Tauriq Salie |
Seventeen schools walked into the Groote Schuur High School Auditorium in Newlands looking to test themselves against the best of the best, but only one school emerged victorious, making history as the inaugural Radio 786 High School Quiz champion.
Radio 786, in partnership with Oasis Group Holdings, welcomed schools from across Cape Town on Saturday, 15 August 2026, for an afternoon of competitiveness, friendly rivalry and fun. Students were tested not only on their general knowledge, but also on how well they could make use of the resource materials provided in a true battle of wit and strategic thinking.
Radio 786 station manager Tashreeq Truebody called the event a testament to the station’s commitment to education.
“It is the first of its kind for Radio 786, which is a testament to our priority of education. As Radio 786, we believe that by encouraging such initiatives, we are building towards a society that celebrates academic excellence.”
According to Truebody, the quiz started with a simple “what if” question on Youth Day, giving the date deeper meaning while honouring Imam Abdullah Haroon’s legacy on Radio 786.
Before the quiz kicked off at 2 p.m., students and teachers shared their strategies. Elroy Treunich, a Grade 11 student at Christel House South Africa, said his team divided the resource material according to school subjects. His teacher, Kaylen Bowers, explained how they broke down the main themes, key individuals and countries featured in each article to test one another.
Scarlett Sims, a Grade 10 learner at Edgemead High, tackled the quiz as a duo with her classmate Charnelle. Scarlett focused on theory and names, while Charnelle handled numbers and figures. Their teacher, Raphael Williams, encouraged the students to conduct their research using the given resources and simply go out there and have fun.
The event featured a keynote address by Dr Naledi Pandor, Chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Foundation Board of Trustees, along with speeches from Oasis Group Holdings executives Yusuf Ebrahim and Umairah Jeeanody.
Once MC Ashraf Gangreker outlined the rules, questions were asked and answer sheets were collected by runners after every round for marking.
At the end of the day, all participating students received certificates and gifts. Oracle Academy took second place with 73 points, winning R10,000 for its school, also sponsored by Vitacare Pharmacy. Islamia College Boys Campus came third with 69 points, winning R5,000 for its school, sponsored by Vitacare Pharmacy.
Taking first place with 75 points, South Peninsula High School claimed victory, winning R20,000 for its school, sponsored by Vitacare Pharmacy, along with three tablets for its team members from TSTEC.com.
Celebrating the victory with her team, Grade 10 learner Tracy Kayembe of South Peninsula High School shared how much she enjoyed learning about global events and making new friends.
Her advice to fellow learners was: “You must keep trying out new things. Doing it will make you realise you will never try if you don’t do it.”
South Peninsula teacher and Head of Department Ridaa Mac Girlley added: “I was very ecstatic when our school won, especially for the time and effort our learners put into doing research for the quiz.”
