News24 reports Mia Delport, a Grade 8 pupil at Oranje Girls High School, participated virtually in the International Festival of Engineering Science and Technology (I-FEST2) in Tunisia. She presented her project, "Door mechanism to ensure good hygiene through sanitising in bathrooms".

Delport's self-sanitising door mechanism is an enhancement of the popular foot-operated hand sanitiser. She designed a low-cost dispensing mechanism that activates a hand sanitiser while connected to a door lock. This means the door can only be opened after a person's hands have been sanitised. This design would ensure that every person sanitises their hands after using a public toilet, for example.

"Winning a gold medal amongst some very talented young scientists from all over the world, made me feel extremely proud to be South African. It proved to me that hard work and innovative ideas will indeed be acknowledged and rewarded if you persevere," said Delport.

"It was quite daunting taking part in the fair virtually due to the huge number of entries, and I had to ensure that my project was represented in a well-structured format. The online interaction with the organisers and judges was also at times a bit challenging, but we managed to get the project presented. Their feedback was always positive and encouraging."

Delport attended the science fair through the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists, an Eskom corporate social investment initiative which provides pupils with opportunities to enhance their abilities to think creatively about sustainable solutions to the country's challenges.

"Mia has made us all very proud, competing with some of the best in the world and winning. She has a bright future ahead of her and is a role model for young girls in our country, proving that hard work pays off. I encourage all learners to start thinking of their 2022 Expo project now, so that they can follow in the footsteps of Mia and win gold at Eskom Expo ISF 2022," said Eskom Expo executive director, Parthy Chetty.

Two more Eskom Expo participants have been selected to represent the country in the BUCA International Music, Science, Engineering Energy Fair (IMSEF) in Turkey next week.

News24