Category: Motions

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) provides financial aid to undergraduate students to help pay for the cost of their tertiary education after completing high school.

Motion: The NSFAS should exclusively fund scarce skills as opposed to the current system. 

Sources:

1. THE DHET Bursary Scheme, https://www.nsfas.org.za/content/bursary-scheme.html accessed 25 April 2023
2. Conference on Financing Higher Education in Africa is underway in Cape Town, https://youtu.be/yrL9GVBGtJ4, accessed 25 April 2023
3. NSFAS funding disbursement; 2023 Public Sector Education and Training (PSET) Sector Academic Year; Sectoral Response to Loadshedding, with Ministry, https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/36375/, accessed 25 April 2025
4. NSFAS funding model in need of an urgent overhaul, https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/opinion/nsfas-funding-model-in-need-of-an-urgent-overhaul-72682e2a-9560-49ca-acaf-fe8f9378679a, accessed 25 April 2023

COP27 was concluded during November 2022.
The Loss and Damage Fund will effectively address the consequences of climate change in developing countries.

Resources:

1. 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference, accessed 2023/02/07
2. Poor and Vulnerable Countries Need Support to Adapt to Climate Change, https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2022/03/23/blog032322-poor-and-vulnerable-countris-need-support-to-adapt-to-climate-change, accessed 2023/02/07
3. Cop27 agrees historic ‘loss and damage’ fund for climate impact in developing countries, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/20/cop27-agrees-to-historic-loss-and-damage-fund-to-compensate-developing-countries-for-climate-impacts, accessed 2023/02/07
4. The historic loss and damage fund, https://www.chathamhouse.org/2023/02/historic-loss-and-damage-fund, accessed 2023/02/07

South Africans should vote directly for the president and not vote through political parties.

Resources

Additional Resources

1. Election types, Independent Electoral Commission, Accessed 16 August 2022
2. The Parliamentary Sytem vs The Presidential System, The Borgen Project, Accessed 16 August 2022
3. Government of South Africa, Wikipedia, Accessed 16 August 2022
4. Politics of Zimbabwe, Wikipedia, Accessed 16 August 2022
5. Politics of Lesotho, Wikipedia, Accessed 16 August 2022

Date: 20 April 2022 15:00 – 17:00
Location: Frans Mohlala Secondary School

Senior Draw
https://mayorscup.herokuapp.com/mayorscup2022sr/draw/

Junior Draw
https://mayorscup.herokuapp.com/mayorscup2022jr/draw/

Unemployment has reached historical highs in South Africa,

The Department of Small Business Development should exempt small and micro businesses from tax and minimum wage regulations.

Resources

1. Department of Small Business Development, 16 March 2022
2. Small business regulation, BizNews, 10 March 2022
3. MP’s Clash On National Minimum Wage During Debate Held To Mark Workers’ Day, The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, 4 May 2018
4. Employment Effect of Minimum Wages, IZA World Labour, December 2018
5. Warning over new minimum wage for South Africa, BusinessTech, 1 Oct 2021

The fixture for the first round has been prepared and can be viewed on the links provided further in this post.

Senior Draw
https://tabbycat-lwcq.onrender.com/mayorscup2022sr/draw/

Junior Draw
https://tabbycat-lwcq.onrender.com/mayorscup2022jr/draw/

Debates will take place at Maseala Progressive Independent School.

Dates will be confirmed shortly.

Considering the ever-changing digital landscape:

The Department of Basic Education should not publish the results of matriculants in local media outlets.

Resources (click on titles to open articles)

1. Overwhelming support for DBE’s decision over matric result privacy, The Citizen, 11 Jan 2022
2. Information Regulator supports the move to stop publishing matric results, The Citizen, 13 Jan 2022
3. Matric Results Won’t Be Published In Newspapers, Skills Portal, 12 Jan 2022
4. Respect the right to Privacy, Department of Basic Education, 10 Jan 2022
5. Editors’ forum disappointed by decision not to publish matric results, says media was not consulted, TimesLIVE, 14 Jan 2022
6. AfriForum says the Department of Basic Education is misapplying the Popi Act, IOL, 18 Jan 2022
7. Summary of the Protection of Personal Information Act, Nelson Mandela University, 29 Aug 2018

Invoices for registration are available for download below. There are two invoices:

• invoice for schools registering two teams and
• invoice for schools registering one team

Please make use of these invoices when your schools finance officers need them.

Attached please find communique for 2022 debate tournament, for more information don’t hesitate to contact our office.

Looking forward for best 2022 debate tournament.

Thank you.

The Pan South African Language Board (PANSALB) together with other parliamentary portfolio committees determine official language status in South Africa.

Motion: The decision to not include Khelobedu as an official language is a counterproductive policy for a democratic country.

Proposed dates for debates:

• Wednesday, 20 October 2021
• Wednesday, 27 October 2021

Announcements

Our aim is to identify the Top 8 teams in each division after this round is complete then set a single date for quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals.

We understand that times have been different over the last 21 months but also appreciate that learners enjoy debating. We hope to have a champion for 2021 in both divisions.