“He’s Professional”: Curro Grade 1 Learners’ Humorous Farewell Speech To Grade 12s Has SA Impressed
- A charming Grade 1 learner from Curro Durbanville delivered a hilarious and heartfelt farewell speech to the graduating matric class of 2025, calling himself an expert
- The captivating video was shared on TikTok, garnering massive views and receiving comments from an impressed online community
- Social media users were in awe of the confident boy's flawless articulation and comedic timing, with many calling him a professional young leader
- Briefly News spoke with Mandisa Nkwenkwezi, a wife, mother and fashion designer, about her son Lihlumile's impressive speech
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Source: TikTok
A young school learner, Lihlumile, from Cape Town, captured the hearts of social media users after giving a surprisingly profound and humorous speech to Grade 12 learners.
The emotional clip, shared by his mother on TikTok via @nzwakazi_collection, was met with an outpouring of pride and praise from impressed viewers who saw a future leader in him.
The video started with the well-spoken Grade 1 learner standing on the podium on stage with his teacher next to him. He greeted the teachers and the 2025 matric class before beginning his address. He introduced himself as an expert, confidently noting that since he’s been in school for a whole year, he supposes the matriculants are now grown-ups. He then expressed his pity that they wouldn't be able to play with their friends during break time anymore.
The Curro Durbanville's beautiful send-off
The humorous boy shared his own motivation for succeeding, admitting he heard from his teacher that when they get to Grade 12, they get to drive a car, which he finds 'really cool.' He acknowledged that reaching matric requires a lot of focus.
The learner admitted that he was still learning 2 + 2 before giving a funny spoiler alert by whispering the maths sum answer, '4,' leaving the crowd in stitches. He also shared that he heard in Grade 12, they wear a special jacket with their names on it, almost like famous people.
The learner concluded his powerful message by congratulating them for making it to the end of their schooling career and wishing them luck for the big world after matric. He told them how much they were loved and said if they ever got scared in the big world, they were always welcome to return to Grade 1, promising they would share their cryons with them.
Source: TikTok
Lihlumile, a star in the making
The Briefly News team spoke with Mandisa Nkwenkwezi, the wife of a senior engineer, mother of two children, Diya and Lihlumile, and a fashion designer, about her son's Grade 12 impeccable speech.
We asked the mom what kind of child Lihlumile is, and she said:
"Lihlumile is a very pleasant child, just like his brother Diya, whom he looks up to. He is known for his rugby skills, and recently surprised us with his talent for public speaking, which is all thanks to his teacher and his brother's coaching. When he grows up, he wants to be a lawyer because he says he wants to fight for children to have decent homes, proper clothes and toys."
After learning that Lihlumile is shy, we asked the mom how he transitioned to become confident enough to stand in front of that many people. She said:
"Lihlumile was shy, but moving to Curro Durbanville this year and the unwavering support from his teachers truly helped him find his voice and his confidence.
We asked the mom what the coaching dynamic is like between Lihlumile and his sibling, Diya. She shared:
"Diya is older and strong in public speaking; he took Lihlumile under his wing, helping him practice and fine-tune every part of the speech.
The team asked the mom if there was a specific teacher who played a significant role in Lihlumile's turning point. She responded:
"Yes! Ms Annecke was a huge turning point; her belief in him transformed him from a quiet boy into someone who could deliver a speech that made even the teachers cry."
We asked the mom, who is involved in charity work and often involves her children, how the exposure builds compassion in her kids. The mom said:
"By involving them in my charity work, like the high tea at the informal settlement, they gain crucial exposure that teaches them hands-on empathy and humility."
We learned that the mom cancelled her trip to China to support Lihlumile. The team asked her how she felt after seeing that the speech went so well. She responded:
"It was a profound moment; seeing him speak with such heart and confidence made cancelling my work trip to China completely worthwhile."
Mzansi loves the young leader
The video attracted massive views, likes, and comments from social media users who were impressed by the confident boy's articulation and humour. Many viewers noted how impeccable his speech was, expressing astonishment that he wasn't reading it from a piece of paper.
Some said his performance gave them goosebumps and that they were so proud of him. Others noted the small things, such as his deliberate pauses during his speech to allow the crowd to laugh and clap, and called him a professional young leader.
User @Noxolo MaNzuza Cele commented:
"His public speaking is impeccable 🤭👏🏾."
User @SLIE THE MC said:
"This child is not even reading 📖. I am so proud 😊 ♥."
User @I-M-AFRICAN2🇿🇦 shared:
"As parents, we wish they would stay this age, so cute, sweet, and confident ❤."
User @PrinXPhotography added:
"The pause to allow the crowd to clap👌🏼. He's professional on another level!"
User @Leestar_ZA🇿🇦 commented:
"I am 32 this year and I still shiver and stutter whenever I have to speak in front of pupils, mind you, I'm a teacher, but not in class. I wish his confidence and public speaking skills find me someday 👏."
User @Müschenu said:
"Wow. So well spoken and confident. I was smiling, watching this. What a big and bright future he has ahead of him."
Watch the TikTok video below:
3 Briefly News articles about learners
- South Africans were amazed by how Curro Durbanville created stunning formations with just their blazers after watching their inter-school performance.
- Curro Durbanville High School's impressive inter-school blazer flash performance, forming complicated shapes like fish, Superman, and the sun, was featured on an American morning television show.
- A Grade 1 learner, who scored zero on a test, explained that there's some sort of switch in his brain that goes off when he is in class.
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Source: Briefly News
