The 2025 Chronicle

DEBATING AND PUBLIC SPEAKING PROGRAMME Staff: Sally Cahill, Reggie Davidson, Paula Meyer Chairman of Debating: Daniel French

And they have all done us proud. We had a bumper crop of beginners and eager learners again this year, and the growth among the junior debaters, particularly, has been astonishing, with two E Block boys making the regional side this year. Mi chaelhouse has certainly represented – on both the debating and public speaking stages – regionally, provincially, nationally and internationally. For the second year in a row we were able to enter seven teams in the Pietermaritzburg League, including three junior teams. Six out of the seven progressed to the break rounds, with the MHS 1 Senior team making it all the way to the final, which they nar rowly lost to Maritzburg College. And our novice E Block team beat GHS in their final to win the 2025 Grade 8 league. Our matric team, along with Oliver Thompson, was invited to partici pate in the National Debating League, as was our MHS 2 Junior team. Our three exceptionally dedicated matric boys all qualified and practised as adjudicators in the league this year, a valuable skill to add to a CV. Many of our boys did exceptionally well in the league on an individual basis, as is highlighted above. Following their success in the league, six of our boys were se lected for the Pietermaritzburg team to take part in the provin cial tournament, held at Northwood, Durban, in July. They were Daniel French, Boitumelo (Tumi) Motsepe and Oliver Thompson in the senior division, and Connor McMurray, Lungi Lepesa and Charlie Parham, who were chosen for the junior team. Oliver and Connor went on to be selected for the provincial team and have been training hard in preparation for the national tour nament in December. Results of this tournament will be pub lished in next year’s Chronicle . Having qualified for the SA delegation in 2024, Connor Wilson took part in the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships in July this year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Unfor tunately, Connor fell gravely ill and was not able to compete in all of the rounds, but he still gained valuable experience and made some international friends. We look forward to seeing what he will achieve in the coming years. As a result of his achievements he was awarded Colours for Debating and Public Speaking. Following a rigorous audition process, six boys were selected to participate in the National Individual Debating and Public Speak ing Championships at St Mary’s, Waverley, in August: Rendani Nonge, Nicholas French, Otto von Claer, Tanaka Chinyoka, Kai de Klerk and Oliver Thompson. Rendani made it to the finals of Persuasive Speaking with his mesmerising speech on the pow er of silence. Oliver made it through to two out of four finals, finished tenth overall and was selected as a member of the SA delegation that will travel to WIDPSC in Bristol, UK, in 2026. We also celebrated Oliver’s selection for the South African Junior Proteas team following his outstanding performance at the na tional tournament last year. He competed in Bangkok, Thailand, earlier this year and his team made it all the way to the finals, the only SA team to do so. We are incredibly proud of Oliver and impressed by his talent and dedication to both debating and public speaking. He was a worthy recipient of Colours this year. As mentioned, two of our league teams were selected to partic ipate in the National Debating League Championship in Durban in October. They absolutely loved the experience and did ex ceptionally well. The junior team (Nivan Royappen, Tanaka Chinyoka and Connor Wilson) finished fifth overall in the junior division. The senior team (Daniel French, Jono Boesak, Tumi Motsepe and Oliver Thompson) progressed to the finals and finished as runners-up in the senior division, placing them as

Senior Debating Captain: Jonothan Boesak Junior Debating Captain: Oliver Thompson

AWARDS Colours: Connor Wilson, Oliver Thompson Half-Colours: Rhys Watson, Connor McMurray Truda Cup: Daniel French Coyle Debating Prize: Oliver Thompson Most Improved Debater and Public Speaker: Nkanyezi Ndlovu Most Promising Junior Speaker: Connor McMurray REPRESENTED PIETERMARITZBURG AT THE KZNSDA PROVINCIAL DEBATING TOURNAMENT: Daniel French, Boitumelo Motsepe, Oliver Thompson, Connor McMurray, Lungi Lepesa, Charlie Parham REPRESENTED KZN AT THE SASDB NATIONAL DEBATING TOURNAMENT: Oliver Thompson, Connor McMurray NATIONAL INDEPENDENT AND PUBLIC SPEAKING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2025 Persuasive Speaking: Rendani Nonge, Oliver Thompson (finalist) Interpretive Reading: Oliver Thompson (finalist) Overall: Oliver Thompson (10th place) Also competing: Tanaka Chinyoka, Kai de Klerk, Otto von Claer, Nicholas French INVITED AS PART OF THE SA DELEGATION TO THE WORLD INDEPENDENT AND PUBLIC SPEAKING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2026 Oliver Thompson PARTICIPATED IN THE WORLD INDEPENDENT AND PUBLIC SPEAKING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2025, KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA Connor Wilson PIETERMARITZBURG DEBATING LEAGUE Grade 8 league: Moletsane Likate (2nd place), Charlie Parham (3rd place), Rohan Erasmus (10th place) Junior league: Shail Rajkumar (6th place) , Connor Wilson (7th place) Senior league: Oliver Thompson, Boitumelo Motsepe (3rd place), Daniel French (4th place), Nicholas French (8th place) The Michaelhouse Debating and Public Speaking Programme has positively thrived in 2025. Our speakers have excelled, raking in the accolades and travelling far and wide to compete, from Durban and Jo'burg to Malaysia and Thailand.

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