Infrastructural Restoration

A wide pool of support from government departments, corporate, foundation and alumni donors and sponsors has been attracted and restoration of these once-famous and influential schools has become a dynamic reality set to make a huge impact in the lives of the current learners and generations of South Africans to come.

The HSRP has placed emphasis on the development of the two pilot schools situated in the Eastern Cape. The Education Department is particularly supportive of the project and a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the two parties as a commitment to partnership.

St Matthews, Eastern Cape

St Matthews is an isolated school in its location and currently it provides boarding facilities for girls only. Security has been an issue for some time and we are pleased to report that fencing has been erected around the perimeter of the hostels to ensure the safety of the boarders. After a long delay there has been significant progress with the renovation of the senior girls hostel. Once work on the building has been completed, it is estimated that the girls will move from their temporary accommodation in the staff houses in September 2014 and then major restoration work will commence on the beautiful old stone building which houses the junior girls. Discussions have taken place for the provision of boarding facilities for boys in the future. Furthermore, negotiations are underway for a land-swop between the owner of the land on which the campus is situated, the Anglican Diocese of Grahamstown, and the Eastern Cape Government. This would enable the school to establish much needed sports fields next to the basketball courts and provide the Church with an area adjacent to the stone church for further development.

During a recent visit to St Matthews we witnessed the new reservoir with its water table which recorded that the reservoir was nearly 70% filled to capacity. The new pipeline is complete and delivering treated water. Eskom is scheduled to connect power to the pumps soon and in the meantime a gravity-fed bypass is allowing the reservoir to fill slowly.

St Matthews senior girls hostel undergoing renovation

Healdtown, Eastern Cape

Healdtown is a legacy school in South Africa and in our national educational landscape. Healdtown once attracted students from different parts of South Africa and neighbouring countries and enrolment was over one thousand. Today, however, the school faces new challenges and the total learner enrolment is less than one hundred.

Working on the Golden Eagle atop the bell tower

The vision and criteria for Healdtown becoming an academy of excellence in Maths, Science and Technology became critically important and the re-introduction of boarding facilities would be a significant boost to the educational objective. A number of key role players were identified to initiate the steps towards the large vision. The HSRP engaged the alumni, the principal and members of the governing bodies, government officials, the Church, business people with analytical minds and specific expertise, and potential investors, and with this strategic think-tank a business plan was developed. Quantity surveyors were contracted to assess the proposed renovations of the buildings and plans were drawn up as follows:

The Eagle Building required minimal restoration and electrical work would contain five classrooms. The Ilanga Building would require significant restorative work and would be a communications, technical and information hub accommodating a media centre, museum, library, office and classrooms.

The Old Junior Hostel has been earmarked for fifty girl boarders initially. It requires electrical, plumbing and other structural repairs to ensure a sound space for the girls.

The Old Boys Hostel requires significant work and will initially house fifty boy boarders with a view to expansion when the need arises.

On campus housing for the Principal and Staff has been identified as essential and to this end four houses will be renovated, furnished and equipped.

The Jubilee buildings are five remarkable structures initially built in 1850. These buildings will become the epicentre of activities and commemoration. Our Heritage and Architectural consultants did a study on the buildings and made the following recommendations:

1. In the past century the oldest section closest to the stone church comprised the Old Gym Hall and classrooms. The building is structurally sound and when restored it will once again house a hall and classrooms.
2. The next area contained classrooms and a common room. It is in a state of severe disrepair and has been earmarked for memorialisation.
3. The centre section was once the girls hostel. It will be restored as a ruin and commemoration centre devoted to the great African leaders who attended Healdtown.
4. The next area once held the dining hall, kitchen, bakery, laundry and store rooms. It also included accommodation for single teachers. The plan for this space is to demolish most of the area and rebuild it to incorporate the same historic footprint.
5. Although now irreversibly damaged, there are remaining elements which indicate the romantic beauty of the building on the far side of the campus where the principal’s and other offices were situated. The remains of this building should be declared a ‘No-Go’ zone and fenced off.

Students from Pretoria University and their supervisors visited Healdtown to do research and measurements on the Jubilee buildings. They are currently compiling proposals which focus on the architecture of the five buildings as a whole; the surrounding landscape and vegetation; the memorialisation of the space that encompasses Jubilee and the buildings that surround Mandela Square.

It was agreed that the first building for restoration would be the Eagle Building. In June we appointed a project manager who conducted all necessary preliminaries and building contractors were appointed. Where skills were evident, members of the local community were hired for local labour. With a generous contribution from the Methodist Women’s Manyano the iconic Eagle Building was restored and officially handed over to the school on Women’s Day and the bell was rung for the first time in very many years.

A building on the original Lemana campus

Lemana, Limpopo Province

For more than twenty years the Lemana community has yearned to return to the old school premises. President Zuma has fulfilled his promise made publicly in 2011 that the historic buildings that housed the original school would be restored and quality teaching and learning would once again take place in a leading educational environment.

Following a broad stakeholder consultative meeting in April 2013, we are delighted to confirm that the old Lemana campus is poised to be restored to its former glory. The Education Department officials who had previously occupied the buildings were relocated and priority has been given to the upgrade of the access road which is currently underway.

A Heritage Consultant has been appointed and will proceed with a Heritage Impact Assessment. Once all permits have been granted a ceremonial site handover will be arranged. The Architects have assured us that all renovation work and new structures are sensitive to the character of Lemana.

Healdtown’s Old Dining Hall situated in the Jubilee Block, earmarked for restoration in 2014

Official handing-over ceremony of the restored Eagle Building

Healdtown women preparing food for the guests in traditional fashion

Healdtown Principal, Mr Mzingisi Douw and Alumna and HSRP Board Member Mrs Orie Pule

Mrs N Madwe, Chair of the Methodist Women’s Manyano and Archbishop Njongo Ndungane, Executive Director of the HSRP