Grade 11 HTS Witbank learner Angel Masha and her Mpumalanga teammates, Thembelihle Mahlambi and Tshegofatso Mlonyane, earned first place in the National Road Safety Debate Competition held recently.

On September 30, the 17-year-old and her two provincial teammates claimed top honours at the Ekurhuleni Parliament after arguing the motion, ‘AI is the solution to combating road crashes in South Africa’.

“As a team, we are absolutely grateful to have reached this milestone together,” Masha said. “Throughout the journey, we continued to strive, support one another, and remain determined.”

“The challenges we faced felt minimal because we faced them as a team, making every obstacle easier to overcome.”

Rewarding excellence

The victory earned each of the three learners R7 000 prize money, a trophy, and a goodie bag, while their trainer, Isaac Kuseka from HTS Witbank, was also awarded R2 000.

Kuseka expressed great pride in the team’s incredible performance.

“As a trainer, I am on cloud nine,” Kuseka said. “National recognition is the best accolade one would wish for. I appreciate the three girls for their hard work and teachable spirit.”

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“It’s my third time training the Mpumalanga team, but this one was a different team. The girls knew what they wanted from the outset, and it paid off.”

Overcoming challenges

Reflecting on the milestone victory, Masha attributed it to the spirit of teamwork and unity, which enabled them to withstand all the challenges they encountered during their preparation stage.

“One challenge we faced was time management, especially with our speeches sometimes exceeding the required time,” she said.

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“However, we never allowed that to discourage us. We continued to have hope, encouraged one another, and kept pushing forward.”

This proud moment comes after the provincial leg held in eMalahleni on August 15, during which Masha was selected alongside two other learners for the urban category team advancing to represent Mpumalanga on the national stage.

Jehovah’s Witnesses from eMalahleni and surrounding areas came together for a three-day convention themed ‘Eternal Happiness’. Read more here: https://t.co/m5Azb1xHFj #WitbankNews #eMalahleni #JehovahsWitnesses

— WitbankNews (@WitbankN) October 12, 2026

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