Wits debating team crowned African champions
The Witwatersrand University’s Debating Union’s team has been crowned African champions at the Pan-African Universities Debating Championships held at the University of Ghana in Accra.
The championships, held between 8 and 17 December, sought to examine solutions for the continent and the rest of the world, and to promote the discipline of debate, the university said on Tuesday.
“The Wits team was the last South African team in the final against Ghana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. The Wits team argued that the African Union (AU) should attempt to broker a deal with the International Criminal Court (ICC) that requires the indictment of [former US president] George W Bush by the ICC in exchange for the enforcement of the already existing indictment of [Sudanese] President Omar Al Bashir by African states,” said the insitution.
Law students Mighti Jamie and Nonhlanhla Masanabo, who was with one of the three teams that represented Wits, scooped the 2015 championship.
“Jamie and Masanabo also scooped the top two individual speaker awards. Jamie was ranked the best debater in Africa for 2015 while Masanabo was ranked second overall. Jamie was also the runner-up in the public speaking division,” the institution said.
“Bongani Masilela, also from Wits, was ranked fifth overall speaker in the tournament.”
Other participants were from Gambia, Nigeria, Togo, Botswana, Liberia and Cameroon.