Two students from the North-West University (NWU) recently clinched the championship title in the prestigious Southern Africa Debating Championships, hosted by die University of Botswana in Gaborone.

With this amazing performance, they marked a historic achievement for the university, as it was the first time the NWU reached the finals and took the spoils.

The winning students were part of a group of six talented students from the Debate Society on the Potchefstroom Campus who represented the university at the championships.

Bringing together 17 universities with 76 teams competing, the tournament featured nine preliminary rounds, followed by three intense out rounds: the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the grand finale.

Dynamic duo Zukisani and Ponatshego debated their way to the top, defeating the impressive teams from Stellenbosch University, the University of Zimbabwe and the University of Witwatersrand in the final round.

Reflecting on their journey, Zukisani shares their strategy. “Heading to the nationals, our approach was to apply the training and feedback from the judges, setting goals for points after each round and adapting to the level of competition. This allowed us to manage the tournament one round at a time.”

Jaco Van der Walt, senior manager at NWU Arts, says that they actively support and create platforms for students to engage in a dynamic student life. He adds that the winning debate team’s victory is a testament to their dedication and an invaluable contribution to the art of debate.

Both Zukisani and Ponatshego, devout Christians, credited prayer for helping them through challenging moments. Zukisani recalled the quarter-finals as particularly tough, as they debated austerity measures, a topic more familiar to Ponatshego, who studies BCom law, while Zukisani is pursuing an LLB.

“I had to defend something I didn’t know much about, relying on Ponatshego’s expertise to get us through to the semi-finals.”

Competing against top universities in the final was a moment of pride for them. “Winning against universities that have dominated this competition for years shows that NWU is ushering in a new era in the debate space,” says Zukisani.

Ponatshego emphasises the strategy they employed, tailoring their arguments based on the strengths and knowledge of the opposing teams. “The quarter-final was a tough match-up, but a crucial point of interest in the last speech gave us a slight victory.”

 “It only really sank in that we won when I saw everyone dressed for the closing ceremony. We proved that we deserved to be there, and the rest is history,” adds Ponatshego.

Zukisani Nameka (left) and Ponatshego Moselakgomo (right) celebrate a historic victory at the Southern Africa Debating Championships.