John Muyamba
Rundu-Omusati Region has been crowned the Namibian Schools Debating Competition’s (NSDA) new champions, winning a trophy and N$15,000.
The first runner-up, the Zambezi Region, went home with N$10,000 and a trophy and second runner-up, Khomas, N$8,000 and a trophy. The cups are floating trophies.
The best speaker in the final round was Loide Angula from Omusati Region.
The award for best male speaker went to Issaskar Tjandero from //Kharas, while the best female speaker was Bertha Tobias from Khomas.
“Last year I was a runner-up and today I feel proud to be chosen as best male speaker,” said Tjandero.
Tobias, the best female speaker, said: “I feel very honoured mainly because it is my first time at a national competition. I’m happy, I feel blessed but above all I feel grateful to my coach, because if he hadn’t believed in me and told me that I can do it and dragged me to training and taught me things when I didn’t feel like doing it, I wouldn’t have made it. The experience was generally a nice one – always believe in yourself or at least let other people believe in you on your behalf.”
Seven learners who participated in the debates were selected to be part of the national debate team. They are Innocent Keja from Omaheke, Issaskar Tjandero from //Kharas, Mwanyekele Jaingo from Omusati, Simandi Mwenda from Zambezi, Bertha Tobias from Khomas, Thelma Makinza from Khomas and Nitengu Mackenzi from Oshana.
The critical thinking debate competition started on Friday morning with participants marching through the main street of Rundu to the official opening at the Kavango East Regional Council auditorium, and later proceeding to Noordgrens Secondary School where the debates were held. This year’s debates were held under the theme, “Turning the economic crisis around through critical thinking.”
“We are happy that we won because we have done our best – we put in much research and hard work. As they say, hard work pays off and it did,” says Beverly Davids from team Omusati.
“The tournament was very critical, the debaters were all strong. I wasn’t sure that we were going to win but the confidence that we had in what we were standing up for, our region our schools, that confidence gave us the momentum,” Omusati’s Djeimo Mwanyekele adds.
Next year the national critical thinking debates will be held in Ohangwena Region.