A Message from the Headmaster: End of Term Newsletter – March 2025

Dear Parents/Guardians,

PBHS – A UNIQUE SCHOOL IN MANY WAYS

It has been with much excitement that the end of the first term has brought with it the start of the winter sports season. A busy time of the year with large numbers of boys participating. The first two winter sports fixtures over the past two weekends did not disappoint. In reflecting on the schools sport it is important to keep things in perspective and I share with you some of what I shared with the boys in assembly last week.

PBHS continues to be a school that prides itself on the holistic education we offer our boys. In turn we are proud of the balanced young men that we produce. In doing so, the school balances its resources of time, effort and money across the three pillars of academic, sport and culture.

There is so much about our school that is unique in so many ways. One of them is the manner in which we attract boys to our school. We are, as far as I am aware, one of very few schools that plays in the league that we do, where despite not offering scholarships to boys who can afford to attend our school, we still chose to play against the strongest opposition. We do offer scholarships but only to boys who would otherwise not be able to attend our school because they cannot afford it.

I recently held an interview for a prospective boarder. In the interview, the parent pointed out that his son had been offered a sport scholarship from another school. He inquired whether PBHS would be prepared to offer his son something similar. In the discussion I pointed out to the father that he earned two million rand a year and that on those grounds, despite the talent his son clearly had, the school would not be offering him a scholarship. I have a moral problem with having someone’s school fees being paid for if they can afford it. I, in fact, pointed out to the father that I believed that with that sort of income, he should not only be contributing towards his own son’s school fees but that he should in turn be assisting another boy who deserves an education at a school such as ours, but will miss out because he cannot afford it. I have a problem when we start turning school boys into commodities. When we start trading them between schools as we look to see who is going to offer the best deal. The message it sends to a twelve year old boy is a very dangerous one, the life lesson is not a good one as is the precedent set.

In terms of PBHS sports results, there is a very quick solution to turning our narrow losses into handsome wins. We could very easily adopt the same approach as many of our rivals, and offer numerous sports bursaries a year. But at what price? I am of the view that if you chose to come to Boys High, you come to our school for what we offer you and not because we are the highest bidder. You come to Boys High on our terms. You come to Boys High ultimately for the young men we want to produce and not necessarily for the sports results or even the academic results we all desire.

As a school, we could quite easily also adopt the common practice of importing players. By under 16 if we do not have the players we desire we can simply go and find them. One would have to ask, however, where is the loyalty, the honour and integrity in this? Clearly for many other schools those values do not mean to them what they mean to us, and I will always choose a true Boys High boy over an import. When the going gets tough, a Boys High boy knows what it means to be dressed in the red, white and green. When the going gets tough, an import will reveal his true colours.

An additional point worth mentioning are the outstanding Legacy Unplugged and Café Concert performances that have just taken place. There are very few schools, if any, in the country that can produce musical performances like these. Many of the boys who performed in these concerts also play sport for the school. The quality, balanced education PBHS continues to offer has a value which is perhaps immeasurable.

The point I made to the boys is that in doing things differently, in doing things the Boys High way, we make life tough for ourselves. On any given Saturday I want to win as much as any of the boys. In fact, I probably want to win more than them. Winning is important and it is even more important in a school such as ours. But, I am not prepared to sell my soul and undermine what our school stands for and what makes us unique.

Four weeks ago, one of our prefects Ronald Phiri spoke in assembly which he titled “How champions make use of words of encouragement”. He spoke about the fact that as a school we have to support one another if we are going ensure success. I conclude by sharing the words with you that Ronald spoke in assembly: “It is through unity, the shared belief in one another that our beloved school will not only uphold its legacy, but achieve far greater heights than ever before. When we choose to inspire, encourage and believe in one another, we create an environment where everyone thrives. Winning is not just about individual success, it’s about creating a culture of growth, resilience and shared achievement.”

HAPPY HOLIDAY

The school would like to wish our Muslim community well for the holy month of Ramadan, which began on the evening of Friday 28, February following the sighting of the moon over Mecca. Ramadan will end on or around Sunday, 30 March with the celebratory days of Eid Ul-Fitr starting immediately afterwards.

