The Provincial Road Safety Debate concluded at the Mpumalanga Traffic Training College in Mkhuhlu on Saturday, August 24, with three pupils in Ehlanzeni qualifying to represent Mpumalanga in the national instalment of this debate.
Nolwazi Maluleke, Sipho Hlebeya and Khayalethu Monareng from Ehlanzeni will take on the rural category in the nationals, while three other pupils from Nkangala and Gert Sibande will take on the urban category. They are Lerato Bosiu, Sithembiso Thomo and Mpho Khumalo.
These six young and confident speakers will travel to the Free State for the national debate later in September.
On Saturday, Mpho and Sipho won the best speakers awards in the urban and rural categories respectively. They each walked away with trophies, brand-new cellphones and some goodie bags from the Forek Institute of Technology and Absa. All the participants received goodie bags and cash vouchers from Buscor, while the top three pupils in both the categories were awarded by Forek.
The trainers of all the teams also received goodie bags, cash vouchers and certificates.
Over 250 were killed on various roads in Mpumalanga between June and August, and these kinds of educational interventions will go a long way in ensuring that crashes are reduced and ultimately make the province’s roads safer.
During his keynote address, the Mpumalanga MEC for community safety, security and liaison, Jackie Macie, said about 110 schools had taken part in the debate competition, which culminated into four regional finals that produced participants in the provincials. He emphasised that this school programme is important, considering the high number of deadly road accidents. “This programme was appropriate to inculcate a culture of sound conduct in the youth on the road as drivers, pedestrians and passengers. Over 250 were killed on various roads in Mpumalanga between June and August, and these kinds of educational interventions will go a long way in ensuring that crashes are reduced and ultimately make the province’s roads safer.”
He said road safety is everyone’s responsibility, and the government cannot claim the sole ownership thereof. “Our quest to win the war against road crashes will be incomplete without the involvement of the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport in the province and the commuter transport industry. We hope that this partnership for good will elevate our road safety initiative to new heights. No words can describe the feelings we have for the department coming on board. Let us ensure that we take this initiative further for the benefit of all,” Macie said.
