Maritzburg College is a semi-private English-medium high school for boys situated in the city of Pietermaritzburg in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest boys' high school in KwaZulu-Natal, and one of the oldest schools in South Africa. it is attended by 1,260 students, of whom approximately 495 are boarders.

Renowned in the main for its rugby and strongly traditional ethos, Maritzburg College also continues to attain excellent results in the annual National Senior Certificate results. Since the start of the 21 century, it has added strong cultural and pastoral programmes, including a jazz band and vigorous inter-house programme. With (amongst others) 28 rugby teams, 22 cricket teams, 19 basketball teams, and 18 hockey teams, the school continues to offer its long-established, vigorous sporting programme, too.

History

Victorian origins

thumb|right|RD Clark (eighth from the right) poses with boys and colleagues shortly after taking occupation of the newly built "Main Building", 1888.

Maritzburg College was founded as the Pietermaritzburg High School in 1863, by William Calder, in a carpenter's shop in what is today Langalibalele Street, to accommodate the influx of children arriving at the new city of Pietermaritzburg and its surrounding farmlands in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. As the school commonly known as swelled, "the best-trained [architect] in the Colony", PM Dudgeon, was commissioned to design on the then outskirts of the city a larger classroom and boarding block, which was completed in 1888.

The annual inter-house competition among the 10 Houses includes trials in more than 25 academic, sports, cultural and community-based-events for the Forder Cup for Champion House.

The system of day or sporting Houses is not to be confused with the school's five boarding Houses. To begin with, the sporting and boarding Houses were linked, with the boarders being allocated to Clark's and Langley's sporting Houses (and later Nathan's), and the dayboys to Stalker's and Oxland's.

But, since the headmastership of Mr Snow (headmaster 19371941), all boys have been allocated randomly to the sports Houses.

Despite its size and its customary prowess on the sports field, Maritzburg College's academic standards also are traditionally strong. In the early 21st century, the school has continued to boast results that are amongst the best for a top-tier school in the country. In November 2021, all 270 of its grade 12 pupils passed the National Senior Certificate, with 89% achieving a university entrance qualification, and 15 boys each earning seven distinctions.

Privileges, traditions and discipline

One of the school's distinct features is its hierarchical system, which is underpinned by a long-established set of privileges and duties.

In September 2020, Maritzburg College officially released its policy document titled 'College Culture' - aimed at outlining and preserving , but ensuring that these practices subscribe to laws, norms and expectations. This document included a , which requires each boy, at the start of his career at the school, to publicly proclaim his allegiance via the - including his pledge to live out the school's Core Values, to , and to live out the school's Core Traditions.

Well-known duties required of a junior include (the rote-learning of school teams, etc.), the requirement for him to sprint or jog in various parts of the school, (the daily sorting out of the sports equipment before practices by all 2 Formers) and . General school traditions include the wearing by all boys of straw boaters (known as ), which are hurled into the air at First XV rugby matches. Also, when a junior is addressing a more senior boy, he must say the word at the end of sentences.

Because of its possibly contentious nature, the hierarchical system of privileges that underpins the school's ethos is monitored by the school's executive committee, in consultation with the Old Boys' Association.

Maritzburg College's structure of traditions and concepts date to similar styles found in traditional British boarding schools. It is perhaps one of the few schools in South Africa where this structure is retained largely to its original extent.

However, a number of its more vigorous customs have long-since been done away withincluding (a practice requiring the consumption by Form 5 boarders of mouldy food, especially prepared for them by the departing 6 Formers), (when, again, Form 5 boarders were used as jockeys by their outgoing 6 Form counterparts, invariably with painful consequences), (a rough form of backyard rugby that was played especially when the fields were muddy), (the serving of a 2 Form boarder of his seniors at meal-times), the annual new boys’ concert, and the regular caning of boys by prefects and masters. (the carrying out of any errands by 2 Form boys for prefects) and (a watered-down version of the old Victorian custom) were done away with in 2020.

Sport

The first recorded sports match played by the was a cricket match held in the Market Square on 6 May 1865 against the Red Rover Cricket Club. The High School won the first match "notwithstanding the primitive conditions under which it must have been played".

The school has fixtures against its rival schools. Records show College to be the strongest sporting school in the province in sports such as rugby, cricket, canoeing, polo, polocrosse, and hockey.

