VANDERBIJLPARK – Despite being their first time being part of the National Schools Moot Court Programme, Hoërskool Vanderbijlpark has come out on top.
This comes after Ofentse Masango and Mapula Mabitla took first place at the 2024 Moot Court Competition held at the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg on September 7.
As if that was not enough, Masango also brought home the award for Best Oralist.
On October 4, the school celebrated the milestone by introducing the duo at their assembly with their trophies and certificates.Speaking to Ster following the festivities, proud Masango (17) explained how their journey was not easy, barring long nights and early mornings to come out number one.
“It was our school’s first time entering the competition. We were nervous and weren’t aiming for the win as we were giving it a try and knew nothing about the competition,” she said.
The lack of competitions to participate in as a debate team led Masango and her co-council to sign applications for the Moot competition without reading anything.
“When the idea was introduced and we were given the forms to fill in, we just signed documents because we were happy to participate. The moment we learnt the competition was all about law and we were going to be granted the chance to appear before judges, I leaped with joy as I always had a passion for law,” she said.
Masango said “We had to put in the effort and hard work. Sometimes we had to meet late at night. I’m happy that we brought home the awards.”Trampling on the same words of her accessory, Mabitla (16) said they almost gave up during the preparation stages.
“We were nervous as most schools have competed before. We almost gave up because we felt hopeless in the process of how things were done. Hard work pays off, that’s one thing we learnt from this journey,” she said.
Educator and debate coordinator at the school, Palesa Ngakane, shared her sentiments on winning the competition.
“It was a bit nerve-racking, however, they came out tops. The sky is the limit and they should continue what they do best,” she said.
Principal Thapelo Mokitle said: “When I joined the school, I realised learners were not participating in any extramural activities and I made sure I introduced them to it. Debate was the first activity I introduced at the school and we didn’t have any competitions to participate in.”
