2025 Pan-African Debating Championship

Dates:
30 June to 3 July 2025
Location:
Rondebosch Boys' High School, Cape Town, South Africa
Official Accommodation:
Neighbourgood Newlands
Age Group:
Grade 8 to A-Levels

Founding Schools

Our inaugural tournament united a community of 9 schools from 6 African nations.

  • Colegio Angolano de Talatona

    Colegio Angolano de Talatona

    Luanda, Angola

  • Crawford International Pretoria

    Crawford International Pretoria

    Pretoria, South Africa

  • International School of Kigali

    International School of Kigali

    Kigali, Rwanda

  • Light Academy Secondary School

    Light Academy Secondary School

    Kampala, Uganda

  • Mokopane English Combined School

    Mokopane English Combined School

    Mokopane, South Africa

  • Myngenoegen English Private School

    Myngenoegen English Private School

    Polokwane, South Africa

  • St George's Diocesan School

    St George's Diocesan School

    Windhoek, Namibia

  • United Herzlia Schools

    United Herzlia Schools

    Cape Town, South Africa

  • UWC East Africa

    UWC East Africa

    Arusha, Tanzania

Does your team have what it takes to be the debate champions of Africa?

Our tournament will be structured to welcome debaters from all backgrounds.

Orientation

We will start the tournament with an orientation session for our adjudication panel and participants. We’ll ensure everyone has a common understanding of our format and scoring criteria.

Preliminary rounds

We will debate a different topic for each of our 5 preliminary rounds. In each debate, one team will propose (support) the motion and the other team will oppose (argue against) the topic. Debaters will earn individual and team points from each debate. Judges will provide feedback at the end of each round.

The finale

A grand conclusion to our tournament. We will have a Quarter-Final, Semi-Final and Final. The day will end with an awards ceremony to recognize the achievements of debaters and adjudicators in the tournament.

Registration Fees

Our registration fees are per person (student, teacher, chaperon, etc). Guests are welcome at any time and do not need to pay a registration fee. Fees payments can be broken up into installments. We charge a fee of ZAR 1,000 per person for registrations made after 15 May 2025.

Do you need some help calculating participation costs? Try our Fee Calculator.

Early Registration Fee (15 May and earlier)
ZAR 7,999.00
Additional Fee for Registrations after 1 May
ZAR 1,000.00

Neighbourgood Newlands

Neighbourgood Newlands is just 6 minutes away from our host school, Rondebosch Boys' High School. We will transport participants between the hotel and Rondebosch Boys' High School each day.

Sharing Rooms
Pricing will be announced on 14 February 2025.
Single Rooms
Pricing will be announced on 14 February 2025.
Included in each booking
Each booking inlucdes breakfast and WiFi.
Check-in Times
The hotel's official check in starts at 3:00pm.

We recommend teams arrive on 29 June 2025.
Address
10 Hemlock Street, Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa
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More Info about Neighbourgood Newlands
Open Hotel Website
Walnut card tray with white powder coated steel divider and 3 punchout holes. Top down view of walnut card tray with embedded magnets and card groove. Side of walnut card tray with card groove and recessed card area. Walnut card tray filled with cards and card angled in dedicated groove.

Included in the Registration Fee

Meals
Breakfast is included in your hotel bookings. Lunch and dinner will be provided at the school on 30 June to 03 July.
Sightseeing
We want our debaters to truly experience the destination they’re traveling to. We’ll arrange a tour to several major landmarks in Cape Town.
Socials
Access to our break night party.
Awards
All adjudicators and debaters will recieve certificates. Top performers will win medals and trophies.

Not Included

Accomodation
Our official hotel is Neighbourgood Newlands. Single rooms will cost ZAR 1,160 per night and double rooms will cost ZAR 1,400 per night. We can initiate bookings on your behalf. Payments should be made directly to the hotel.
Flights and Visa Processing
Schools will need to make their own travel arrangements to Cape Town.
Please check the visa policy for your respective passport. Support letters will be issued to registered participants. Check the links in the footer for more information.
Airport Transfers
Schools will need to arrange their own pickups. We recommend using EZ Shuttle.