St John’s College’s head of school went from stuttering to Colours for debating
Siza Gule joined debating in Grade 9, and while he enjoyed it, he found that his stutter made it difficult. However, over time, he managed to master his speech impediment, and gain recognition as a debator.
St John’s College’s head of school Siza Gule reflected on being awarded Colours for his debating career, which started in Grade 9. “I have always had a passion for having intellectual and contentious discussions, and being able to engage with other like-minded people. My brother realised that I always tended to question things, and get excited to have an intellectual debate with someone outside of a formal context.”
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He added that being part of debating was fulfilling as it channeled that natural interest into something structured and formal.
The matriculant noted that he never dreamt of receiving an accolade for debating, however, being awarded his Colours, in his matric year, was a proud moment, especially since his debating journey has been most challenging.
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“I’ve never been able to fully commit to it, considering my other school activities, which clash with my debating. I also grew up with a stutter, so, debating was quite challenging for me, since I found it hard to articulate myself under all that pressure. Achieving [Colours] was momentous in my life, and a testament to the level of dedication and support that my coaches and teammates gave me along the way.”
He added that, at the beginning of his debating journey, he struggled with his self-esteem due to his stutter. Participating in debating heightened his level of stuttering to a greater extent, which became problematic for him, and he suffered, not wanting to speak.
“However, through being put in uncomfortable situations, I did slowly begin to fine-tune my speech, and speaking ability, to a point where I was able to control my stuttering. This then built my confidence in speaking proficiently, which has positively impacted my self-esteem.”
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