Westville Senior Primary School & DOE honor achievement at the Junior Division of the 8th African Spelling Bee
Westville Senior Primary School proudly welcomed high-profile, distinguished guests on 5 May 2026 to
honour Ashton Singh, WSPS Class of 2025, for his outstanding achievement of placing second in the Junior
Division of the 8th African Spelling Bee, held in Harare, Zimbabwe, in March 2026.

Despite a light morning drizzle, the occasion was brightened by the appearance of a double rainbow as
Mrs Heidi Heather-Clark, Acting Principal of Westville Senior Primary, welcomed dignitaries from the
Department of Education, as well as the principals of neighbouring schools: Mrs Sharon Jenkins of
Westville Junior Primary and Mr Graham Steele of Westville Boys’ High School.

Ashton’s remarkable achievement helped Team South Africa secure first place on the continent at this
prestigious competition. In July, Ashton and his teammates will travel to Shanghai, China, to represent
Africa at the World Spelling Bee Championship.

Also in attendance were Roger and Gertrude Dickinson, the dynamic Gauteng-based co-founders of the South African Spelling Bee, who recently partnered with the Department of Basic Education in this ambitious initiative. Roger Dickinson explained that the competition is conducted at the highest level, with entrants tested in all twelve official South African languages, including South African Sign Language, which was recognised as an official language in 2023.

Ashton attributed his success to his early love of reading, which laid the foundation for his fascination with words. His mother, Mrs Anisha Singh, who coaches him daily, shared that “Ashton can now confidently hold basic conversations with South Africans in their mother tongues.” Ashton expressed his gratitude for the opportunities the platform has provided him and other young South Africans who are willing to participate and commit themselves fully to the competition.

The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Education, the Honourable Sipho Hlomuka, described the achievement of Ashton and Team South Africa as “not only significant for us in KwaZulu-Natal, but for the entire country.” Westville Senior Primary School wishes Ashton and Team South Africa every success as the prepare to represent the continent at the World Spelling Bee Championship in Shanghai in July 2026.