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Telling Staff stories.
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TIME, TALENT & TREASURE... HONOURING EPHRAIM MALEKA
TIME, TALENT & TREASURE... HONOURING EPHRAIM MALEKA
We take pleasure in sharing with you the inspiring Time, Talent and Treasure story of Ephraim Maleka, one of the longest serving staff members of the Saints Family who has had massive impact on St Stithians College and who retires at the end of this year. We are grateful to Ephraim for his invaluable contribution, for #InspiringExcellence and #MakingAWorldOfDifference. We wish him only the best in his retirement and honour him for his dedicated service to the College for the past 37 years. we will miss him, One and All. Once a Saint, Always a Saint.
Ephraim hails from Nebo region in Limpopo and is married to Mataamane. He has 5 children, 3 girls aged 33, 30 and 20 years and twin boys who are now 26 years old. In his free time he likes to garden and watch soccer and is an avid Kaizer Chiefs Fan! We invite you to read more about Ephraim's story and his messages of hope.
There are many servant leaders that give of their Time, Talent & Treasure to Saints, should you wish to put someone forward to be considered for this celebration, whether a current or past staff member, student, parent or part of our Community of Belonging, we invite you to send a mail to moments@stithian.com
Every contribution that is made to St Stithians, big or small is acknowledged and we are grateful for the immense contribution that our Community have made and continue to make to St Stithians and beyond...
Roland Andongndou
Roland Andongndou
Anna Rammupya
Anna Rammupya
Name and surname
Anna Rammupya, parent of two children (boy 27 years old who is an electric engineer and 16 years old girl currently in Grade 10)
How would your family and friends describe you?
As a hard worker, I am the only graduate out of the six children my mother birthed.
Brief background
When I started here at Saints I only had a matric certificate. After matric, I wanted to be a nurse but my sister had a car accident that year so I had to come to Johannesburg to take care of her. She used to work for Darrel Webb, who at that time was a teacher at Boys’ Prep and lived in house number four. I always wanted to further my studies but because of my disadvantaged background and my mother’s inability to fund my studies, I couldn’t pursue my love for school. My mother had six children, which she raised by herself with a domestic worker’s salary, at that time she was earning R700.00 a month. I believe that my lack of knowledge about bursaries at that time placed me in a disadvantaged position. I always used to think that only people who are wealthy or have enough money are the only ones that go to varsities to pursue their dreams and those that didn’t have any money would be nobodies. I started here as a temp cleaner in 1996 based in Junior Prep because the lady who was in that position was on sick leave (she had cancer), when she returned I then moved to Girls’ College still as a temp cleaner. I applied for a photocopier post at GC and was successful, and I was then fortunate to be taught how to answer the phone at reception. I was required to stand in for the receptionist when she went on lunch and during the school holidays. I then took on the role of being an office administrator in the GC counselling department, when the lady who fulfilled that role resigned. After that, I became a library assistant in GC, up until now.
What qualification do you have?
She extended her gratitude to Joan Buckley, a former GC Geography teacher for encouraging her to further her studies. Few years after I started here, in 1998 I registered with Damelin for a correspondence office administrative clerk course and attended classes on Saturdays. I didn't know the difference between part-time and correspondence, And only after I applied and Damelin sent me a message to come make payments and collect study material, did I find out that I had chosen a correspondence instead of part-time. In 1999 she registered at Boston to do a computer qualification because I felt like it was the right thing to do and would put me to an advantage since I was surrounded by computers every day at work. I was always eager to learn and every time an opportunity came I took it. In 2011 I applied at UNISA to do (BINF); Bachelors of Information Science. It took me eight years to obtain the qualification because when I first registered I registered for one module out of 40 modules, which was cut down to 30 modules later on because the qualification I had initially registered for was outdated and being phased out, so we were then registered to embark on the latest version of that qualification. Another reason the 4-year qualification took me 8 years was due to failing and repeating certain modules. I believe failed repeatedly because I did not have adequate writing skills.
What makes you happy?
