Mandela Day Coding Tournament

On 18 July 2024 Tangible Africa will once again host its Mandela Day Coding Tournament. After a successful tournament in 2023 seeing 16 000 learners coding in over 70 sites across South Africa and abroad, this year’s slogan is “30 000 learners celebrating 30 years of democracy”.

Tangible Africa is a partnership between Nelson Mandela University’s Computing Sciences Department and the non-profit organisation, Leva Foundation. The project started in 2017 when Byron Batteson developed the Tanks coding app for his honours project. From the outset, the purpose of the app was to introduce learners to coding concepts without the use of computers. Since 2017 the apps Rangers and Boats have also been developed.

“It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farmworkers can become the president of a great nation.” – Nelson Mandela

True to the above sentiment, the project has been introduced to learners coming from the biggest cities to the most remote villages across South Africa and into many countries across Africa. It uses the concept of Tangible Coding (“you can touch the code with your hands”), where physical tokens, a mobile app and smartphones are used to introduce learners to coding concepts. “For us to reach most learners in Africa, and bridge the digital divide, this low-tech solution is ideal. Coding can be taught without the need of computer laboratories, electricity, and the internet, by teachers who have no conventional programming background,” says Prof Jean Greyling, Head of the Computing Sciences Department at Nelson Mandela University.

Because of the work done by Tangible Africa since 2017, many students who got introduced to coding with the games, are now pursuing computing tertiary qualifications. Liyema Luzi, a second-year BSc Computer Science student at Nelson Mandela University, reflects: “I used to play those games for a whole day. I played them because I was enjoying it at my high school in Mdantsane and as a result, I decided to study Computers.”

The Mandela Day Coding Tournament serves as an annual catalyst, which is followed up by active coding activities in schools. According to Jackson Tshabalala, Tangible Africa’s Engagement Manager, the hosts from various sites across South Africa and Africa are bubbling with excitement: “Their remarkable ownership and dedication to ensuring the success of the event showcases their unwavering commitment to empowering learners through coding."

The first national Coding for Mandela Tournament was hosted in 2022 with a total of 6 000 youth across Africa who were encouraged to code simultaneously on Mandela Day, and the target for 2023 was set at 10 000 participants which was exceeded when 16 000 learners coded at the various sites across the continent.

The same year - in 2023 - the #Coding4Mandela World Championships was launched on 5 December, which saw 55 teams from 21 countries participate in a virtual tournament, across Africa, Europe and North America.

Ryan le Roux, Leva Foundation CEO, said the Tangible Africa story has become an amazing journey of a “South African innovation developed to close the digital divide in Africa, now being eagerly used by teachers in developed countries.”