Stellenberg High learners excel in Allan Gray challenge

CAPE TOWN – Local learners are among thousands who showcased innovative business ideas in a national competition.

Two Stellenberg High School learners have distinguished themselves in the 2025 Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge (AGEC), with Liam Heunis securing fourth place in the High School Game and Pieter Wessels achieving an impressive fifth place amongst thousands of participants from across Southern Africa.

The competition, which saw record-breaking participation with over 40 000 learners from South Africa and other Southern African Development Community countries, culminated at the AGEC Summit on 4 October at the Radisson Blu Sandton.

Outstanding individual performances

Grade 11 learner, Liam Heunis demonstrated exceptional strategic thinking in the High School Game, developing a two-phase approach that proved highly effective.

“The time frame of the game was short, so I decided to split the game up in two phases, the first phase was the most important, little profits were made and growth was slow, so I focused incredibly on maintaining efficiency and saving as much money as possible so that I can invest in key aspects like new products and marketing for said products,” he said.

The experience has transformed his perspective on business and entrepreneurship.

Fellow learner Nehan Wessels, who secured fifth place, described his participation as “an amazing experience”. He focused on South Africa’s water crisis during the “Fix-It Gen Z” quest, proposing community-based entrepreneurship solutions such as local leak detection teams and plumbing cooperatives.

“It’s about using innovation and teamwork to solve real African problems sustainably,” Pieter explained. He also conceptualised a mobile “Water Watchdog” app to report leaks or corruption anonymously.

School-wide participation

Ismari Kruger, the teacher who managed the project at Stellenberg High School, expressed her pride in the learners’ achievements. “Participating in the Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge has been an inspiring and enriching experience for our learners. We had over 100 learners participate in this challenge,” she said.

The 2025 competition nearly doubled participation from the previous year’s 21 000 learners, with participants playing a record-breaking 488 590 games. The challenge featured innovative new elements, including AI-powered feedback, improved mobile accessibility, and year-round gaming quests.

Mahlatse Tolamo, Operations Lead at AGEC, praised the growing participation: “With the challenge in its ninth year this year, the mission was to ignite entrepreneurial thinking among youth across Southern Africa in more schools, more provinces and more neighbouring countries.”