“She Got the People Rooting for Her”: Matric Student’s Head Girl Campaign Gains Major Momentum

• Koketso 'Koki' Bogashu, a matric student at Hoërskool Jeugland in Kempton Park, launched a creative campaign to become the school's 2027 Head
• Her TikTok campaign video, directed by her best friend Lelo, blew past a million views and caught the attention of celebrities including Missy Elliott
• South Africans flooded the comments demanding to know where they could cast their vote for Koki

A Kempton Park matric student turned her school's Head Girl campaign into one of South Africa's most talked-about viral moments. Koketso "Koki" Bogashu, known online as @l4ylow._, is running for Head Girl at Hoërskool Jeugland for 2027, and her campaign video has taken the internet by storm.

Filmed on school grounds, the clip opens with a clever skit. Koki stands behind a fellow student, pretending to support her in a trust fall exercise, only to walk away and leave her to drop. She then launches into her campaign speech, completely unfazed. The joke landed hard: leaders often speak beautifully about support and change while their actions tell a different story.

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Her speech was sharp and earnest all at once. "Tired of being let down? Tired of not being able to trust leadership?" she asked the camera, before calling on classmates to vote for her and promising to bridge the gap between learners and teachers.

Lelo, the friend behind the camera

The video was directed by Koki's best friend, Lelo, whose creative instincts proved just as impressive as the candidate herself. Rather than a straight-to-camera pitch, Lelo crafted a campaign that felt more like a short film, drawing comparisons to iconic movie parodies and earning widespread praise for its concept and execution.

The clip surpassed a million views on TikTok and X, drawing in major brands like MTN and publications like Glamour South Africa. Prominent media personalities Anele Mdoda and Sizwe Dhlomo also engaged with the campaign online. American rapper Missy Elliott even weighed in on X.

Mzansi demands a voting link

South Africans in the comments on the TikTok page had one question on their minds:

@SageOnSunday wrote:

"There's a whole Billboard up ko Bryanston, my sister."

@Fairly odd said:

"Lelo, I think you just launched your career in Marketing/advertising. Please take this seriously."

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@PearlMotaungMlangeni added:

"Lelo, I need a Marketing Manager! I feel I will win if you run my campaign."

@Smash reacted:

"Principal must create a link for us so we can also vote for Koki."

@masego_m17 wrote:

"Okay, I'll do it myself!! Someone give me the number to dial so I can vote for this girl now!"

@ndu shezi said:

"This is the best campaign I've seen all year."

@Onlythegifted concluded:

"Is there even an opposition? I think she won."

Despite all the online fanfare, Koki has been clear that her campaign is about more than going viral. Her goal remains leaving a meaningful legacy at Hoërskool Jeugland.

See the campaign below:

More on SA students and schools

• Briefly News recently reported on a Pretoria teacher's emotional tribute to a learner with a disability that left South Africans in tears.
• A Gauteng MEC cracked down on dozens of illegally operating schools while announcing a major funding boost for qualifying institutions.
• A shooting at a KwaZulu-Natal school has police searching for a suspect who fled the scene.

Source: Briefly News