To the sports teams participating in the various holiday sports festivals, I wish them all the best of luck knowing that they will represent our school well, both on and off the field.

After what has been a busy and good term, I wish you all a well-deserved break and look forward to seeing you refreshed and ready for the exciting second term.

GJ HASSENKAMP

HEADMASTER

 

GENERAL

Vehicle Exit: Parents are asked to please fully cooperate with the security personnel at the school gate when exiting the school. The security personnel are following procedures so as to ensure the safety and security of all people who visit the school. There have been incidents of vehicle theft in the past. In order to prevent such incidents from happening in the future, parents are asked to fully cooperate with the exit procedure.

Walking of dogs on the school property: Parents are reminded that the walking of dogs on the school property is unfortunately not permitted. Whether it be on a leash or not, no dogs are allowed to be brought onto the property. This naturally includes Saturday sport days.    

STAFF MATTERS – FAREWELL

Mrs Corli Maartens will be departing today after having accepted the position of HOD German at Afrikaanse Meisies Hoërskool.  She will assume this position as of the start of next term. During her second stint of teaching at the school from 2023, she has taught Afrikaans to the Form I-III’s and German to Form I’s and II’s.  From an academic point-of-view she has also been involved in the public speaking as well as the Form I re-alignment programme.

On the extramural side, over the past two years, Mrs Maartens has been a golf team manager, she has helped out at swimming and athletics and very importantly, she has been the founding MIC of the Sailing Club.  An activity which has grown steadily over the past two years and one which she has thoroughly enjoyed.

During her time back at the school, Mrs Maartens has been a tutor in Armstrong House where she has been with her Form III group since Form I.

We thank her for her services and wish her every success going forward.

STAFF MATTERS – CONGRATULATIONS

We congratulated Mr Pretorius on the birth of his daughter, Izolde, born last year on 12^th December, Mrs Skippers on the birth of her baby girl, Imogen, on 14^th January and to Mr & Mrs Stephens on the birth of their second daughter, Lyra, on 2^nd March.

ISSUING OF REPORTS

Term One reports will be issued to your son at the end of the day on Friday 28^th March.  Marks will be available on the Saspac app from 12.30 pm on Friday 28^th March 2025.

PARENT TEACHER CONSULTATION

Teacher/Parent consultation will take place on Thursday, 10 April 2025 and it is for Form I boys and parents only. Boys must please make an appointment with the relevant teacher and attend the meeting in school uniform.

Form II – V parents that have not received an invitation for the Teacher/Parent evening can email subject teachers directly in order to make necessary arrangements. Please note that all teacher’s emails are available on our website under “Our People/Leadership & Staff”.

ASSESSMENTS AND MID-YEAR EXAMINATION SCHEDULES TERM 2

Below please see links for:

Schedule for Mid-year Examinations:  Term 2 Mid-Year Examination Timetable

Schedule for Assessments for Tem 2:  Term 2 Assessment Schedule Forms I – V

START OF TERM ARRANGEMENTS

The new term will start on Tuesday 8^th April (Day 7).

HOLIDAY SPORTING ACTIVITIES MARCH/APRIL

Rugby

1^st rugby team at the Grey High festival:

29^th March: vs Kearsney 1^st

31^st March: vs Queens College 1^st

The U16A rugby team will be taking part in the annual Jeppe Rugby Festival:

2^nd April: vs Graeme College U16A

3^rd April: vs Nelspruit U16A

5^th April: vs Queens College U16A

The U15A rugby team will be attending the A.H.S. U15 Francois Swart Rugby Festival.

2^nd April: vs Noordheuwel U15A

3^rd April: vs EG Jansen U15A

5^th April: vs Queens College U15A

The U14A rugby team will be taking part in the Skonk Nicholson rugby festival being held at Maritzburg College.

29^th March: vs HTS Middleburg U14A

31^st March: vs Westville U14A

1^st April: vs Kearsney U14A

Hockey

The 1^st hockey team will be taking part in the annual Nomads festival being held at Jeppe High School.

29^th March: vs Grey College 1^st

29^th March: vs Wynberg Boys 1^st

30^th March: vs Hilton College 1^st

30^th March: vs St Benedict’s College 1st

31^st March: vs Selborne College 1^st

The U16A team will be taking part in the annual U16 Nomads festival being held at St Johns.

