The North West Provincial Road Safety team represented by Mafikeng High School scooped the prestigious 2011 National Road Safety Debate Championship after beating Gauteng in the finals of the two-day annual contest held in Durban on Wednesday.
The five member team was that included twin sisters Tshegofatso and Tshenolo Mokaleng, Lawrence-John Maralack, Cleopatra Kies and Vuyane Ngwenya were congratulated by Minister of Transport Sibusiso Ndebele for their effort in winning prizes valued at over R400 000.
The team beat Kwa-Zulu Natal and Limpopo in the 1st Phase, semi-finals and the pick team from Gauteng in the finals to winR180 000 for their school, R120 000 towards renovation of their school library and R60 000 towards their school fund. Individual team members won for themselves R20 000 bursaries towards their tertiary education, digital video cameras, laptops and printers.
Grade 11 learner and team member Vuyane Ngwenya was declared the best speaker and in addition won himself an MP3 Player. Educator and the winning team’s coach Sylvester Mensah scooped the Best National Road Safety Debate Coach title and received a digital video camera.
An overjoyed North West MEC for Human Settlements, Public Safety & Liaison Desbo Mohono in echoing Minister Ndebele’s congratulatory message said that the province’s victories in the 2009 and this year’s championship 2011 attest to the collaborative efforts of partners involved in road safety education programmes of which the department of education and schools are major role-players.
“We today boast as the undisputed champions and the home of road safety education as a province due to the partnership and activism of educators and learners for safer roads,” stressed MEC Mohono.
Mohono further called on all road users, the business sector, public transport organisations, churches, Non-government organisations and communities particularly those in the North West to join her department and Mafikeng High School in celebrating the victory by adopting programmes related to the United Nations 2011-2020 Decade of Action for Road Safety Campaign.”
The annual road safety debate competition that included 7 provinces except Eastern Cape and Free State was organised by the Department of Transport through the Road Traffic Management Corporation and is sponsored by British Petroleum, Transnet and Scania.
Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele
Tel: 018 391 0140
Cell: 083 629 1987
Fax: 018 381 0328
E-mail: LKgwele@nwpg.gov.za
NW crowned 2011 National Road Safety Debate Champions
Province
