The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) is pleased to announce the winners of the April round of the 51st annual JSE Investment Challenge, a flagship financial literacy initiative promoting investment skills among South Africa’s youth.
The JSE Investment Challenge is an interactive, online trading game that introduces South African high school learners and university students to investing on the JSE. Participants are exposed to practical experience and insights into financial markets, making financial literacy more accessible and engaging.
Kingfisher Private School from Limpopo emerged as the new champions in the schools monthly Income Portfolio category, marking the first change in the leaderboard since July 2022 which was occupied by Mpumelelo Secondary School for two successive years. This victory underscores the expanding footprint of the game, the increasing competition and skill level among participants, demonstrating the challenge’s role in discovering and nurturing new talent.
At the university level, the Gopaulsingh family continues to perform exceptionally well. Representing the University of Cape Town, Shreya Gopaulsingh, and her teammate Bhisheka Devi Samachetty secured the monthly prize. Shreya expressed her excitement, stating, “Winning this month’s prize is a tremendous honour. It reflects our team’s hard work and strategic planning.”
The Gopaulsingh family’s long-term involvement in the challenge—from Nadean Gopaulsingh’s initial participation in 1987 to the recent successes of Shivar and Shreya—illustrates the enduring appeal and impact of the challenge on fostering a culture of informed investment across generations.
Ralph Speirs, CSI Officer at the JSE, emphasised, “The JSE Investment Challenge continues to inspire a new generation of investors, equipping them with the tools to navigate the complexities of the financial world. The participation of families like the Gopaulsinghs and the emergence of new talents such as the team from Kingfisher Private School demonstrate the challenge’s significant impact on fostering an investment-savvy culture among South African youth.”
Reflecting on the challenge, Gopaulsingh concluded, “I think this challenge is amazing for helping you understand finance. Today’s economy requires us to invest, so it’s important to be able to make sound financial investment decisions. The challenge is a great way to do that as it’s a safety net or a little playground to make these decisions. It makes you feel safer about taking risks and understanding the potential consequences. We have the benefit of learning from whatever the outcome is in this virtual game before we take these risks in real life with our own money.”
The JSE congratulates all the winners of the April round and looks forward to the continued success and innovation of participants in the coming months.
Overall category winners for April are:
Schools Income Portfolio: Kingfisher Private School, Limpopo
Schools Equity Portfolio: Paul Roos Gymnasium, Western Cape
Schools Spectacular Portfolio: Hoërskool Oosterlig, Gauteng
Schols EFT/ETN Portfolio: Hillcrest Secondary School, Western Cape
University Spectacular Portfolio: University of Cape Town, Western Cape
University EFT/ETN Portfolio: Wits University, Gauteng