29^th March: vs Hilton College U16A

29^th March: vs Monument U16A

30^th March: vs Grey College U16A

30^th March: vs Wynberg Boys U16A

31^st March: vs Selborne College U16A

The U14A team will take part in the annual U14 Nomads Hockey Festival which is being held at King Edward VII School.

29^th March: vs Hilton College U14A

29^th March: vs Grey High U14A

30^th March: vs Grey College U14A

30^th March: vs Wynberg Boys U14A

31^st March: vs Selborne College U14A

BOYS ACHIEVEMENTS

Our warm congratulations go to the following boys:

Representative Council of Learners (RCL) – 2024

RCL Committee:  Chairman: Ethan Govender; Vice Chairman: Phatu Mutungutungu

Abernethy: Peter-John McKechnie, Kyle Perry, Ifechukwu Amaechina, Ike Okeiyi, Phatu Mutungutungu

Arcadia: Joshua Matroos, Ewan Coleman, Abri Strauss, Obotegile Pilusa, Kean Brummer

Armstrong: Sange Mayekiso, Shaun Nono Longang, Andreas Botes, Mihireteab Fekadu, Ethan Govender

Hofmeyr: Ty-Gian Hattingh, Michiel Smit, Ben Tucker, Yitbarek Wandafrash, Stefan Schlenther

Matheson: George van Wyngaard, Blake O’Neill, Christos Simitopoulos, Lanchan Muzame, Vincent Makari

Rissik: Keamogetswe Sebata, Kopano Moleko, Tinashe Malungisa, Greg Rogers, Luke Braithwaite

School: Elihle Khumalo, Lotter Koegelenberg, Andre Roets, Lesiba Kapu, Oratile Motsoaledi

Solomon: Noah Stewart, Mawuli Adjorlolo, Motheo Matsho, Khazimla Sam, Simon Moleke

Sunnyside: Kyle Mellis, Lennon-Lee Giya, Daniel Farrell, Solami Sithole, Joshua Botha

Town: Cameron Abel, Bokang Maimane, James Manda, Luke Shaw, Omphile Kadiege

Academic Awards (based on 2024 promotion results)

Half Colours       

Form III: Jessie Abache, Jason Bakam Defo, Steyn Botha, Alejandro de Freitas, Owen de Jager, Brian Jansen van Rensburg, Kanin Campouroglou, Timothy Gordon, Ayabonga Mabuza, Victor Marais, Sachin Moodley, Lanchan Muzame, Ndzalo Nkuna, Motheo Ramatsui, Alec Steyn, Johann Smit, Tyron Smit, Yitbarek Wondafrash

Form IV: Imraan de Gama, Lethabo Matsho, Pieter Steyn, Edward van Greunen, Adam van Heerden (new awards); Payne Angu, Benjamin Crewe-Brown, Abdul Ebrahim, Shaunhao Feng, Eric Fidos, Manqoba Khumalo, Jason Lee, Hrehaan Rajnund, Stefan van der Merwe (re-awards)

Full Colours

Form III: Mihireteab Fekadu, Olivier Lushamba, Matthew Kirk-Coughlin, Jayden Knott-Craig, Michael Monni, Leungo Manyetsa, Eric Pilcher, Andrew Potgieter, Ruan Oosthuizen, Louis Schürmann, Chaz van der Merwe

Form IV: Rikard van Hoven (new award); Jenson Breetzke, Daniel de Villiers, Rheece Holman, Heinke Meijer, Luka Jovanovic, Varun Kurup, De Wet Pieterse, Oliver Smythe, Reuben van Nieuwenhuizen (re-awards)

Honours     

Form III: Joshua Bouwer, Ruan Leonard

Form IV: Ralph Schoeman (new award); JP du Plessis (re-award)

SPORTS COLOURS AWARDS

Athletics

District Colours

Daniel Bekker, Bradley Chikane, Daniel Strachan, Tsile Seemela, Melvin Mashishi, Tsheetso Lekgadimane, Jonathan Gauld, Bokgoni Mampuru, Manqoba Khumalo, Leema Maruma