What makes me happy is seeing children with the passion to study and upskill themselves because in life a lot of things will come and go, many people will come into your life and take something away from you, but no one will ever take your qualification away from you.
What challenges did you face along the 8-year journey of your qualification?
· Financial difficulties- I had to learn how to prioritise (to have enough money for registrations while being the sole provider at home).
· Having to walk for hours to get to the UNISA campus
· Attending to my own needs and my children’s needs
· Living in a noisy neighborhood
· I used to live in a shack, sometimes I had to study with a candlelight
Did Saints assist you in paying for your fees?
Yes, they did but only a portion of my fees I used to save up my bonus every year so I can pay for registration
What kept you going or motivated you to get the qualification despite all the difficulties you faced?
I told myself that a lot of people lose their jobs every day, and when you don’t have any qualification attached to your name you have nothing to fall back to, at least when you have a university qualification there are lots of other opportunities out there. My qualification is a way a sense my job security.
Why did you choose to do BINF (Bachelor of Information)?
I did it because I was appointed as a library assistant and realized that it would be advantageous for me to do a qualification in line with my current job title.
What is your greatest fear?
I fear that due to these technological advancements my role as a library assistant will be not be needed or be of importance in the future, especially in an environment like Saints. We used to order thousands of books, last year we only ordered less than a hundred.
Would you like to continue to study further or maybe embark on another qualification?
I wanted to study PGCE for foundation phase through UNISA or North West University this year only to find out that it is phased out.
Is there anything else who you like to say, to inspire someone to embark on the journey that you took?
I used to go to school on an empty stomach, and I had to walk a long distance without shoes just to get to school, and that didn’t stop me from going to school. I had to work on farms during December holidays to have just enough money for school fees and books. I remember I used to cover my school books with Selati sugar paper wrap. I guess the moral of these stories is to tell everyone who is willing to listen that no matter what you going through today it doesn’t mean tomorrow won’t be better. Always strive to be all that you can be, never give up, refrain from holding on to things that won’t be of importance later on. If you work hard, especially in your studies, opportunities will always come your way
I will always be thankful to my son who supported me throughout my studies and grateful to St Stithians College for helping me to acquire a house loan to buy my own house and for paying a portion of my fees
In these extraordinary times we would have greatly wanted to celebrate our long serving staff with over 400 attendees in the Chapel as they would have been presented with their awards. Still, we congratulate and celebrate them on reaching this important service milestone.
Having started his employment in 1991, at age 20, Mr Petros Zulu from Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu Natal, is celebrating his 30th year of service with St Stithians College.
Zulu remembers how his brother, Andries Dlamini, who retired after 40 years of service to the College in 2018, was the one who recommended that he also apply to work at St Stithians. Zulu joined the College as a groundsman, where his duties included maintaining the sports grounds. After a few years, his role changed to driving the tractor to assist with refuse removal. In 2015 he had joined the operations events team where he forms a valuable member of the team that is involved in setting up for all functions and events on campus. He is very pleased with the skills development opportunities which the College has afforded him.
Zulu enjoys the Rugby festivals where he gets to see old boys who still recognise him and are pleasantly surprised that he is still works at College. He also enjoys working with his colleagues with whom he often shares jokes, laughter, and great memories together.
He has served under three male Rectors and is happy to be part of the College with its first female Rector and says it is a big step in the continuous growth of the College.
Zulu comes from a big family with him being the last born of 10 siblings. He currently lives with his partner, and three children with whom he is very close.
We celebrate Petros Zulu’s 30 years of dedicated service anniversary and we say a big thank you for the contribution he has made and continues to make as a valuable member of the Campus Operations team.
Petros Zulu
Petros Zulu
Courtney Watson
Courtney Watson
What is your role at the College and how long have you been working for Saints?
HoD English, Director of Outdoor Education, MIC Mountain Biking. This is my 16th year at Saints.
When did you Matriculate from Saints?
31/12/1998
Tell us about your journey from being a student at Saints to now choosing to return as a staff member?
