Dear Minister McKenzie

We hope this letter finds you in good spirits. We are Zukisani Nameka and Ponatshego Moselakgomo, third-year law students and members of the NWU Debate Union at the Potchefstroom Campus. We are writing to request financial assistance to attend the Pan African Universities Debate Championships, which will be hosted by Kyambogo University in Uganda from December 15th to 22nd, 2024.

As passionate advocates for the art of debate, we also volunteer with the North-West Schools Debate Board, offering coaching to schools in our region. This commitment not only strengthens our skills but also fosters the development of critical thinking and public speaking among young debaters.
We are proud to share that we recently won the Southern African Universities Debate Championships held at the University of Botswana in early July. You can read more on our performance in the following article https://news.nwu.ac.za/debate-society-wins-southern-africa-debating-championships .

This achievement has earned us an invitation to compete at the Pan African Championships, a prestigious tournament that brings together the finest debating teams from across the continent to crown an African champion.
This year's theme focuses on "Science, Technology, and Innovation as Tools for Peacebuilding in the African Context." The emphasis on amplifying the role of science and technology in promoting social equity, poverty alleviation, and access to knowledge is particularly relevant today. The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Indigenous Knowledge Systems is crucial for collecting, storing, and disseminating vital information, especially for underserved and marginalized communities across Africa.

We believe that our participation in this tournament will not only enhance our own debating skills but also allow us to bring back invaluable knowledge to our university and community. Our experiences will empower us to share insights on the importance of integrating science and technology into effective peacebuilding strategies and new skills that can be disseminated to debaters in our province.
There is precedent of funding exceptional debaters from the debate union. In 2018, the office of Student Life funded two of our members to attend World University Debate Championships held in Mexico. This was after their brilliant performance of making it to the finals of Southern African University Debate Championship and an earlier instant in which two of our members were funded to attend the same tournament which was held in Brazil. We hope to benefit from the kindness of this precedent.
The estimated costs for our participation are as follows:

- Registration Fee (including food and accommodation): $240 per person (total: $480) We put the price in USD due to the fluctuating USD/ZAR rate.
- Flights from Johannesburg O.R. Tambo to Entebbe, Uganda (Any flight option which you would deem necessary is fine with us)
We did take the liberty to research a few options which are available.
- Option 1: Uganda Airlines (direct flights): R16,243.25 for two passengers
- Option 2: RwandAir (direct flights): R18,731.48 for two passengers
- Option 3: Ethiopian Airlines (layover at Addis Ababa): R25,449.00 for two passengers

We are committed to exploring various travelling options to manage costs effectively and are open to any assistance you can provide.
Your support will be instrumental in helping us represent North-West University and contribute to the broader conversation on science, technology, and peacebuilding across Africa.
Thank you for considering our request. We look forward to your positive response.

Sincerely,
Zukisani Nameka
Ponatshego Moselakgomo
North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus