A decade of impact: SARAO celebrates 10 years of Robotics sponsorship with epic regional wins by Northern Cape teams
The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) celebrates a decade of empowering youth through its robotics sponsorship, culminating in stellar performances at the 2026 World Robot Olympiad (WRO) Provincial Competition.
On Saturday, 15 August 2026, Northern Cape robotics teams showcased their exceptional engineering and coding skills at the provincial event hosted by SARAO.
The event was graced by distinguished guests, parents, the Northern Cape community, including Simphiwe Madlanga, Science Engagement Officer at SARAO, performing as Master of Ceremonies; Dorian Olifant, Head of Curriculum for the Pixley Ka Seme District; and Milisa Kentane, Head of Communication and Stakeholder Relations at SARAO, whose presence underscored the significance of this programme in shaping the region’s educational and technological future.
This initiative is led by Chantel Mathison, managing the SARAO Schools Programme. The overarching success of these Karoo teams is deeply rooted in a collaborative internal effort and community involvement.
Kim Anthony, Head of Human Capital Development at SARAO, emphasised that the students’ brilliance is supported by dedicated preparation, with specific praise for the hands-on help provided by SARAO’s Engineering and Technology development team and staff from various departments.
“These results are just too epic. We need to be loud and proud about this programme,” says Anthony. “While we celebrate the learners’ brilliance, it is also vital to recognise the collaborative approach within SARAO that makes these achievements possible,” she continues.
This milestone marks SARAO’s 10th year of sponsoring the robotics programme, generating epic results that the organisation is justifiably loud and proud of. The success is the culmination of SARAO’s long-standing commitment to fostering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)skills in the Karoo region. Since its inception in 2016, the SARAO Robotics Programme has been instrumental in inspiring rural youth, culminating in this year’s historic qualification for the National WRO.
The dedication of the Human Capital Development Schools Programme has paid off immensely, with multiple teams securing spots at the upcoming WRO National Finals. The finals will take place from 11 to 12 September 2026 at the Heartfelt Arena in Pretoria.
Teams qualified for the National Final
| Category | School | Team Name | Team Members | Award |
| Senior | Carnarvon High School | Automation Avengers | Eugenio Nuwegeld, Roswell Pipes, Farren Louw | Secured 1st place in Northern Cape Regional |
| Senior | Carnarvon High School | Code Crackers | Fredirico Maletta, Oswald Smit, Kilermo Gouws | Earned 2nd place |
| Junior | Carnarvon High School | Ctrl+Alt+Delete | Sharon Malgas, Lee-shay Appies, Jeromean Kasper | Claimed 1st place |
| Elementary | Carnarvon Primary School | Robo-Titans | Lelethu Fula, Ethan Monstinger, Ava Salvers | Dominated the Elementary division |
| Explorer Lite | Carnarvon High School | Robo-Legends | Leo-nay Booysen, Maxwell Beukes, Draywindro Sauls | Secured victory in the Explorer Lite category |
A special thank you to the judges and support staff:
| Judge Name | Category | Age Group |
| Thabang Maretela | RoboMission | Senior |
| Rohan Schwartz | RoboMission | Junior |
| Virgillian Kasper | RoboMission | Senior |
| Chanté Mathison | RoboMission | Senior |
| Ronel Strong | Explorer | Prime |
| Catharina de Wee | Explorer | Lite |
| Dalton Taylor | Explorer | Lite |
| Jeremy Stuurman | Explorer | Prime |
| Lauwrian Andreas | RoboMission | Elementary |
| Thabo Motluli | RoboMission | Junior |
| Filliciano Skippers | RoboMission | Junior |
| Isaac Moeng | RoboMission | Elementary |
| Lizelle Cloete | RoboMission | Senior |
| Jeffrey Dyasi | RoboMission | Elementary |
| Odwa Magabuko | RoboMission | Senior |
| Eva Mamabolo | Explorer | Prime |
| Sizwe Seranyane | Explorer | Lite |
| Ndifikile Magaudeni | RoboMission | Elementary |
The students’ achievements extend beyond the WRO framework. Following the national robotics finals, these talented learners will also compete at the Eskom Expo International Science Fair in Johannesburg, running from 24 September to 4 October 2026.
