Mowlana Syed Aftab Haider, acting chairperson of the Western Cape Religious Leaders Forum
As you approach your "moment of truth" on Monday October 31, when you will start writing your final matric exams, the Western Cape Religious Leaders Forum would like you to know that our hearts and prayers are with you, yearning for your resounding success.
You are the first group of matrics after the Covid-19 lockdown and the first lot that spent your formative senior years with online schooling due to lockdown.
The culmination of a school journey thus far spanning more than 12 years is by itself an achievement worthy of celebration considering that it included surviving a global pandemic.
However, we also trust that your successful completion of matric will be a stepping stone towards further higher learning in the broader tertiary education sector.
The future of South Africa is in dire need of highly educated, ethical and altruistic young leaders and the collective hopes of our nation is pinned on you. Your future success will be considered to be our collective success.
Knowledge is one of the differentiating factors that make us human beings compared to all other levels of creation as we have been endowed with an unlimited potential to acquire it. May this realisation be the guiding light for the rest of your lives.
We wish you well and will keep you in our thoughts and prayers as you write your exams.