PRG Form is a meeting place of many of the activities in which Paul Roos learners exercise their prowess in the art of the spoken word. After discussions with ENSafrica (the official sponsor of PRG Forum) the need for the development of an isiXhosa oratory competition for high school learners was identified. Paul Roos immediately reached out to its neighbouring schools.  With the help of Rhenish Girls’ High, a teacher’s workshop was initiated and hosted at Paul Roos Gymnasium. isiXhosa teachers from Kayamandi Secondary School, Makapula Secondary School, Calling Academy, Rhenish Girls’ High, Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool, the German International School Cape Town, Paul Roos Gymnasium and Bishops Diocesan College attended the teacher’s workshop to discuss competition categories, evaluation criteria, training of learners and efficiently judging isiXhosa oratory speeches.

Thereafter a wide array of schools with isiXhosa as subject was invited to enter for the first isiXhosa oratory competition by name of Masithethe! (“Let’s talk”). PRG’s vision for Masithethe! is to promote multi-language use in South Africa and to encourage learners to speak isiXhosa. PRG wants to provide a platform on which isiXhosa speakers of any level can inform, entertain and convince an audience.

Paul Roos received 87 speech entries from eight schools from the Western Cape.  These schools are Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof, Calling Academy, Grootte Schuur High School, Makapula Secondary School, Rhenish Girls’ High, St Cyprians High School, Kayamandi Secondary School and Paul Roos Gymnasium.  The competition was held on Saturday 14 May 2022. Teachers who attended the Masithethe! workshop and attending teachers volunteered as judges. Paul Roos was honoured to receive Dr Zameka Sijadu (Faculty of African Language) and Dr Simthembile Xeketwana (Faculty of Education) who acted as our VIP judges for the final round of the competition.

“It was a fantastic day. It was wonderful to see how the learners blossomed – being able to participate in a competition where they can excel and shine in their own language, where they can experience and witness other learners who embrace isiXhosa, who make an effort to learn and communicate in it – was moving and heart-warming. Paul Roos is very proud to have hosted the first isiXhosa oratory competition in the Western Cape and we are very excited to see how it expands. Masithethe! was an enormous group effort which proves that there are educators who support multilingualism in our communities and schools. It also proved that the art of the spoken word can be utilised as a community building tool. ENSafrica’s CEO Jan Viviers was the catalyst for the development of this initiative. He attended the day with great appreciation and accentuated the importance of this competition in the development of all its participants”. – PRG Marketing Office.

RESULTS

Second Additional Language

SNR
1st place: Ane’ de Villiers – Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof
2nd place: Aaliyah September – Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof

JNR
Winner Electra de Melo – St Cyprian’s School

First Additional Language

JNR
1^st place: Milani Zenzile – Groote Schuur High School
2^nd place: Achumile Mondi – Groote Schuur High School
3^rd place: Siziphiwe Mpulula – Groote Schuur High School

SNR
1^st place: Banyolo Ndzingani – Calling Academy
2^nd place: Mihle Wapi – Calling Academy
3^rd place: Lona Mhaga – Bloemhof Girls’ High
4^th place: Lolwethu Tobi – St Cyprian’s School

Home Language

JNR
1^st place: Sinovuyo Tinzi – Makupula Secondary School
2^nd place: Songezo Nkawule – Makupula Secondary School
3^rd place: Mihlali Makrega – Makupula Secondary School

SNR
1^st place: Lindokuhle Mafutha – Makupula Secondary
2^nd place: Asanele Banjatini – Makupula Secondary
3^rd place: Vaphi Milisa – Khayamandi Secondary School
4^th place: Mbali Ngcukuva – Khayamnandi Secondary School

Posted on 17 May 2022 under Kultuur / Culture, PRG Forum