The first-ever Nou Praat Jy! public speaking competition, hosted at Curro Durbanville High School on Wednesday 25 June, was a resounding success, bringing together top high school teams from across the Western Cape to celebrate Afrikaans in all its colour and sound.
Designed as a dynamic duet-style contest, learners delivered paired speeches under the theme “Afrikaans – ‘n taal van kleure en klank”, marking the language’s 100-year milestone as an official language. The format encouraged conversational delivery and proudly spotlighted regional dialects of Afrikaans. Individual accolades were given to the top speakers in both Home Language and First Additional Language categories. Representing the West Coast, Lisa Rossouw and Zyla-Kate Smit from Lutzville High School placed third in the Senior Afrikaans Huistaal category.
Rossouw and Smit’s performance impressed judges with its clarity, authenticity and heart, earning them recognition and a share of the event’s prize pool.
The winning schools and learners in each category walked away with R10 000. The competition formed part of Curro Durbanville’s Kultura Festival, a week-long celebration featuring acclaimed artists like Sandra Prinsloo, Early B, and Francois van Coke, as well as a local wine festival.
