Wits crowned debating champs

The championships seek to examine the solutions to African and global challenges and to promote the discipline of debate which is critical to creating correct discourse in policy-making and civic engagement. Teams from across Africa with diverse representations from Gambia, Nigeria, Togo, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Liberia, Cameroon and others fruitfully contributed to the debates.

Brokering a deal

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 should attempt to broker a deal with the International Criminal Court (ICC) that requires the indictment of George W Bush by the ICC in exchange for the enforcement of the already existing indictment of Omar Al Bashir by African states.

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.

Bongani Masilela, also from Wits University, was ranked fifth overall speaker in the tournament.

Better than the status quo

"These achievements are also a reminder that there are young people who are preparing to lead the continent into a new era with competence and with excellence," said Jamie. "There is a community of young people stretching and reaching out to be better than the status quo. There are young people who still love to reason and to read and to challenge themselves."

Wits teams:

• Mighti Jamie and Nonhlanhla Masanabo
  
• Naomi Lubinsky and Bongani Masilela
  
• Rubin Valodia and Lebogang Moloko

The Pan-African Universities Debating Championships was held from the 8-17 December 2015 at the University of Ghana in Accra.