Ruta Sechaba Foundation: Katlego Bogashu
16 October 2023What happens when you invite a star matriculant from Johannesburg to re-imagine his city using artificial intelligence (AI)? For aspiring tech entrepreneur Katlego Bogashu from Kempton Park, it was the chance to create a bold and inviting Afro-futuristic vision for the city he calls home.
The Ruta Sechaba Foundation (RSF) scholarship learner is a Grade 12 learner at Curro Serengeti in Kempton Park and a member of the school’s leadership council. He maintains an A average in Grade 12 and obtained five distinctions in his previous report.
Katlego’s vision for Johannesburg is one of safe, green, and boldly futuristic public spaces lined with canals and trees, where the residents of the city can stroll together, breathing in clean air. He imagines a city focused on cleanliness, embracing high-end technology and world-class service delivery.
An avid supporter of local and international soccer, Bogashu noted the importance of sport in shaping his journey and teaching him valuable life lessons that he applies in his academic career. ‘We have so much potential, resources, passion and hunger to succeed but we have minor elements that hinder our growth as a nation. My dream for South Africa is a high functioning economy, where a spirit of excellence is ingrained in everything that we do, where ubuntu grounds us as a country to help eradicate issues of poverty and unemployment.’
It was this scholarship that set Katlego on the path to becoming a tech entrepreneur one day. ‘I would like to study Computer Sciences as well as Accounting, and further down the line find a way to combine the two into an entrepreneurial venture.’
‘The scholarship is the door that is opening up this opportunity of a lifetime for me. Many children don’t get the chance to achieve success in such a nurturing environment, but Ruta Sechaba and my school community have given me just that,’ he says.
For more information, visit rutasechaba.org.