Initially I didn't know what to do after school, but my Rowing accolades enabled me to get a job as a coach and boatman at Abingdon School near Oxford in the UK. After a wonderful year overseas I enrolled for a BComm at RAU, having no real clear idea of my intended career path. Luke Hartley approached me to coach Rowing at the start of 2000 and while I slogged away at what looked like financial nonsense to me, I continued to coach. I made a mess of my degree in that first year and in retrospect, I don't know what I was thinking enrolling in a degree that dealt with numbers (this was far from my forte). I was not in a good place at varsity, and towards the end of the Rowing season, the then Headmaster, Mr Ian McLaughlan had a chat to me about my career ideas. He was the one that suggested that I explore courses that interested me and think hard about whether I would continue my BComm. Needless to say, that is what I did and I created a new course for myself (an Arts Degree) with subjects like Psychology, Philosophy and English...but I didn't know what I would do with it. Two years later I had another conversation with Ian who suggested I enroll as an English intern at Saints as he thought I might be good at the whole teaching thing. I had dabbled in teaching at Abingdon (Geography of all things), so I decided to give it a go. My year as an intern culminated in the offer of a full-time post, thanks to the recommendations from Jill Worth, Lidia Upton and Luke Hartley under the condition that I completed my honours degree. I did that and it seems that as the result of a lot of fortuitous connections and kind mentors who were looking out for me, I found my niche in the classroom.
What do you enjoy most about being back at Saints?
I like the space that Saints give us to grow. We are at an innovative school where trying new things is encouraged and we constantly push the boundaries of teaching and interrogate the purpose behind what goes into the school.
Tell us a bit about yourself and something most people wouldn’t know about you?
I think I am pretty much an open book. Most people know that I nurture a deep connection to the wild spaces in our country and time in the bush feeds my soul. I love old things and am fortunate to have access to vintage aircraft and cars through my father. I love my family and have two beautiful children (everyone says that but mine are really amazing) and a wife that gives me the space to do the things that I enjoy. She is incredible.
What are the most challenging and/or funniest moments you’ve experienced in the classroom?
We had two genets in the rescue centre outside my classroom. One day one of the genets managed to escape and retreated to the very top of a tree (also outside my class). She was terrified and hissed at everyone walking passed. So, after an English lesson, I took off my jacket, and climbed the tree to fetch the genet. As I got closer to her, she moved further up the branches until we were both in a very precarious position. Wobbling on flimsy branches, I manage to grab the genet, which proceeded to bite my hand, and when I didn't release her, she decided to send a cascade of urine all the way down my shirt. I managed to move my hand to hold her by the back of her neck, reversed down the tree and placed her back in the enclosure. Needless to say my odour had become less that appealing thanks to the genet, and thankfully only one class had to put up with a disheveled, pee-stained English teacher trying to extract meaning out of Shakespeare during the last lesson of the day! The genets are still seen around campus, incidentally, and have found their home here since their release.
Was there a teacher or teachers who had a particularly strong influence on your life? What did you learn about teaching from them?
