2021 promises to be another year in which we as a community will continue to be introspective in our pursuit to uphold the goals of our legacy as we seek to sustain and foster respect and mutual understanding. As we approach a milestone birthday, our 60th in 2023, we renew our commitment to ending racial discrimination through education and our commitment to raising the future leaders of Africa. In many of our conversations with donors and other stakeholders the role of Waterford Kamhlaba in fostering involvement of our alumni in the development of Africa is key. Your stories of achievement and contributions to the continent help to demonstrate the ROI in a Waterford education. Please continue to share these stories with us, and reach out to us to learn more about how you can support a student.

We look forward to a deeper relationship with our alumni this year. The Advancement Office is always available to hear from you with your comments and suggestions.

Elizabeth Mhangami
Advancement Director

On 3 February 2021 we had the honour of hosting a Speaker Series in celebration of Waterford Kamhlaba’s birthday. It was a great time for alumni across decades to connect. As part of the panel we had Andy Foose (USA, WK 78 - 82), Loyiso Ndlovu (SA, WK 88 – 90), Quinton Reissmann (Eswatini, WK 67 – 73) and William Hatungimana (Rwanda, WK 10 – 11). As part of this series, there was a lot of activity on the chat as alumni answered some of the questions and shared memories and thoughts on their time at WK and after. While we do a countdown to the Generational Debate on 30 March, you can listen to the full recording of the event. We are hopeful that the covid-19 pandemic will be under control soon and we can all meet face to face in 2023 when Waterford Kamhlaba celebrates its 60th birthday. 

One of the questions asked, as part of the 58th birthday celebration was: Did WK have an impact on your life? If yes, what impact did it have?  Here is what some alumni had to say: 

Stephen Brown (WK 85 – 88):
“WK grounded me on almost every aspect of my life and how I live today, my values, my thinking, how I engage & treat people, my emotional intelligence …. I could go on. I think about school almost everyday of my life and still feel I am on holiday and will be returning for the next term in a few weeks!”

Kathryn Monaghan (WK 79 - 81):
“WK is still so relevant - my love for the school and the friends I made there never changes! I am now the headteacher of a primary school in Liverpool and I want to create the same relationships and long lasting connections for the children who attend. I also try to use my experience of a global community at WK to shape their view of themselves as connected to everyone across the world.”

March 10: Waterford Kamhlaba #Choosetochallenge Speaker Series in commemoration of International Women’s day.

March 31: Generational Debate: Countdown to 6 decades to Waterford Kamhlaba. This series will be a discussion between alumni across the generations.

April 7: Speaker Series with  Zoe Dean-Smith.

“The seed of a bamboo tree is planted, fertilized, and watered. Nothing happens for the first year. There´s no sign of growth. Not even a hint. The same thing happens - or doesn't happen - the second year. And then the third year. The tree is carefully watered and fertilized each year, but nothing shows. No growth. No anything. For eight years it can continue. Eight years! Then - after the eight years of fertilizing and watering have passed, with nothing to show for it - the bamboo tree suddenly sprouts and grows thirty feet in three months!” - Zig Zagler 

This month we have celebrated 58 years since the vision of Michael Stern became a  reality. It was on Sunday 3 February 1963, in which the weather seemed to be against the inception of positive change in a time of insidious injustices. It was raining cats and dogs, parents had to be ferried up the hill in a Land Rover, and there was a sea of mud surrounding the new building that would become the home to 16 boys from diverse backgrounds. Since then, the seed to provide quality education to deserving students in spite of race, religion, or financial background, planted by Michael Stern, the founders and the donors who gave in faith to the vision, has grown to a school of 600 students from more than 50 nationalities; a kaleidoscope of backgrounds. It has grown to impact numerous communities in Africa and the world through the wonderful works that alumni are engaged in.

On 10th March 1963, Sir John Maud who was the Ambassador to South Africa and High Commissioner to Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland, described Waterford as an act of faith - faith in the creative value of fellowship among people of different races and creeds, faith in the importance of making a first-class education to university entry available to all.  It is through that faith that 58 years later Waterford Kamhlaba continues to equip diverse students with the skills to be influential leaders in Africa and numerous communities around the world. Through the continued support from alumni who give tirelessly in their valuable time, generously with their gifts and bountifully with their talents. “We are Kamhlaba” united in service to others, in service to the growth of WK, and in service to each other as alumni. 

