A group of ten learners who will represent the province at this year’s National Road Safety Debates finals were named yesterday during the provincial competions that were held at Mbombela Stadium. The ten provincial champions were selected from twenty other learners that were representing Ehlanzeni, Bohlabela, Gert Sibande and Nkangala regions.
They will represent the province at Umtata in the Eastern Cape during the first week of October. Yesterday’s final was a culmination of a process that saw learners competing against at each at local and regional competitions that led to the provincial finals. The learners debated the motion: “National Road Safety Strategy is a solution to South Africa’s road safety problems.”
Speaking on behalf of Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Pat Ngomana, Cllr. Musa Nkuna from Ehlanzeni District Municipality, says learners should become real road safety ambassadors by reporting bad driving and corruption to authorities.
Nkuna called on them to assist government to curb road crashes by reporting any persons or driving school instructors who demand bribes during the learners and driving licenses applications. He explained that it was not enough to behave well on the road and not report those who disregard traffic rules as they endanger other people’s lives.
“That is why we are once more appealing to previous road safety debaters to continue to be our road safety ambassadors… It is not only enough to practice safe road usage and behave well on the road. But you must also report bad drivers to authorities because failure to do so may cost someone their lives,” Cllr. Nkuna said.
He applauded road safety debate programme saying that such initiatives should be supported because young people also needed to add their voices on road safety matters. He also added that such programmes will robustly increase road safety consciousness in communities.
Cllr. Nkuna also lamented that road crashes are costly for the economy saying the amount of money that government spends in responding to medical emergencies which are caused by injuries is massive. He stated that the budget would have been better utilized towards addressing urgent developmental needs of the society and assist in creation of jobs.
The Road Safety Debate are aimed at secondary school learners and is conducted in line with the World Style of debating. The National Competition will be held over a number of days and learners from all nine provinces will participate in elimination rounds ending with the semi-finals and final competition. The winners will be announced on the last of the competition.
The following will learners will represent Mpumalanga at the finals in both urban and rural categories
1. Natashia Dube (Ehlanzeni Region)
2. Nonhle Mathabela Ehlanzeni Region)
3. William Ramodike (Bohlabela Region)
4. Bhekifa Maseko (Bohlabela Region)
5. Melvin Malele (Bohlabela Region)
6. Noxolo Ndwandwe (Gert Sibande Region)
7. Andile Mbuyazi Gert (Gert Sibande Region)
8. Tshegofatso Mkhwanazi (Gert Sibande Region)
9. Matshidiso Mtsweni (Nkangala Region)
10. Nkosikhona Nhleko (Gert Sibande Region)
Meanwhile the department will hold the Provincial Participatory Education Technique (PET) finals during the first week of September and winning participants will be part of the National PET finals that will also be held in the Eastern Cape along with the debates.
PET is a programme aimed at changing learners’ attitudes towards Road Safety by means of participatory Education. It also encourages them to identify road safety challenges in their communities and to find solutions by way of research to the problems thereby providing them with a hands-on opportunity in resolving those challenges. With the programme, Grade 10 and 11 learners identify road safety hazards in areas where they live, and to come up with research based solutions.
Ends…
Issued by Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison
Enquiries: Moeti Mmusi
Contacts
Tel: 013 766 1577
Mobile: 084 411 3372