It is interesting looking back on teachers who have had an impact. I am often struck by how I became aware of the meaningful place teachers had in my life well after I had left school. I always feel like I missed the opportunity of thanking them properly when I was in Matric - or maybe I was just being a typical teenager. In any case, having made contact with them in later life was quite profound for me. There are too many to list comprehensively here, so I will just include a sample of some of these mentors: Jumbo Williams: Jumbo taught in the Boys Prep and he was the one that got me into loving the outdoors. I often spent time playing at the school dam (only the top one existed way back when I was here) missing cricket practises, which I absolutely hated. For this transgression, I was often sent to Jumbo's office for a conversation with his county cricket bat. I must mention that Jumbo had an amazing office that was filled with wildlife pictures, shelves of interesting artefacts like snakeskins and feathers as well as stuffed animals. He made a deal with me during one of our 'conversations'. He had seen my interest in nature and said that if I brought a dead bird to his home, he would teach me about taxidermy and anatomy, sparing my bum another bruising. So, that weekend at the airfield, I found a kieviet that had been hit by an aeroplane. It was a mess, so instead of stuffing that, he showed me a spotted eagle owl, which we worked on together. It was like a light bulb had gone off for me. I was amazed t the intricacies of the bird's structure - the way the wing was shaped to enable it to fly, its glistening talons, and light bones. I joined the bird club after that, which Jumbo ran, and as a family we erected a bird feeder in our garden and began taking trips to the Kruger Park. This was where my love of the bush really started. Stuart Walls: Stuart was a biology teacher at the Boys' College and he ran the Wildlife Club. It was a society in which I eagerly enrolled when I joined Grade 8. Stuart would put together the most incredible trips around Southern Africa. We spent a lot of time camping in the Blyde Canyon under the guidance of a retired ranger, Dave Rushworth. We slept out in a derelict camp at the Manyeleti Game Reserve and I have happy memories doing sentry duty around the fire while hyenas stalked the edges of our campsite or a civit tried to scrounge the bone from a lamb chop left by the braai. We had a particularly memorable experience when we were playing clay lat in a waterhole and had to squash ourselves down into the muddy water whilst a herd of elephants came down to drink. We took a two week tour through Zimbabwe and Botswana when I was in Grade 9 and I still have the journal of old photographs from that memorable adventure. The most exceptional experience that Stuart gave us was a month-long tour through Australia. We fund raised for two years before getting there and our group experienced the isolation of the outback, the dense forests of Daintree and diving the Great Barrier Reef. It was incredible, and I think that many of my visions for the Outdoor Pillar at Saints come from these experiences. Jill Worth: I was lucky to be in Jill's Matric class. She was such a different teacher and she managed to bring whatever text we were studying to life. Somehow everything had a link to our own stories and the things we were going through as teenagers. Her classroom was an assault on the sense as every spare wall space was plastered with posters, quotes and pieces of writing. Jill saw some talent in me, and I thrived under her journal system. We all had to keep a journal and write as much of whatever we wanted. I neglected much of my other homework as I became absorbed in writing. Jill was a prolific marker as well, and we could even leave an essay underneath her windscreen wiper which would be happily marked the next day. As an English teacher myself, now, I am not sure how she did it. Jill really encouraged my writing and with it I gained a huge confidence boost as I was a very introverted teenager. Luke Hartley: Luke drove on my other schoolboy passion - Rowing. I think that is what I spent most of my time on whilst at school - Rowing and Writing. I was not one for ball sports (a typical Rower, I guess) but I found a home in the authenticity of the sport. there is nowhere to hide in Rowing. You are a gear in your team where little differences can have a huge impact on results. I loved training hard, the camaraderie of shared goals. The drive. The satisfaction of when the boat sang underneath us. Luke was an uncompromising task master when we are on the water. He demanded nothing but the best and I always wanted to deliver that - no matter how tired I was. I enjoyed the companionship that he nurtured in our crew and the manner in which we were able to lean on each other. Rowing was like a religion, and Luke saw promise in my abilities. He was also such a mentor off the water. He was an adult with whom we could speak openly, and he would provide good advice without judgement. As I said before, Luke is largely to thank for where I am today as he opened opportunities for me.
What is the best and worst advice you have been given?
Best Advice: Teaching is not about the subject - it is about the relationships, and one needs to find avenues to build authentic relationships with students and colleagues.
What do you do for fun?
Cycling, camping, flying, spending time with family.
Fiona Swartz
Fiona Swartz
EA to the Head of Advancement
Fiona, known to everyone as ‘Fi’, was the first child born to British parents Brian and Jane Mullin in 1961. She was born in Cyprus, as her father who was in the British Army, was posted there at the time. When she was 6-months of age, the family returned to England. Her brother Nigel was born four years later, and they lived in England until 1975 when they emigrated to South Africa. Fiona attended Bryanston High School in Standard 7 and 8 (Grade 9 and 10) and then matriculated from Modern Methods Business College in 1979.
