Pretoria
| Contact Person | Amanda Swanepoel |
| saceepta@gmail.com |
SACEE PRETORIA BRANCH
Reflecting on 2025, it is with pride, dedication and innovation that we have rebuilt the Pretoria Branch and will continue to strive for learner participation and quality events that will promote their English language skills. We concluded a very succesful Spelling Bee Competiton as well as the Creative Writing Challange in 2025.
What to expect in 2026: We are excited to announce that entries for our OPEN MIC Poetry Competition have already been received and we look forward to a high standard of poetry from our FET learners. All relevent information pertaining to the competition is in the document below, together with entry forms and membership forms. Entries close on 20 February 2026, with the gala evening being held on 6 March 2026. This event will showcase the TOP 10 learners in their respective categories, i.e. Grade 10, 11 & 12, competing for the Golden Mic and prizes galore.
Get Involved with SACEE and take part in branch and national competitions!
If you or your school is not yet on our mailing list or you wish to find out more information, please send an email through to saceepta@gmail.com.
If you would like to assist with our initiatives, participate in projects, register here to join the SACEE Community .
For further information or assistance, please contact:
L. Vincent
lvincent@stmarys.pta.school.za
SACEE Pretoria Branch
saceepta@gmail.com
2026 SACEE Pretoria Creative Writing Competition
The South African Council for English Education (SACEE) – Pretoria Branch is delighted to invite learners from SACEE-registered primary and high schools in the Pretoria area to take part in our exciting 2026 Creative Writing Competition!
This is an opportunity for young writers to let their imaginations soar, find their unique voice and showcase their talent for the written word. Whether your learner dreams of becoming a novelist, poet, journalist—or simply loves creating stories—this competition provides a wonderful platform to write, create and inspire.
Recognition for Outstanding Writers
The top-achieving entries in each category will be recognised, celebrating the creativity, originality and writing talent of our young participants. We encourage schools to inspire and encourage as many learners as possible to enter. Who knows? Your school could be home to the next great South African storyteller!
📅 Key Date
Closing date for entries: 28 August 2026
Get Involved with SACEE
Click on the links below to join our community or enter one of our exciting Creative Writing Competitions:
→ Enter the Primary Schools Creative Writing Competition
→ Enter the High Schools Creative Writing Competition
🌟 Let the Writing Begin!
Pick up your pen. Unleash your imagination. Tell your story.
The SACEE Pretoria Branch looks forward to discovering the voices, stories and creative talents of our young writers in 2026!
Celebrating the Power of Poetry: Open Mic 2026
The Pretoria Branch of the South African Council for English Education (SACEE) proudly opened its 2026 programme with our much-anticipated Open Mic Poetry Competition for FET learners.
While we would have loved to welcome more schools, the event brought together talented young poets from Pretoria, Johannesburg and Durban, all of whom delivered outstanding performances. With educators facing increasing workloads and curriculum demands, finding time for extra-mural activities can be challenging. We are therefore particularly grateful to every school, teacher and learner who made the effort to participate.
🌟 A Celebration of Young Talent
The Top 10 contestants in each grade delivered exceptional poetry, demonstrating creativity, confidence and an impressive command of language.
What made the evening particularly special was the wonderful spirit among the participants. As the competition progressed, the young poets became friends, encouraging and supporting one another. The evening was not simply about competing—it was about celebrating a shared love of poetry.
Every contestant went for gold in both preparation and delivery, while the audience brought their own enthusiasm and appreciation for the spoken word. It was truly a remarkable evening.
🏆 And the Winners Went for Gold!
The winner in each category received their very own Golden Microphone, along with fantastic prizes generously sponsored by:
Bidvest Waltons • Bargains Books • Spur
Spur also generously donated R5 000 in vouchers, helping to make the event even more memorable for our young poets.
Looking to the Future
The success of Open Mic 2026 has shown us the tremendous talent and enthusiasm that exists among our young people.
We hope that future events will attract even more SACEE schools, educators and members, allowing us to grow our reach, strengthen our community and create more opportunities for learners to develop and celebrate their English language and creative talents.
To every learner who took to the microphone, every teacher who encouraged them, every school that participated and every sponsor who supported the event—thank you for helping us make Open Mic 2026 a truly special celebration of poetry.
Keep writing. Keep performing. Keep inspiring. 🎤✨
A. Swanepoel
Pretoria Branch Chair
South African Council for English Education
2025 Spelling Bee 
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Pretoria branch initiated and hosted a Spelling Bee competition in August 2025. Since the event was ‘a first’ it was decided to keep it small, to maximise the success of the event so that we may hold a bigger competition next year. Approximately 48 primary schools in and around Pretoria were contacted, as the competition catered specifically for Grade 6 & 7 learners. New memberships were signed and of the 13 schools that replied, approximately 106 entries were received. |
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English HL and English FAL were adjudicated separately with independent Pronouncers and Adjudicators for each category. The spelling lists for each category also differed, being age- and level appropriate for each category. From left to right: Ms Kubheka (Pronouncer). Hope Ngobeni (Scorer), Mrs Heymans (Adjudicator) |
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The event was extremely well supported by the parents, so much so that we had to carry in more chairs to fill the hall. The parents were arguably much more competitive than the contestants, which is one thing myself and the MC had to keep an eye on to avoid potentially tricky situations. To defuse the tension (on occasion) we had fun give-away prizes intermittently, which immediately restored the equilibrium in the room.
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English HL winners (1st, 2nd and 3rd) with their prizes |
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Some of the English FAL winners with their prizes |
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At the close of the event, all the contestants were given an opportunity to sign/hand print/scribble something on the Registration banner, giving the event a personal touch and personalizing it for the contestants as well. |
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The event was a tremendous success ad also received national coverage on the Good Morning! show on DSTV Channel 147: (8 October 2025) |
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