“Truly an Inspiration”: KZN Learner Leads Quintile 4 Matric Results in South Africa, Mzansi Wowed
- A learner from Port Shepstone Secondary School was recently interviewed after being named the top matriculant in Quintile 4 schools across the country, despite facing grief
- The achievement was highlighted in an eNCA interview, which was shared on Facebook, where the young man discussed his academic journey and future career plans
- Social media users were impressed and praised the learner for his maturity and success within the public schooling system
Source: Facebook
Ethan Naicker from KwaZulu-Natal has earned national recognition after being interviewed by e-TV for his outstanding academic performance.
The clip was on by eNCA journalist @Nabeelah Shaikh on Facebook on January 12, 2026 and garnered massive engagement from an impressed online community.
In the video, the learner from Port Shepstone Secondary School in KwaZulu-Natal detailed that he would not take all the credit for his success. He noted that his family’s love and support played a vital role throughout his learning journey. When asked about his future career, he explained that he had been stuck between pursuing medicine and actuarial science for a long time. He eventually revealed that he is leaning more towards Medicine for his studies in 2026.
Ethan goes into his matric year with personal grief
Ethan also opened up about the significant challenges he faced, including the loss of his cousin in December 2024. He described her as being more like a sister to him, which made entering his Grade 12 year in 2025 particularly difficult. Consistency was the main piece of advice offered by the top achiever to the class of 2026. In Facebook user @Nabeelah Shaikh's video, Ethan shared by suggested that putting in even one hour of work every day goes a long way and helps prevent burnout during the final school year. WAS
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Source: UGC
SA reacts to Ethan Naicker’s national matric ranking
The clip gained 150K and nearly 900 comments from a social media community that reacted with overwhelming pride and congratulated the learner on his massive milestone. Many viewers expressed joy at seeing a top learner excel without attending a private school. Commenters described him as mature and a true inspiration to other learners facing similar pressures. Others wished him success in his medical journey and praised his ability to remain focused despite his personal grief.
User @Raneshree Balraj said
"Truly an inspiration to other students."
User @Fathima Rassack shared:
"What a mature guy he is. Well done, Ethan.
"User @Poovan Govender added:
"Well done. So, you don't have to attend a private school to be a top student."
User @Niresh Baboolal commented:
"Deserving students like Ethan should be given a bursary, accommodation and transport. Sadly, hard workers are not acknowledged by the government."
User @Thresa Christina Naidoo said:
"Well done. Good advice."
User @Annette Robbertse commented:
"What a nice young man! Well done on your achievement!"
Watch the Facebook reel below:
3 Matric results-related articles
- Briefly News reported that Reddam House schools achieved an exceptional 100% pass rate across eight campuses nationwide for the 2025 academic year, with 87% being bachelor passes.
- The Department of Basic Education revealed that it used a forensic investigator to probe the matric exam paper leak through a USB stick within the department.
- On January 9, 2026, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube held a press briefing in Tswane, where she discussed the National Investigative Task Team's findings of the matric papers leak.
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Source: Briefly News
