WeeklySA_AdminHISTORY: Alumnae rally around each other to save iconic girls school from infrastructural ruin
By Jo-Mangaliso Mdhlela
The legacy of the 156-year-old Inanda Seminary, whose sustainability is threatened by financial and infrastructural difficulties, must not be allowed to die, but must be sustained, says former deputy chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Thoko Mpumlwana.
What ought to be done to save the historical school from implosion?
To this question, Mpumlwana said it was gratifying to note that the seminary’s alumnae are rallying together to host the inaugural Annual Charity Gold Day expected to kick off at the Blair Atholl Golf Course, Lanseria, on October 9.
Mpumlwana said the alumnae have committed to raising “vital funds to ensure the school continued with its impact for generations to come”, adding that this was dutifully “our effort to preserve the school’s legacy of excellence and leadership”.
Mpumlwana, also an alumna of the seminary, has had an impeccable struggle history, that saw her getting “consumed with the fight against apartheid”, paying a heavy prize for it when she was banned for five years from March 1977, and having at that stage deeply aligned herself with the Black Consciousness Movement and its liberation struggle agenda along with its founding father, Stephen Bantu Biko, who was assassinated by the apartheid regime on September 12, 1977.
The golf day will be convened by a volunteer steering committee – a task she has been entrusted to oversee.
Presently, Mpumlwana chairs the South African Women in Dialogue (Sawid), an entity propagating for gender equality.
“We felt that while other initiatives focused on reviving the school’s infrastructure, we should join the momentum by organising a golf day that will help provide seed funding to build an Endowment Fund,” Mpumlwana said.
She added: “We are extremely encouraged by the support we are already receiving from South Africans and friends who share our vision that the legacy of schools such as Inanda Seminary should be sustained.”
Deeply rooted in strong values, the school has produced many women of great impact across various sectors of society, who proudly embody its core values, passed on by its founding couple – Daniel and Lucy Lindley.
The alumnae include among others, Dr Penny Moumakwa, chancellor for Sefako Makgatho University for health sciences; Prof Nonhlanhla Khumalo-Mayosi, head of dermatology at the University of Cape Town; Nonkululeko Nyembezi, former chair of the Johannesburg Securities Exchange, and now chair of Standard Bank; Xoliswa Kakana, chair of Council at the University of Johannesburg; Dr Ncoza Dlova, the first African woman to head the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s School of clinical medicine; and Dr Polile Mpofu, South Africa’s first black woman dermatologist.
Founded in 1869 by missionaries Daniel and Lucy Lindley of the American Board of Missions, now known as the United Congregational Church, “the seminary sailed through many history-shifting developments in South Africa to become a resilient beacon of African excellence”.
Mpumlwana said “Inanda girls are visible in all sectors of society”, and marked by excellence.
They are found in a variety of disciplines including education, research, finance, economics, politics, aviation, agriculture, and the arts – and wherever they are, they are reputed to serve with distinction in keeping with the school motto, “Shine Where You Are”.
The fundraising initiative is set to be named after Mary Kelley Edwards, affectionately known as “Ma Edwards”.
Edwards was appointed principal of the school on March 1, 1869, a position she held until her death in 1927.
Her legacy of fighting to improve the quality of the school’s academic offering redefined how education was presented by missionary schools.
Through her leadership, the school had several ground-breaking programmes. This included nursing education which was aimed at uplifting the African girl.
Edwards and other successive mentors ensured that, unlike other schools during the colonial years, the school treated African girls fairly, and not as second-class citizens, but trained them to become independent and competent leaders, guided by the school motto which underscored excellence.
The first-of-its-kind in Southern Africa, the school continues with its exceptional record of excellence despite battling multiple challenges such as declining number of learners, lack of resources, and decaying infrastructure.
Mpumlwana emphasised that the endowment fund is earmarked to maintain the school’s legacy of creating access to high-quality, affordable education for young African women.
“Contributing to this initiative goes beyond just giving the school a facelift. At the heart of it, it’s about reimagining this monumental institution’s place in modern South Africa and defining a new purpose for it in line with the needs of the current generation of young women.
“Most schools have become increasingly unsafe; Inanda Seminary must be guarded as a model for conducive teaching and learning in the township,” she said.
Mpumlwana is calling, with the creation of endowment fund, is challenging “all South Africans who care about the future of the girl-child to contribute to the campaign”.
“The African girls are at the bottom of the food chain, facing multiple social ills that keep them immensely disadvantaged.
“Furthermore, education has become unaffordable for many middle-class families, and Inanda Seminary stands as a much-needed alternative for quality, life-changing education accompanied by life-long values.
“You don’t have to be a product of the school to support this initiative. You must just believe in creating a bright future for African girls,” said Mpumlwana.
“As seminary’s alumnae reconnect to give back to the school that shaped their incredible destinies, they will also use the moment to reflect on the state of South African township and rural schools, and remind themselves of their roots and recommit to inspiring future women leaders,” said Mpumlwana.
Alumnae, corporates, golf enthusiasts, and South Africans from all walks of life who believe in the power of education, are encourage to support the event.
“Your support and participation and support will not only preserve a legacy that has shaped generations of women leaders, but will also ensure that this iconic institution continues to embody its motto,” ended Mpumlwana.
