Learners take issues on road safety nationally
This province was the first to introduce the debates and it came first nationally in 2007 and 2010.
Five learners are ready to represent Mpumalanga in the national road-safety school debates to be held this month in Port Elizabeth.
The learners were selected during the provincial debates competition that was held in Lydenburg last month, hosted by the department of safety, security and community liaison.
The MEC for community safety security and liaison, Vusi Shongwe, congratulated those learners from secondary schools who showed their potential and talent and made it through to national level. He went further and visited these learners at their schools, wishing them all the best at the finals.
“From the bottom of my heart, I wish them good luck at the finals,” said Shongwe.
He also said that learners needed to focus on their studies because they were the future leaders of the country and alluded that he noted that their future and that generations to come were in their hands.
The schools road-safety debate was initiated in 2004 after the road accident statistics showed that at least 40 per cent of fatalities involved young people up to the age of 25, therefore giving the learners the platform to debate the issue.
He said it was a way of assisting the province in its quest to reduce road accidents. This province was the first to introduce the debates and it came first nationally in 2007 and 2010.
The five pupils who will compete at the finals are: Hazel Nkosi – Maghuba Combined School (Ehlanzeni), Zanele Ngwenya – Masizakhe Secondary School (Gert Sibande), Bongiwe Gambu -Khunjuliwe Secondary School (Gert Sibande), Thabo Malekane – Mashishing High School (Bohlabela) and Felicity Mhlongo -Mgubho Combined School (Ehlanzeni).