Gauteng North Colours

Daniel Bekker, Siyanda Dladla, Noah Naidoo, Melvin Mashishi, Bradley Chikane, Tsheetso Lekgadimane, Daniel Strachan, Leema Maruma, Lehumo Leso, Manqoba Khumalo, Vincent Makhari, Jonathan Gauld

Gauteng Colours

Daniel Bekker, Bradley Chikane, Manqoba Khumalo

New Athletics School Records:

Noah Naidoo, u15 400m, 50.87

Lehumo Leso, u19 Long Jump, 7.14m

Cross Country

Form I Race            

1^st                                Emile Fourie (Armstrong)

2^nd                               Sebastian Steenekamp (Hofmeyr)

3^rd                               Finn Bannatyne (Rissik)

Old Boys’ Race      

1^st                                Bokgoni Mampuru

7^th                               Otto van Driel

10^th                             Reneilwe Mahlaba

11^th                             Ethan Pillay

Inter-House

u/14

Gold                Emile Fourie                         Armstrong

Silver              Sebastian Steenekamp      Hofmeyr

Bronze           Aiden Michaels                    School

Gold               Lunathi Nyama                     Matheson

Silver              James Williams                    Rissik

Bronze           Peter Pretorius                     Solomon

u/16

Gold                Bradley Chikane                  Solomon

Silver              Brennan Naidu                     Abernethy

Bronze           Tsheetso Lekgadimane      Matheson

u/17

Gold                Melvin Mashishi                  Armstrong

Silver              Reitumetse Nkwane            School

Bronze           Ayabonga Mabuza              School

u/19

Gold                Jonathan Gauld                   Solomon

Silver              Ciano Titus                            Sunnyside

Bronze           Bokgoni Mampuru               Abernethy

Junior Champion:  Lunathi Nyama

Senior Champion:  Jonathan Gauld

House Positions

Junior:

1^st           School House

2^nd          Rissik House

3^rd           Solomon House

4^th           Abernethy House

Senior:

1^st           School House

2^nd          Solomon House

3^rd           Rissik House

4^th           Abernethy House

Cricket

Half Colours      

Timothy Gordon

Team Award       

Liam Brooker, Euan Gottfried, Jayden Knott-Craig, Grant Spencer, Joseph van Dijk

Basketball

Full Colours      

Nehemiah Nii-Aryee (re-award); Thomas Fagas, Alwande Peza (new awards)

Half Colours    

Nicholas Fagas, Yost Hattingh, Zion Odetoyinbo, Andrew Potgieter, Marlou Swanepoel, Logan van der Walt

Team Award  

Rorisang Boshomane, Augusta Nsaka

Basketball Service

Full Colours    

Gyasi Sarkodie

Half Colours     

Zanokuhle Mthethwa, Marlou Swanepoel (re-award); Motheo Ramatsui (new award)

Water-Polo

Half Colours              Marnus Wessels (re-award); Kieron Potgieter (new award)

Team Award             Liam Palm, Michael Scott (re-award); Caleb Bowden, Harry Fairhurst, Pieter Lindeboom, James King, Tyron Smit, Oliver Oberholzer, Marc Vermandele, Carl-Friedrich Von Engel

Water Polo Service

Full Colours   

Nils Pabst

Half Colours  

James King, Oliver Oberholzer

SPORT CAPTAINS

Athletics: Leema Maruma

Basketball: Thomas Fagas

Climbing: Ruan Oosthuizen

Cricket: Timothy Gordon

Cross Country: Jonathan Gauld

Hockey: Takalani Mulautzi

Mountain Biking: Ethan Mitchell

Rugby: Akinwale Akingbola

Swimming: Joshua Ongley

Squash: Dean Cilliers

Table Tennis: Bongai Vuyeqaba

Tennis: Roche Pio

Water Polo: Marnus Wessels

Squash

The school championships were held from 18 to 21 January and the results were as follows:

1^st Place and School Champion:   Milan Raffa

2^nd Place                                           Benjamin Southwood

3^rd Place                                            Dean Cilliers

1^st Round Plate Winner                  Enrique Kruger

1^st Round Plate Runner Up            Matthew Greeff

2^nd Round Plate Winner                 Gosiame Mongale

CUTURAL COLOURS

Library

Half Colours    

Jeremie Mouyeke

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES UPDATE

Café Concert

Over the evenings of 23-25 March the school once again produced what can only be described as a world class Café Concert. The concert is an annual show which displays the various music ensembles at the school.

