Ten learners who topped other young people during the Road Safety Provincial Debates Competition will represent the province nationally. The debates are conducted annually by the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison where learners from grade 8 to 11 are given an opportunity to deliberate about different motions pertaining to road safety.
This year’s competition was held yesterday [27 August 2016] in Makause Combined School in Phola (Ogies). Participants were debating on motions such as; ‘Traffic Law Enforcement in South Africa is adequate to ensure safer vehicles on our roads’ and ‘This house affirms that road traffic crashes have a negative effect on the economy of the country’.
Before the provincial event, debate competitions were conducted at schools level, circuits and later escalated to the regional level.
Road Safety Debate Competitions are an initiative of the Mpumalanga Province which started in 2004 with the aim of reducing road crashes. The province had since won the national debates three times, in the year 2007, 2010 and 2011.
Speaking during the event, the department’s MEC, Pat Ngomane said that it pleases him to see young people being actively involved in road safety.
According to him, as much as these debates sharpen public speaking skills on the young people, it should not end in the debate halls but should be the beginning of a journey towards making communities where they come from safer by becoming road safety ambassadors.
“Young people are very influential in our communities and grooming them to become responsible road users can benefit government and the whole country to reduce lawlessness on our road and crashes. So it is very important that we start instilling responsibility on them at a very young age.
The province has experienced a number of crashes involving young people and most of these crashes occur in the early hours of the morning after a long night of partying. Other crashes occur because young people drive and text, drag-race and speed.
These young people here are a beginning of hope spreading road safety messages. They are the future of a road-crash free environment,” he said.
He added that as much as some young people become directly involved in crashes; some become affected as they lose their family members who happen to be breadwinners leaving behind dysfunctional homes.
“We therefore need to take issues of road safety seriously and we cannot do that on our own; we need the support of communities especially teachers, pastors and community leaders who have great influence in our communities to spread the messages of road safety,” he emphasized.
The MEC further thanked WOKZA, a company that donated two laptops, eight tablets with R300 worth of airtime, 20 medals and trophies for the winners and all participants.
One of the learners who came top, Nothando Manana from Lugebhuta High School in Nkomazi said that this was a great opportunity for young people and they are going to use the platform to educate their peers about the importance of road safety.
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Issued by Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison
Enquiries: Joseph Mabuza
Tel: 013 756 6370
Mobile: 082 678 1450
E-mail: emabuza@mpg.gov.za