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Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
FORMER St Columbus pupil Andile Dube received a hero’s welcome yesterday in Bulawayo after he did his school proud when he won the 2016 DStv Eutelsat Star Awards in the essay category.

The Nust first year student, who is studying Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, had written an essay about a New Age Space Satellite to improve the lives of Africans in the near future.

Although Dube missed out on the international prize to Ethiopia’s 16-year-old Leoul Mesfin, he was awarded for being the best in the national finals. For his efforts, MultiChoice Zimbabwe representative Liz Dziva presented him with a DStv Explora decoder and a Samsung tablet.

Also in attendance were Eutelsat Star Awards adjudicator Robert Mukondiwa and rapper Cal-Vin who also used the ceremony to push his latest album Uthando.

Addressing students and teachers at a packed St Columbus church hall, Dube said his winning essay was inspired by his will to make Africa a great continent.

“The time has come now for us to take care of Africa, not by looking up into the sky, but by looking down from the sky. All of us have a role in making Africa a better place, it doesn’t matter who you are. You should go out there and make a difference. We aren’t the Dark Continent anymore,” said Dube.

He encouraged pupils at St Columbus to take such competitions seriously.

“As your former schoolmate, I’d encourage you to take part in such competitions and above all, follow your dreams no matter how hard it gets.

“The journey ahead will be tough, but always remember that Thomas Edison failed 1 000 times before he came up with a working light bulb.”

After the presentation, Dube was swamped by his former pupils who wanted to take selfies with him. Some who were visibly inspired approached him for tips from the former public speaking champion of the school.

Dziva said dates for entry submissions for the 2017 competition as well as its topics were yet to be unveiled. A Zimbabwean, Mallon Marume, won the overall poster prize in 2015 taking after Joseph Mahiya who won the overall essay in 2014.