Hard work, determination and passion have taken Athi Rwexu on the most amazing journey of awareness, development, and international travel. Born in East London and subsequently attending university  at the University of Cape Town (UCT),  Athi qualified for a BSc in Mathematical Statistics before going to the United Kingdom (UK) to complete her Masters’ degree in Actuarial Science from Herriot Watt University. Her childhood passion for mathematics led her to teach maths to high-school kids in her free time as a tutor while in Cape Town, soon realising that her individual one-to-one classes could not make a meaninful dent on the national problem of underdeveloped maths and science skills.

As she explains, “maths is a language of logic, and in turn logic is the mental machine we use to unweave problems and manufacture feasible solutions. So, to the extent that a large part of our country lacks maths so too will we lack the ability to solve our problems.”

In 2016 Athi began developing Sigma X (www.sigmax.co.za) a maths application software to enable learners, educators and ordinary people to visualise and better understand maths in a fun way using their phones, tablets and personal computers. The App, which is targeted at grade 4 – 12 learners, uses graphics and videos which are based on real-life world examples to deliver a practical and in-depth understanding of mathematical concepts in the curriculum. The solution was especially targeted to remote communities where there is often a shortage of teachers who often have to teach multiple and varied classes in fields where they may not be specialists.

Coincidentally, when Athi started working on her App, Barloworld Equipment established a Techno Girls programme to encourage young girls in high school to pursue careers in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM Subjects).

The first cohort of the Techno Girls joined the programme in 2016, with five girls from Gauteng placed in Isando, ten girls from Limpopo placed in Polokwane, and six girls from Mpumalanga placed in Middelburg.  The 21 girls were in Grade 9 when they joined the programme in 2016 and they graduated on the first week of December 2018. During these three years, the girls visited the company at their respective regions for a week, twice a year – in June and December. The programme enabled them to gain experience in various fields within the company allowing them to choose a course that is aligned with the career of their choice.

The programme has provided the learners with valuable work experience as they were given an opportunity to operate different machines through simulation, and they visited numerous departments to get an understanding of the activities in each department. The girls also learned soft skills such as communication and interpersonal skills, life skills, stress management, time management, personal budgeting, working under pressure, problem solving, self-awareness and motivation with the aim of preparing them for future employment. 

In December 2018, a total number of 21 learners graduated from the programme after completing Grade 11 but only 16 learners made it to Grade 12, with the remaining 5 unfortunately repeating Grade 11.

To enlarge the support provided to the learners and expand RTech’s reach, Barloworld Siyakhula provided financial support to develop and pilot the Beta version of the SigmaX App in 2018, including further development in the 2019/20 financial year to enhance its features and functionality. The pilot was also used to introduce the App to schools around the country through sponsored subscriptions. The initiative enabled RTech to secure commitment from numerous schools on encouraging their learners to sign-up to the final version upon its release. RTech also secured a partnership with FNB which agreed to sponsor a discount on subscriptions for schools that bank with them. Siyakhula also extended financial support to Athi, allowing her to attend the World Youth Summit in Washington DC.

“It has been an amazing journey and I am really grateful for all the support I have received.  It has given me the courage to push further than I ever imagined possible”, says Athi.  The Edinburgh Business School has incubated RTech to support the development of the App, resulting in Athi splitting her time between South Africa and Scotland. A finance portion of the App is under development to equip SMME owners with a better understanding of interest rates, taxes, pensions, loans and many more.

RTECH
 Tel: +27 79 773 6409
 Email: rwexu@rtechsa.co.za / infor@rtechsa.co.xa
 Website: www.sigmax.co.za
 Address: 4th Floor, 165 West Street, Sandton, 2196

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