Byline: Refeloe Letsoisa

20 May 2025

Debaters from Thomas Nhlabathi Secondary School bagged first position once again during the Speaker’s schools debate competition for 2025, which was hosted by the Speaker of Council at Govan Mbeki Municipality, Cllr Fikile Magagamela, at Lillian Ngoyi Centre in Secunda on Thursday, 15 May 2025.

Although the teams had little time to prepare for the final round, Thomas Nhlabathi Secondary defended its title. This was after they claimed first position for the past two years.

The main purpose of the event is to sharpen, uplift, and groom young people to steer Govan Mbeki toward becoming a Model City of Excellence. 

The debate also helps to encourage reading and research among school learners.

Six (6) schools honoured the invitation and participated in the competition: Thistle Grove Combined School, Thomas Nhlabathi Secondary School, Chief Ampie Mayisa Secondary School, Highveld Park High School, Osizweni Secondary School, and Kiriyatswane Secondary School. 

In second place was Osizweni Secondary School, which fought very hard during the debate on the opposing side with well-researched facts, followed by Thistle Grove Combined School in third place. 

“We are thrilled to have won the GMM speaker’s debate competition for the past two years, and we did it again this year for the third time. It is a testament to our team’s hard work and dedication,” said Sindiswe Mtsweni, Learners Support Agent and debate coach at Thomas Nhlabathi Secondary School. 

Kamogelo Mbonani from Thomas Nhlabathi Secondary School was awarded the best speaker, followed by Fezile Mthombeni from Osizweni Secondary School and Malik Isra from Thistle Grove Combined School for third place.

”Having been the best speaker for two years consecutively, there is no amount of words that can be said to express how elated I am. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates, the coaches, and most importantly, I couldn’t have done it without the persistent urge to be the best. My love for debate has landed me the title best speaker, and I wouldn’t do it with any other school besides Thomas Nhlabathi Secondary School,” said Kamogelo Mbonani.

The initiative aims to plant seeds of education, wisdom, and knowledge for the future generation.