“We Have Reached Here by Grace”: Mother Celebrates Son’s Grade 1 Achievements at Afrikaans School

• A local mother, Awelani Khoaisi, shared the proud moment her Grade 1 son won awards at his Afrikaans school
• Awelani initially shared that she was depressed when the Department of Education enrolled her son in the learning institution
• South African social media users applauded both the mother and her son for their outstanding accomplishments

At the beginning of the year, two days before the start of school, Awelani Khoaisi expressed her frustration after the Department of Education enrolled her son in an Afrikaans school in Pretoria. Now, the proud mother is celebrating her Grade 1 English-speaking son achieving awards.

On 3 December, 2025, Awelani posted a video of Thabang walking across the school stage to collect his awards, her cheering echoing in the background.

She captioned her post:

"We have reached here by grace."

Throughout the year, Awelani shared videos of herself and her son tackling Afrikaans homework, persevering through the struggles, and making South Africa laugh. Now, the nation can give both Awelani and Thabang, whom they dubbed Jaco, a round of applause.

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South Africans congratulate Thabang

Several social media users took to the comment section to commend the little boy on his achievements after watching the video on their For You Pages. Others wished Awelani a job well done for being a supportive mother to her son.

@malush1416 said to the little family:

"We are so proud of you, Thabang, my sweet boy. Mommy, well done. You went all out for our sweet boy. Abundance of blessings to both of you."

@elise_nk told Awelani:

"So proud of you, Mommy. I still remember that first crashout in the car. Wishing you and your boy more years."

@chris_fenti added in the comments:

"This kid didn’t understand Afrikaans and is now accepting awards for his hard work. What a brilliant young man and a beautiful mother who supports him."

The official account for Boston City Campus shared:

"Well done, Thabang! We are proud of you."

@lynnwl7 stated under the post:

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"You are the most inspiring and motivating mother ever. I've learned so much from you: to never give up, find a solution regardless of the unknown, and have faith in Jesus. God will continue to bless you and Thabang-Jaco."

@mr.d66206 wrote in the comment section:

"Halala, Mama. Congrats. Thank you for sharing the journey this year. We wish you all more success and a happy break."

Watch the TikTok video posted on Awelani's account below:

3 Other stories about learners' achievements

• In another article, Briefly News reported that a Curro learner took part in a trending TikTok challenge and showcased her stack of certificates. The video prompted many others to talk about their achievements.
• A Free State learner became the first male overall achiever at his school. Social media users were moved by the teachers' enthusiasm and the teen's milestone, anticipating that he would be in the Top 100 in January, 2026.
• Last year, learners from a school in KwaZulu-Natal beamed with pride when they celebrated a 100% pass rate, significantly contributing to the national and provincial pass rate.

Source: Briefly News