HARARE – Two Zimbabwean pupils have been selected to attend Africa’s biggest science expo to be held in Johannesburg.

Takunda Nhete and Tafadzwa Mpofu, both of Prince Edward High School in Harare, impressed organisers of the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists International Science Fair (ISF) with their science projects.

Now the two boys will be flown to Johannesburg on October 1 for the fair which runs from October 3-5.

“These learners are already winners by virtue of having been selected to participate at Africa’s largest science fair,” the organisers said in a statement.

Eskom invited learners from Mexico, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Turkey, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia and Lesotho between Grades 5 – 12 learners to submit proposals for “viable alternative energy solutions”.

Nhete submitted a project called ‘Aqua Projector’, explaining how he created a projector using a light bulb, water, a magnifying glass and his phone.

Mpofu’s ‘From Waste to Watts’ is a microbial fuel cell device that converts chemical energy into electrical energy by the action of microorganisms.

He constructed a fuel cell with two anode and cathode compartments joined together with a salt bridge that acted as a pathway for positive ions. He completed a circuit by the use of external wiring. The device was able to produce enough electricity to light up an LED.