western Cape team did us proud and on the 16th of July, was placed within the top 5 national teams and very enthusiastically participated in the final live, on-stage oral quiz. Limpopo took top honours by winning the oral quiz. Mr Zak Toyer was awarded the prize for the top national individual learner in the Gold category and both he and Mr Murray McKechnie were awarded Distinctions for their written quizzes.