This year’s theme was “Generations in Harmony” where our Music Department showcased and reflected on the growth and progression of the boys in the music department. The performance of the boys and bands was quite remarkable and once again highlights the quality of work done by the schools Music Department. Our compliments go to Ms Steyn and the entire Music Department for the outstanding work they continue to do in developing the musical talent at the school.

Pipe Band 

On Saturday, 1^st March, a number of our pipers took part in the annual Sand Mallen Memorial piping solo competition at the Transvaal Scottish Regiment Headquarters in Parktown.

The results were as follows:

Junior (u19):

Beckham Lee placed 6^th in the March, 6^th in the Strathspey Reel and 3rd in the Jig contest. Overall he placed 5^th.

Novice:

Keystone Anokam placed 6^th in the March and 5^th in the Strathspey Reel.

Debating

Inter-house Debating (Top 4)

1. Solomon
2. Town
3. Arcadia
4. Matheson

On Thursday 27^th February, the Pretoria Boys High School Senior and Junior teams competed in the inaugural Pretoria League Championship as part of the National Debating League. The league meeting, with 20 participating teams was held here at the school.

Best Speakers:

Noam Beney

Frank Tintinger

Matthew Blair

Sailing

Jan-Albert de Beer (Form III Sunnyside) competed at the Benoni Open and Junior Cup Sailing competition held on the 22^nd and 23^rd February at the Benoni Sailing Club. With many competitors from all over the country, Jan-Albert sailed his Dabchick to 3^rd place in this specific category and achieved 11^th place overall, in all sailing categories.

Gumboot Dancers

The Gumboot Dancers have been reaching new heights this year. They performed at The Chinese New Year’s Festival, Loftus Versveld for the Vodacom Bulls, at the Pretoria Marathon and made their international debut at the S20 Summit which consists of national academies of science from G20 countries.

The Gumboot Dancers were invited to perform by Prof Himla Soodyall, the Executive Officer of The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAF) – who is known for administering Nelson Mandela’s DNA test – and a research Professor in Human Genetics at the University of the Witwatersrand.  The boys delighted the delegates with their routine and ensured the delegates took note of the School on the Hill.

Annual Art Exhibition

The opening of the Annual Art Exhibition took place on Saturday, 25^th January. The event proved to be a special occasion with Staff, Old Boys, ex-staff members and current boys in attendance. The exhibition showcased the fantastic art pieces from boys at the school as well as matrics of 2024 and even some works of previous art masters at the school. Entertainment was provided by Mr Paul Anthony and a wonderful time was had by all.

EXTERNAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Michali Aspris, Form IV Solomon House, has been selected to represent South Africa at the Youth Atlantic Touch Rugby Cup being held in Ireland from 31 July to 3 August 2025.

Makhine Ntsoane, Form III Matheson House was selected for the Gauteng U16 Basketball team who will travel to Durban to compete in July.

Pieter Vorster was a member of the debating team that won the Northern Atheneum Junior League last year.  This team were also invited to a “Best of the Best Tournament” where all the Gauteng teams participated, where they were placed third in the province. At this tournament Pieter was selected for the Itu Foundation Team which will participate in an American debating Tournament.  Pieter will be participating in the Harvard College World Schools Invitational Debating Competition in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA in April this year. He will travel to the United States on 2 April and return on 11 April.

The following boys were selected for the Simfonia Juventi (a provincial youth orchestra):

Philip Anspach (Form III), Joshua Bouwer (Form IV), Stefan Fourie (Form III), Matthew Kirk-Coughlan (Form IV); Pravin Reddy (Form IV); Micah Strydom (Form III), Bernard van Nieuwenhuizen (Form II), Reuben van Nieuwenhuizen (Form V), Benion van Schalkwyk (Form IV), Liam Verster (Form IV)

The following two boys were selected to represent South Africa at the Junior African Championships to be held in Luanda, Angola.  Vincent Visser for the U17 Cadet Men’s Epee and Gianpaulo Alvares for the U20 Junior Men’s Epee. They both received their National colours.