Penuel Mlothswa Visits Roosevelt High School After Chaotic Matric Dance Incident
- Podcaster Penuel Mlothswa visited Roosevelt High School in Muldersdrift after the school's Matric Dance made headlines for all the wrong reasons
- The Matric Dance at Avianto Hotel ended in chaos after learners arrived intoxicated, staff faced firearm threats, and reckless driving rattled the upmarket venue
- Penuel used his social media platforms to address the incident before heading to the school to speak directly to students
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South African podcaster Penuel Mlothswa arrived at Roosevelt High School in Muldersdrift, Johannesburg, to deliver a candid, heartfelt address to students after the school's disastrous Matric Dance. His visit came after the event at Avianto Hotel made national headlines for deeply troubling reasons.
What happened at the Matric Dance
The Grade 12 farewell descended into chaos when learners arrived at the upmarket venue visibly intoxicated. Staff members reportedly had firearms pointed at them during the disorder, while reckless driving during arrivals added to the mayhem. Principal Cristèl Venter, who had been called in despite being unwell, ultimately shut the event down early to protect attendees. Her decision was met with verbal abuse from parents on the night.
The incident sparked widespread conversation on social media, prompting Penuel to first post a video addressing parents about how Matric Dances can become problematic before making his way to the school in person.
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Penuel's Address to Students
Standing at a wooden podium inside the school's large hall, Penuel spoke off the cuff to an audience of seated staff and students. He drew on his own matric class of 2003, recounting that some of his former classmates had since died through accidents, suicide, and violence, while others struggled to find employment.
"Your reputation comes with you," he told the students. "It's not later on. It's right now."
He also urged matric pupils, in particular, to double down on their studies in the final stretch of the year. "In the last few months, please — can I not wash the dishes and those things? I need to double down on it to study," he said, offering the words as an example of how learners should be communicating with their parents.
Penuel, who boasts over 500,000 TikTok followers and runs the Penuel Show podcast, stressed that no motivational speech alone would change a person's trajectory. "A motivational speech is just a motivational speech. It's like going to a gym once. It comes and it goes and it's not going to mean anything," he said, encouraging students to find the tools to motivate themselves from within.
He was invited to speak by a staff member identified as Ms Spender and received a warm reception from those in attendance.
Watch Penuel's full address to Roosevelt High School students below:
Mzansi responded warmly to the gesture online. Below are some of the reactions:
Jonas Mokoena said: "Such speeches I believe must be given to matriculants in January so they can work harder from the beginning."
Thuli Mabaso wrote: "Can we try and do better as parents 🙏..these are our children (what future do we want for them?) What are we teaching them and what are they witnessing at home?"
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Source: Briefly News