Amongst its many notable Old Boys (known as Old Collegians), it can count () 339 sporting internationals, including 36 Old Collegians who have captained international sporting sides. In addition, Kevin Pietersen captained the England cricket team, Matthew Hawkins captained the USA rugby sevens team and Darian Townsend captained the USA swimming team. Four Old Collegians attended the 2004 Olympic Games, with Darian Townsend winning a gold medal as part of the world record-setting SA 4 x 100 freestyle team, and Donovan Cech winning a bronze medal in the rowing; six attended the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and four attended the 2012 Olympics in London. Six Old Collegians, across hockey, cycling, and swimming, were included in the SA team competing in the 2018 Commonwealth Games held on the Gold Coast, Australia.

The most recent additions (as at December 2024) to the school's international honours boards in the Kent Pavilion, overlooking Goldstone's field, are Andile Simelane (cricket) and Sheldon de Klerk (bodybuilding).

Saturdays during the summer months can often yield 30 cricket teams (an under 14P XI has occasionally been produced), and up to 29 rugby teams and 21 hockey teams during winter. exponent of limited overs cricket. Another well-known sportsman produced by the school is Andy Birkett, who since he matriculated at the end of 2008 has emerged as one of the world's pre-eminent marathon canoeists, having won the Dusi Canoe Marathon 13 times in the last 14 years and the world canoeing marathon title in 2022.

In addition to its 305 international sportsmen, a further 34 Old Collegians have officiated at an international level in sport - including Rugby World Cup rugby referee Craig Joubert, former Test (cricket) umpire Dave Orchard and numerous managers and coaches. The most recent is Donovan Wewege - the manager of the SA team at the 2024 ICF Canoe Polo World Cup.

Roll of Honour

The school's Roll of Honour lists the names of 3 teachers and 265 former scholars (as at December 2024) who have given their lives in wars since the first Old Collegian casualty fell in 1873 (1863 foundation scholar, Trooper Robert Erskine, who was killed in a skirmish with the Hlubi at Bushman's River Pass). All of their names are displayed on College's numerous war memorials and honours boards, including precisely 100 on the First World War Memorial in front of Clark House and 133 on the honours board in the school chapel that records the names of Old Collegians who died in the Second World War. The most Old Collegians killed in single actions are 11 at the Battle of Delville Wood from 14 to 20 July 1916 and seven at both the famous Battle of Isandlwana (at which over 1,300 British and colonial troops were slaughtered by the Zulus during the Zulu War – a memorial in honour of those fallen Old Boys was unveiled on the battlefield in 1969, on the 90th anniversary of that battle); A total of 27 alumni died at the Battle of the Somme, which was fought between July and December 1916. Three additional names to the school's war memorial commemorating its alumni killed in the South African War (1899-1902) were added on Remembrance Day 2022, and another name (that of Fl-Lt Mervyn Lascelles MORRIS (RAF)) was added in December 2024 to the school's Second World War roll of honour. Old Collegians have also earned a considerable tally of decorations and awards, especially during the two World Wars – the most recent award being the Distinguished Flying Cross awarded in 2012 to Fl Lt Luke Flemington, RAF.

Notable Old Collegians (by year of matriculation)

