Mpumalanga learners shine in three categories in national debating competition
The Road Safety Debates were initiated in the province after the realisation that mostly young people were affected by road accidents.
Mpumalanga learners recently outshone the rest in three categories of the National Road Safety Debates and Participatory Educational Techniques (PET) competition. The competition was conducted on a virtual platform on October 5 and 6.
The province won both the urban and rural categories of the debates, the urban category of the PET competition, as well as the best trainers’ category.
According to the Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, the Road Safety Debates were initiated in the province in 2004 after the realisation that it was mostly young people who were affected by road crashes.
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Young people use the roads as passengers, pedestrians and new drivers. Their lack of knowledge often contributes to them becoming involved in deadly crashes. The debates are now held on an annual basis under the auspices of the Road Traffic Management Corporation.
The PET competition affords the learners a platform to participate in a solution-based exercise to interrogate road safety issues and come up with innovative ways to address identified challenges. The Mpumalanga MEC for community safety, security and liaison, Vusi Shongwe, congratulated the learners.
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“They have set the bar too high. I believe they will in future contribute towards dealing with road safety challenges in the province and the country as a whole. We are proud of the learners and their trainers and officials. We salute them for flying the flag of the province so high. We know it was not easy and they had to work hard for many hours to prepare for these competitions. This is not just about winning, it is also about creating responsible future drivers,” he said.
The winners and runners-up for 2023 are:
National Road Safety Debates
Urban category
1. Mpumalanga
2. North West
3. Limpopo
Best trainer – Mpumalanga
Rural category
1. Mpumalanga
2. Limpopo
3. North West
Best speaker – Thembelihle Mnisi (Mpumalanga)
Best trainer – Mpumalanga
PET
Urban category
1. Mpumalanga
2. Gauteng
3. Limpopo
Best trainer – Mpumalanga
Rural category
1. Limpopo – winner
2. Western Cape
3. Mpumalanga
Best trainer: Limpopo.
