The race for Herald Isuzu Schools Quiz glory intensified at the weekend as teams from across Nelson Mandela Bay and Kouga battled through the round of 16 and quarterfinals.
When the dust settled at The Venue at Walmer Park Shopping Centre on Saturday, Victoria Park High School, Walmer High School, Sanctor High School and Stedin College remained standing as the competition’s final four.
Intense competition saw defending champions Theodor Herzl High School knocked out early by 2024 winners Uitenhage High School in one of the toughest matches of the day.
Uitenhage were themselves then dispatched in the quarterfinals by Walmer High School, who have consistently placed in the top three in recent years.
Sanctor High School are a team to watch this year, toppling 2021 winners Alexander Road High School 8-6 in the quarterfinals on Saturday, and earlier in the day having knocked out last year’s fourth-placed team, Pearson High School, 8-6 in the round of 16.
2025 runners-up Victoria Park High School also have the will to win, beating Ethembeni Enrichment Centre 10-6 in their round of 16 and then repeating that score against Woolhope Secondary School in the quarterfinals.
The four schools left in the competition have a shot at prizes valued at more than R280,000 — and are all seeking the winner’s title for the first time.
Welcoming the top 16 schools on Saturday morning, ABSA regional manager Lusanda Nciweni said reaching this stage was already a remarkable achievement.
“ABSA is proud to partner with The Herald and Isuzu Motors South Africa in supporting education and creating opportunities for young people to shine,” Nciweni said.
“At ABSA, our focus is centred on helping people and communities to grow. We believe that everyone’s story matters.
“Every learner sitting in this room today has a story, and is busy writing a story of ambition, hard work, knowledge and potential.”
The quiz was also about building confidence and critical thinking, and having the courage to challenge oneself, Nciweni said.
She encouraged the pupils to enjoy themselves, compete with integrity, support their teammates and have fun while doing it.
With nearly a thousand questions posed so far, quizmaster Gareth Burley tested the teams of four on their knowledge of local, national and world news, business, sport, politics and leisure, with most of the questions drawn from The Herald over a five-week period.
The Herald and co-title sponsor Isuzu Motors South Africa have been distributing copies of the paper to every participating school to help them prepare.
“What a great day of competition it was on Saturday,” Burley said.
“One of the things that stood out for me is that the teams that have gone through are working really well together.
“Often there’s a team with one strong individual that the others lean on, but with this year’s semifinalists, all four team members are pulling their weight and also not just focusing on one area of expertise like sport, but working well together [across the various quiz categories].”
Burley had this advice for teams going into the final rounds: “I see a lot of teams studying hard on the finer details as they read the newspapers; often they spend hours reading whole stories where they would do better focusing on key details; the basic facts about places and people.”
The eight teams which reached the quarterfinals in the morning were Woolhope Secondary School, Victoria Park High School, Walmer High School, Uitenhage High School, Alexander Road High School, Sanctor High School, Stedin College and Nico Malan High School.
From there the competition heated up even more, with the top four advancing to the semifinals.
The semifinal and final rounds will take place at Walmer Park Shopping Centre on Saturday May 16, and will be live-streamed on the Herald Facebook page from 9am.
Walmer High School achieved the highest points — 12 — in their round of 16 against Nasruddin Islamic School, with Victoria Park the top scorer in the quarterfinals, earning 10 points against Woolhope Secondary.
Walmer High School’s Blessing Nyatsanza, 18 (grade 12), Lorraine Tototayi, 16 (grade 10), Nicole Ndlovu, 16 (grade 11), and Othandwayo Njeje, 14 (grade 9), are determined to go all the way this year.
They comfortably beat Nasruddin Islamic School in their round of 16 opener, but Uitenhage — down to just three team members due to the impact of last week’s floods — did not make it easy for them in the quarterfinals, with Walmer High ultimately claiming the round by nine points to six.
Elated captain and The Herald Isuzu Schools Quiz veteran, Blessing, said their quarterfinal round was difficult against a very strong Uitenhage High.
“We didn’t have as much confidence because of this, but we are very happy with the result,” he said.
Lorraine said Saturday was stressful knowing there were some strong teams in the running, which made reaching the semifinals all the more special, while Nicole, another past quiz participant, said she felt motivated to enter again because it was fun and she wanted to make her school proud.
“We have sacrificed a lot of time to prepare for the competition, and we need to work harder than ever to get ahead,” Othandwayo said.
Stedin College is a young school in Victoria Drive, Walmer, whose determined grade 11s, Sange Namba, Shelton Masasa and Ndimentle Nogwaja, all 17, and Linomtha Pama, 16, put in a serious effort to reach the semifinals for the first time.
Sange and Ndimentle said the group had sacrificed afternoons, Fridays and weekends to prepare, in between studying for tests every week.
“We debate together at school as well, so we are used to working together as a team,” Ndimentle said.
Linomtha said: “Our first round today [Saturday] was rough at first, but it got better. The second round was more difficult as we ended in a tie [6-6, against Nico Malan High], with the correct final answer coming from one of our teammates, taking us to seven points.”
Shelton said: “I entered for the quiz because I personally struggle with reading, so this was a way I could encourage myself to read every day.”
Teams stand a chance to win R35,000 from Isuzu Motors South Africa, to be shared among the top three schools.
Other sponsors are ABSA (gold sponsor), Astron Energy (silver sponsor), Axxess, Walmer Park Shopping Centre, Bargain Books, Woolworths Beauty, Pick n Pay, Woodlands Dairy, Sammo My Tutor, and Waltons.