Gibela-WeSolve4x Maths Competition Draws 300 Learners

Close to 300 Grade 4 to 7 learners from four provinces competed in the third annual Gibela-WeSolve4x Maths Competition at Nigel Primary School.

Updated on Nov. 15, 2026 in Mathematics

Empty wooden school desks in a bright classroom with warm daylight across the tops, representing a maths learning setting. — Close to 300 Grade 4 to 7 learners from four provinces competed in the third annual Gibela-WeSolve4x Maths Competition at Nigel Primary School, run by Gibela Railway and the WeSolve4x Foundation. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Close to 300 Grade 4 to 7 learners from Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape took part in the third annual Gibela-WeSolve4x Maths Competition at Nigel Primary School. The competition was run as a partnership between Gibela Railway and the WeSolve4x Foundation.

Why it matters

The initiative aims to move mathematics beyond textbooks through practical problem-solving and to build learner confidence and numeracy skills. Gibela Railway says it partners in the competition to safeguard the future of engineering in South Africa, at a time when 34% of matriculants wrote pure mathematics in last year's NSC results.

Close to 300 Grade 4 to 7 learners from four provinces took part, while 34% of matriculants wrote pure mathematics in last year's NSC results and the majority wrote mathematical literacy. The competition results and whether participation has grown from previous editions were not reported.

The players

Gibela Railway

Gibela Railway is a manufacturing company that funds STEM education projects, including projects covering Grade 0 to Grade 5 and Grade 4 to Grade 7 learners.

WeSolve4x Foundation

The WeSolve4x Foundation is an organisation that prepares learners from Grade 4 through Grade 12 in mathematics and problem-solving skills.

The details

Learners applied their knowledge through practical problem-solving at Nigel Primary School in a competition run jointly by Gibela Railway, a manufacturing company that funds STEM education projects, and the WeSolve4x Foundation, which prepares learners from Grade 4 through Grade 12.

Last year: 34% of matriculants wrote pure mathematics in the NSC results.
14-15 November 2026: The third annual Gibela-WeSolve4x Maths Competition was held.

Big Picture

The competition responds to South Africa's National Senior Certificate results, in which only 34% of matriculants wrote pure mathematics last year. It extends maths support to learners in Grade 4 to 7, earlier in their schooling.

Parents and teachers in South Africa can look to practical, problem-solving maths activities as a way to build learner confidence beyond textbook exercises. The competition model shows how schools and partners can add hands-on numeracy challenges to the Grade 4 to 7 curriculum.

The takeaway

Hands-on problem-solving can complement classroom maths, and early practice with practical challenges may help learners build the confidence and numeracy skills that later shape their subject choices.