Hoërskool Birchleigh debate team paves its way in the fraternity

Hoërskool Birchleigh Debating Society is known for its exceptional performance.

The team comprises young intellectual, critical thinkers under the leadership of Siphiwe Milazi.

The debating society has two divisions – a junior team of learners from Grades Eight and Grade Nine and a senior team of learners in Grades 10, 11 and 12.

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Both teams have made a name for themselves, winning multiple titles.

In 2023, the junior team won four out of six rounds in the regional leg of the SACEE Debating League and qualified for the SACEE Debating Provincial Debating League Championships.

Tshepiso Polo and Siyanda Dliso were in the top 20 best speakers and won three of six debates to qualify for the finals.

The junior team beat Bryanston High School in the quarterfinals, Redhill School in the semifinals and St Dunstan’s College in the final.

The Hoërskool Birchleigh junior debate team was the SACEE Provincial Debating Junior Plate Champions in 2023.

Their exceptional performance allowed them to make the Gauteng Provincial Schools Debating Championships.

At the Gauteng Provincial Schools Debating Championships, the junior team exceeded all expectations by placing eighth in the province to qualify for the provincial main finals.

At the finals, they beat RESOSA, the first-place school to make the semifinals before losing to St Mary’s Waverley.

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Hoërskool Birchleigh Grade 10 mathematics and physical science teacher and debate coordinator, Siphiwe Milazi, said he was proud of his debating team and everything they have accomplished.

“This is the first debating team I coached. I was a debater myself in high school at Tembisa Secondary School. That is where I got my debating experience.

“I never thought we could achieve what we achieved in such a short period. What this team has done is unprecedented.

“This team has done more in two years than the debate team in the school has done in a decade. This is truly a golden generation,” said Milazi.

In 2024, the debating society participated in various competitions, including the SACEE Debating League, Department of Road Safety and Education Road Safety Model United Nations, Gauteng Schools Debating Board and Athenium’s Model United Nations Competition.

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“The SACEE Debating League is the main league our school belongs to.

“In this league, we had four teams – two in the junior division and two in the senior division.

“In the junior division, our Junior A team, in their first year of debating, won five of six debates ranking third in the East Rand.”

Junior team speakers Vukhosi Mathebula, Ogone Mashala, Uyanda Zungu and Mpho Polo were in the top 50 best speakers.

In the senior division, the senior A-team also won five out of six debates, ranking first in the East Rand.

Debaters Tshepiso Polo, Sonke Msani, Frank Quisselo, Mototompedi Manakana, Owam Mashamaite, Siyanda Dliso, Masego Serumula, and Sisanda Buthelezi were in the top 50 best speakers.

Both junior and senior teams qualified for the highest provincial competition, the Gauteng Provincial Schools Debating Championships.

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The event will be in mid-September.

Hoërskool Birchleigh principal, Carmen Govender, said she was proud of the teams.

“Through their dedication and commitment, they are flying our flag high, even representing us at a national level.

“I acknowledge the hard work of my teachers who put in long hours to prepare them and go to tournaments with them, even on a Sunday, sacrificing their family time, to see our learners succeed,” said Govender.

The school also took part in the Department of Road Safety and Education Road Safety Model United Nations Competition and the cluster rounds of the competition, where the team ranked second place out of more than 15 teams.

The team qualified for the district rounds of the competition, ranking first in Ekurhuleni North.

Sonke Msani was the best second speaker of the competition and Xiluva Nkwinika best first speaker of the competition.

The team will also represent Ekurhuleni North in the provincial competition.

At the district finals of the Department of Education Whole School Debate Competition, the team debated against Etwatwa Secondary School and was the overall winner of the competition.

Frank Quisselo won the individual award for best speaker of the final.

In the Gauteng Schools Debating Board and Athenium’s Model United Nations Competition, two teams, with four members each, were selected to debate in the representation of specific countries.

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Team 1 represented the United States of America and Team 2 represented Japan.

Team USA fared well, ranking joint third in the competition and Frank Quisselo in Team 1 was the top speaker of the competition.

Quisselo said he was shocked to be named the best speaker in fewer competitions.

“Breaking barriers in the debating circuit is quite difficult, especially if you come from certain backgrounds or a public school like ours, so for me to go in my first time participating in this style of debating, was not only an individual achievement but an achievement that represented the hard work and diligence of the entirety of our debating society, from Mr Milazi down to our junior debaters,” said Quisselo.