Local pupils prove to be debaters

Penryn College/Penreach marketing and communication assistant, Ms Johanri Coetzee, said the topic was “Economic growth versus labour rights: balancing development and human welfare”.

Thando Mathebula, a grade eight Penryn pupil made the four-minute opening statement. Thabiso Morelo and Nthabela Khoza (grade 11s from Sitintile) did the two one-minute formal caucus statements.

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Coetzee said Thabiso was a last-minute replacement on Friday as the original participant was hospitalised on Thursday.

“The pupils fielded some ‘attacks’ on their country’s policies with aplomb. The USA drafted one of the three working documents which were written during the informal caucus and then all 14 participating countries voted on the three documents.”

Maru Attwood (grade 10, Penryn College) managed to explain and defend the USA’s voting and reiterate its stance in a brilliant two-minute closing statement.

“Throughout the debate the girls stayed in character as Americans – cool, calm, arrogant and assured.

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They behaved like true diplomats who really knew and understood their country’s policies,” she said.

According to Coetzee, this was what won them gold and the right to represent Mpumalanga in the next round, which is held in Cape Town in about two months’ time.

“This round involves two topics, a new country and a tutor from one of the universities to assist with the preparation. Their passports have to be in order by the end of this year as one of them is guaranteed to be a South African representative at the Model UN Debate in New York in 2017.”

Coetzee concluded by stating they would be accompanied to Cape Town by their teachers, Lot Chambale (Penryn) and Sindy Mkhonza (Sitintile).

Should Mpumalanga win the debate in Cape Town, all six of them, along with their tutors, would go to New York. We wish them well.