Rhodes to host Women’s Debate themed: “I am the dragon breathing fire”

Rhodes to host Women’s Debate themed: “I am the dragon breathing fire”
Rhodes to host Women’s Debate themed: “I am the dragon breathing fire”

The Rhodes University Debating society is hosting the 2017 Women’s Debating Open themed I am the dragon breathing fire from Saturday 26 until Sunday 27, August 2017.

Just over 50 debaters from Rhodes, Wits, Walter Sisulu, Nelson Mandela and the North West University will participate in the tournament.

“The Open brings together the women of the Southern African region with the aim of broadening access and the space for debating among each other. It is a platform seeks to foster discourse about issues regarding women in the circuit and their advancement,” said Londiwe Mntambo, Director of the competition.

The Open is concurrently running a sanitary drive leading up to and during the tournament. Donated products will be distributed to local schools in Grahamstown and the surrounds with the help of the Community Engagement division and the SRC.

“The cost of sanitary products is a crisis for young women and it leads to absenteeism from school by those who cannot afford this basic necessity. The aim is to mitigate this problem as much as we can from and within our own contexts,” said Mntambo.

Esihle Qangule, chairperson of the Rhodes Debating Union will be the Convenor for the Open. Qangule has been part of four debating finals in her university career. She is extensively involved in schools debating as the development officer of the South African School’s Debating and the Eastern Cape Schools Debating Board.

Mntambo, has been an active member of the society for the past five years and has represented Rhodes University at provincial and national level. She has been part of three finals and has experience as a school coach, as well as adjudicating for South African Schools Debating from 2013.  

Registration and collection of sanitary items starts this Friday from 12h00 until 17h00 at the Steve Biko Union building.