By Johannes Hangula
MULTICHOICE Namibia ended ‘Back to School’ month on a high note with the announcement of the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards 2016 in-country winners at their headquarters in Windhoek on Monday.
Pinehas Mpadhi (18) who matriculated from Oshigambo High School last year is Namibia’s in-country winner for 2016. His Rainfall Satellite focused on a solution for the current water crisis in Namibia.
Entries for DStv Eutelsat Star Awards 2016 closed in November, with the first round of adjudications taking place at country level. Learners between the ages of 14 – 19 were challenged to take themselves into the future as scientists, tasked with designing a new-age satellite that will help improve the lives of Africans. Entrants also had to describe what they would call the satellite, and what functions and roles it would play in the future.
Mpadhi was awarded a Hisense 40″ LED TV as a prize. In addition, his essay was submitted in the overall DStv Eutelsat Star Awards pool of entries, which was entered by students from secondary (high) or combined schools across the continent.
The Namibian runner-up is Dieunovic Kanyinda (18) from Kosmos High School in Windhoek who demonstrated how criminal activities could be reduced and improved adherence to the Road Code in cities and towns in Namibia could be facilitated through his satellite, Nathlite BS.
The third place went to Columbustine Mandizvidza (17) from Döbra St Joseph’s High School for his AFRISTAT satellite, aimed to link the future advancement of ICT to economic transformation programmes that will benefit the African youth.
Roger Gertze, general manager of MultiChoice Namibia commented that, “In line with our purpose of enriching lives, the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards shows sustained interest from Namibian learners, adding fresh impetus to the mission shared by MultiChoice and Eutelsat to encourage young minds to positively change their world via innovative thinking in science and technology. The quality of entries for the 2016 edition was at a very high level, showing that Namibian learners have what it takes when it comes to science and technology.”
Winners of the overall competition will be revealed at a ceremony to be held in Lagos, Nigeria, on February 7. A former astronaut and French Minister, now special advisor to European Space Agency’s (ESA) Director General, Claudie Haigneré will chair the prestigious jury of the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards. The overall essay and poster winners are eligible for a once in a lifetime trip for two to the Eutelsat facilities in Paris, with the essay winner travelling onwards to witness a live rocket launch.