The second edition of Nou Praat Jy!, South Africa’s national school Afrikaans public speaking competition, was held at Curro Durbanville High School on 30 July 2026, drawing school teams from as far afield as Graaff-Reinet, Lutzville and Porterville.
Organisers Joline de Klerk and Maritsa Smit, Afrikaans teachers at Curro Durbanville, say the competition speaks to something bigger than the day itself. “In a world crowded with opinions and noise, the ability to think for yourself and to express those thoughts clearly and confidently matters more than ever. Competitions like Nou Praat Jy! give learners exactly that opportunity, in a language as rich and diverse as the country in which it is spoken.’
“What makes this competition different is simple: We ask participants to speak in the Afrikaans that lives within them, not the Afrikaans found in a textbook.”
Last year’s competition celebrated 100 years of Afrikaans. This year’s theme, Kyk Noord!, encouraged learners to look ahead rather than back, with paired speeches presented around the theme. The duet format encouraged conversational delivery while giving regional dialects the opportunity to shine.
The competition was contested across two age categories – Juniors (Grades 8 and 9) and Seniors (Grades 10 to 12) – in both Afrikaans Home Language and First Additional Language divisions. Winning teams in each category received R10 000.
Junior First Additional Language
- First: Curro Somerset West – Mia van Tubbergh and Ayla Daniël-Ramouthar
- Second: Curro Durbanville – Aisha Gaibe and Annabella Stam
Junior Home Language
- First: Hoër Volkskool Graaff-Reinet – Margite van der Merwe and Zoë Campher
- Second: Hoërskool Overberg – Mia Odendaal and Talitha van den Heever
- Third: Hoërskool Parel Vallei – Berné Peters and Alexander Mac Gillivray
Senior First Additional Language
- First: Curro Durbanville – Ngcali Dantile and Maddison-Mae Alexander
- Second: Hoërskool Parel Vallei – Reiley Capes and Darren Tobias
- Third: Curro Somerset West – Nahum Christians and Xara-Leigh Johnson
Senior Home Language
- First: Hoërskool Porterville – Néca Damon and Hadlii Strauss
- Second: Hoër Volkskool Graaff-Reinet – Mia Prinsloo and Mikha Enslin
- Third: Hoërskool Lutzville – Zyla Kate Smit and Lisa Rossouw
Individual awards went to Mia van Tubbergh (Best Junior First Additional Language Speaker), Ngcali Dantile and Maddison-Mae Alexander (joint Best Senior First Additional Language Speakers), Talitha van den Heever (Best Junior Home Language Speaker) and Anja Muller (Best Senior Home Language Speaker).
The competition formed part of Curro Durbanville’s Kultura-fees, which featured performances by Albert Pretorius, Schalk Joubert, Margit Meyer-Rödenbeck, Deon van Zyl, Alfred Adriaan, Francois van Coke and Karen Zoid with Anton Eloff.