  • 1870: Sir Henry Bale KCMG, dux 1870, Cabinet Minister (Natal), Chief Justice (Natal)
  • 1870: Lt-Col Henry Nourse (Founder: Nourse Mines, member of Int. Olympic Committee, founder: Nourse’s Horse (SA War), first president of SA Amateur Athletic & Cycling Association, first chairman of SA Olympic Committee, president SA Lawn Tennis Association)
  • 1884: Maj-Gen William Tanner CB CMG DSO MC Legion d' Honneur Croix de Guerre Ordre de Leopold, Chief of Staff: UDF, CO: 8th Inf. Brig. (British Army), CO at Battle of Delville Wood (1916)
  • 1910: Cecil (Bill) Payn , South African national rugby player, multi-talented provincial sportsman (five sports), renowned as the , holder of the MM
  • 1911: Prof Edgar Brookes, South African senator, South African representative to the League of Nations
  • 1918: Alan Paton, author of Cry, the Beloved Country and political activist
  • 1921: Philip J. Nel (head prefect), captain of 'the Greatest Springboks' of 1937 - the only South African national rugby team to have won a test series against the All Blacks in New Zealand
  • 1936: Lt-Gen Keith Coster , General Officer Commanding (GOC) the Rhodesian Army, Grand Officer of the Order of the Star of South Africa
  • 1938: Lt-Gen Bob Rogers , Officer Commanding the South African Air Force, South African national shottist whilst still at school
  • 1943: Harold Strachan, liberation struggle bomber
  • 1948: DJ Jackie McGlew, captain of South African national cricket team
  • 1951: Rt Revd Michael Nuttall, Bishop of Natal, Elsie Ballot Scholar (University of Cambridge)
  • 1952: Keith Oxlee, South Africa national rugby team player
  • 1953: Dr Malcolm Forsyth, composer, Order of Canada
  • 1964: Maj-Gen Ian Deetlefs , Chief of Defence Reserves, South African National Defence Force
  • 1967: Paul Harris (head prefect), co-founder of Rand Merchant Bank and CEO of First National Bank
  • 1967: Kevin Swain, judge: Supreme Court of Appeal
  • 1978: Gary Strydom, Mr USA, bodybuilding
  • 1983: Michael Brown, CEO of Nedbank
  • 1985: Joel Stransky, 1995 Rugby World Cup-winning South Africa national rugby team player
  • 1987: Jonty Rhodes (head prefect), South African national cricket player
  • 1991: Donovan Cech, South African national team rower, bronze medallist at the 2004 Olympic Games
  • 1993: Rob van Vuuren, actor
  • 1995: Craig Joubert, international rugby referee who officiated in the final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup
  • 1997: Shaun Morgan, lead singer and guitar player of the band Seether
  • 1997: Kevin Pietersen , captain of the England national cricket team
  • 1997: Andrew 'Butch' James, 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning South Africa national rugby team player
  • 2002: Darian Townsend, Olympic gold medallist in Athens, 2004 member of the South African 4x100m freestyle world record relay team - captain of the USA swimming team
  • 2006: Lunga Shabalala, Actor & TV presenter
  • 2007: David Miller, South Africa national cricket team player
  • 2013: Bandile Shandu, Premier Soccer League player for Orlando Pirates
  • 2012: Jesse Kriel, South Africa national rugby union team
  • 2018: Ntuthuko Mchunu (head prefect), South Africa national rugby union team

School Song

The Maritzburg College school song, titled the 'College Anthem,' was introduced in August 2013. It was composed by the then Director of Academics, Miss A McLoughlin, and two previous head prefects, Ryan Hosking (2011) and Jesse Filaferro (2012). Its words are as follows:

College Anthem

Through these walls, the strength that binds us,

Men of courage, men of pride.

Passion shared that always finds us,

Bound as brothers side by side.

Chorus:

Our field of gold, time and again,

Ignites our hearts, both boys and men.

And we’ll return from whence we roam,

For the glory, for hearth and home.

Through our cries, our prayers, our laughter,

Stories told for all to hear.

Standing tall, both here and after,

Our guide and crest, our shield and spear.

Publications

The following books about Maritzburg College have been published by the school:

  • 'Anecdota', Random recollections of the Maritzburg High School and College,' by RD Clark (headmaster 1879-1902), P Davis & Sons, Durban, 1908.
  • 'College 1863-1963', A history of Maritzburg High School (1863-1888) and of Maritzburg College, by RW Kent, Shuter & Shooter Publishers, Pietermaritzburg, 1963.
  • 'For Hearth and Home', The story of Maritzburg College, 1863-1988, by Simon Haw, Maritzburg College Publications, Pietermaritzburg, ISBN 9780620 130868, 1988.
  • 'Jimeloyo-Ji!', A history of the Maritzburg College First XV, by Skonk Nicholson and Tony Wiblin, Maritzburg College Publications, Pietermaritzburg, 1990.
  • 'Brothers for Life', Maritzburg College 1863-2013, by Graham Bennetts, Maritzburg College Publications, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.
  • 'Old Walls, New Echoes', Maritzburg College 1986-2015, by Simon Haw, Maritzburg College Publishers, Pietermaritzburg, ISBN 9780620 660105, 2015.

Notes

References