Young people debate over Hani’s legacy
Pupils from schools across Ekurhuleni have proven to understand the significance of the legacy of Chris Hani in their time and how they ought to live up to the values for which the freedom fighter shed his blood.
Approximately 500 pupils from Ekurhuleni and the Chris Hani District Municipality in the Eastern Cape came together last Wednesday for the Chris Hani debate competition.
Topical issues, such as the abolishment of the minimum wage, the replacement of the colonial symbols with the statues of the freedom fighters and the idea that Chris Hani should have been South Africa’s first democratic president were a bone of contention during the debate sessions.
All the pupils came out with guns blazing during their arguments and they were judged on their performance, how extensive and thorough their research was and how much they understood each of the topics they were presenting.
“As the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, we aim to instil the importance of knowing the history that shaped our country into the minds of young people,” said Member of the Mayoral Committee for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Clr Dorah Mlambo.
Dr Harry Gwala Secondary School from Daveyton and Queens College from Queenstown in the Eastern Cape made it to the final round and the point of argument was “All statues of colonial symbolism should be replaced by statues of our freedom fighters”. The Queens College team, on the opposition side, won the final round.
Meanwhile, Daveyton Intermediate School, which was on the proposition side, won the final round in the primary schools competition against Dawn Park Primary School. Their point of argument was “Chris Hani should have been South Africa’s first democratic president”.
Victorious pupils were awarded prizes such as Lenovo tablets, notepads and e-readers.
