The Jeppe learner has enjoyed a standout public-speaking season while also balancing school activities and a return to rugby training.
Johannesburg, South Africa (08 October 2026) Kyle Hex has had quite a year behind the microphone, and apparently, there is very little the Grade 8 public-speaking competitor can’t do.
From English to Afrikaans, prepared speeches to completely unprepared ones, and live competitions to online events, he has been collecting titles across the public-speaking circuit. And the results have been hard to ignore.
At the Interschool Public Speaking National Finals, Kyle claimed the Grade 8 English Unprepared Public Speaking title, while also finishing third in the Grade 8 English Prepared Public Speaking category.
Then came the Kansvatter National Finals, where he added another title to the collection, winning the Grade 8 Afrikaans Prepared Public Speaking category.
If that wasn’t enough, he went on to have a particularly big showing at the Con Spirito Eisteddfod. He was named the Grade 8 item winner in all nine public-speaking categories he entered.
He also picked up two overall high-school awards: Best High School Online Public Speaker and Redenaar for Grades 8 to 12, as well as Overall Best High School Live Public Speaker and Redenaar for Grades 8 and 9. And then there was Vivarté.
Hex won the Grade 8 and 9 English Unprepared Public Speaking category, the Grade 8 and 9 Afrikaans Unprepared Public Speaking category, the Grade 8 and 9 Bilingual Public Speaking category and the Overall Best Grade 8 and 9 award.
Basically, if there was a microphone, a speech or a slightly terrifying moment where you had to think on your feet, Kyle seemed quite happy to take it on.
What makes the run particularly impressive is the variety. He hasn’t simply stuck to one language or one style of competition. He’s competed in English and Afrikaans, prepared and unprepared formats, live and online events, as well as bilingual public speaking.
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When HACT Asked for Help, a Community Showed Up with Everything a Little Boy NeededAnd across all of those different challenges, the results have stayed remarkably consistent. Away from the speaking stage, Kyle has continued taking part in his activities at Jeppe High and is also back in training after recovering from a rugby injury earlier in the year.
So while he may be known for having plenty to say, this season has been less about talking the talk and more about repeatedly backing it up.
Kyle has already built quite the public-speaking résumé, and if this is what his first year at high school looks like, it will be interesting to hear what he has to say next.
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