Fi has always had a keen interest in music and learned the piano from an early age, then progressing to study classical and acoustic guitar and singing. Following Matric she worked as a secretary in the mornings and taught guitar in the afternoons.
Fi has one son, Steven, born in 1988. Her history with the Saints family began when she started in a part time position assisting with administration in Post Matric in 1993. This then grew into a more permanent position in the Boys’ College Psychological Support Department. She left the BC in 2009 to join the Boys’ Prep as PA to the Head, Alistair Stewart. Having very fond memories of BC, she penned the following farewell poem:
MY ST STITHIANS BOYS’ COLLEGE
To my dear BC colleagues, I say adieu
But not goodbye, I’ll still be seeing you
Still a smile on my face as I’ll not be far away
Just down at the Prep, so come and say ‘hey!’
Boys’ College has a special place in my heart
And for that reason it is very hard to part
I leave you a poem of my favourite Saints things
From the boys themselves to the chapel bell that rings
Arriving at school when the new day is dawning
Mist over the Dam on a cold winter’s morning
Boys in the Chapel preparing to learn
Teachers in the classroom, dedicated but stern
Arts Festival excitement – a day of culture
And food and music, fun and laughter
Grade 8 businesses and stalls aplenty
Selling all day ‘till their shops are empty.
The harmonious Dukes with their wonderful voices
Sports and culture a wide range of choices
Prize Giving and plays staged in Mears Hall
Matric Dances and Easter Festivals, great events all
Wonderful boys, polite and respectful
‘Morning Ma’am, morning Sir’, forever grateful
Phenomenal teachers, no better in the nation
Such care for their boys and total dedication
Prefects and PR boys, Deputies and Head
No team anywhere could be better led
Every creed and every race
A privilege for all to belong in this place
Beautiful walks after work in the grounds
Guineafowl making their melodious sounds
Egyptian geese with their families in tow
Egrets and hadidas all in a row
Matrics’ last day, celebration and tears
The end of a journey that’s lasted five years
The Bezant is a Knight, he rings the bell
As they bid a bittersweet farewell
Arm in arm, brother to brother
Bonds have been made like no other
‘Oh One and All’, ‘Red, Grey and White’
‘Once a Saints Always a Saint’, futures so bright
To all in this family, to all who belong
Whether teaching or learning about right and wrong
To ‘One and All’, in this wonderful school
St Stithians Boys’ College – YOU RULE!!!
Fi then joined Alistair as his Executive Assistant in 2016 after he had been appointed as Head of Advancement. They are based in the Girls’ College, and she has enjoyed getting to know the staff on that side of the campus.
The Advancement Department comprises a dynamic team of staff who take care of Admissions, Marketing, PR and Communications, Events, OSA/Alumni, Archives, Foundation and Fundraising, Saints Seconds, and the general sustainability of the College.
Mark de Buys
Mark de Buys
What is your role at the College and how long have you been working for Saints?
English teacher. 36 years.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Lawyer.
What are the most challenging and/or funniest moments you’ve experienced at Saints?
Every day.
Looking back, what advice would you give to yourself in your first year of teaching?
Teach. Don't lecture.
Tell us a bit about yourself and something most people wouldn’t know about you?
Missed Grade 6. Left school when I was 17. Went into army.
How would you like your colleagues to remember you?
Often.
Tell us your best joke.
Can't. It's rude.
What is your favourite song?
Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
What Superpower would you like to possess and why?
Talk to animals. They have a lot to tell us.
What is the best and worst advice you have been given?
Hit the school bully (worst).
Hit the school bully with a brick (best).
For future generations of Saints staff reading this: is there any wisdom you’d want to pass on to them? What would you want them to know?
Don't take yourself or parents so seriously. Don't try to be liked by the boys. They will or won't like you anyway.
What are you looking forward to, during your retirement?
Spending time with my wife, kids and pets in that order. Riding my bikes.
Who else do you think we should profile? Why?
Gerard Depardieu.
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