We are now 58 years, living the motto of unity in serving, and living in the faith of the vision. We have been successful in this achievement because of your support which like watering the bamboo, may seem like there is nothing happening until we have a new mentorship programme or a new sponsored scholarship or a renovated hostel. Thank you for your investment in education, in the growth of the college, and your faith in fellowship among diverse students. We are very grateful that you are part of the Waterford Kamhlaba Family and we are proud of what we have accomplished together. We celebrate because you believe and we will continue to for many years to come. 

By Banele Nkambule
Donor Relations Manager

Waterford Kamhlaba’s IB Class of 2020 maintained the school’s impressive performance in the International Baccalaureate Diploma and International General Certificate of Secondary Education examinations. Read more

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to ravage the world, we remain hopeful that there are better days ahead! Our community has been affected by this situation but we hope that out of this dark cloud a better tomorrow will emerge and we know that we are stronger than this virus; we shall eventually overcome it! More than any other time in history, we are called upon to work together to support each other as well as to look into the future with optimism despite the prevailing condition. Read more

We are creating an online memorial page to honour and remember those who have lost their loves within our WK community; please share thoughts and memories of alumni who lost their lives due to the deadly pandemic so that we can share on our memorial page.

Last year we saw the global challenge of the South African song by Master KG ft Nomcebo titled Jerusalema. This song was sung in different languages and performed in diverse companies and communities around the globe. It brought people together. We also brought together staff and students to perform the dance at the end of last year and we have already challenged other UWC schools to do the same. We have also incorporated a cultural dance element that highlights our Swazi influence. We have used footage from the 2019 UWC Day performance. We hope you will enjoy the video below.

Apex Tutoring

We are pleased to reintroduce the partnership with APEX Tutoring for our alumni interested in pursuing postgraduate study. From 2020 Apex is partnering with Waterford Kamhlaba UWCSA to offer this GMAT scholarship to Waterford alumni in order to assist in the GMAT preparation process and the MBA application journey. Find out more about this opportunity here.

Huron - UWC Global Leader with Heart Award

• Huron, the founding institution of Western University and one of Canada’s oldest universities, is offering a scholarship opportunity to one UWC scholar from September 2021.
• UWC students have until 1 March 2021 to apply.
• Find out how to apply here and find other UWC university scholarship partners here.

Every week, we share employment opportunities via the Kamhlaba Connect Alumni. You can subscribe to the site via email to receive updates directly to your inbox. Please email opportunities you would like to share with the community.

Kofi Bah: As part of the celebratory event on February 3, we asked you what your fondest Waterford Kamhlaba memories were and the Kofi Bah was a major one. Thanks to Khulile Nxumalo (SA-WK ‘89-’90) and Loyiso Ndlovu (SA-WK ‘88-’90) the Kofi Bah was reintroduced last year. We encourage you to sign up to host an hour of the virtual edition of the Kofi Bah by sending an email with your preferred time zone, and let us bring these back to life together.

Virtual Reunions: The class of 2011 and the class of 1996 are celebrating their 10th and 25th reunions, respectively, this year. Please consider hosting virtual reunions to celebrate these milestones. If you would like to facilitate the planning of your year group reunion, please send an email to get the ball rolling. As we look forward to a new normal post covid, please have a look at the reunion guide here and let us know if you would like to be part of organising your class reunion in the near future.

Generational Debate: Mark your calendars for Wednesday, March 31 as we will be reflecting on the different alumni experiences over the years. Soon, Waterford Kamhlaba will be celebrating her 60th birthday and, as we look to this milestone, it is important to reflect on how some things have changed and some have stayed the same over the years.

Kamhlaba Connect: Thank you to everyone who has subscribed to Kamhlaba Connect. This site is meant to be a portal for alumni to share stories, their experiences during and after their time at Waterford. Watch this video to find out more about Kamhlaba Connect. 

Thoughts and Suggestions: Alumni engagement is here to serve you and we welcome any thoughts, suggestions and additions that you may have. Please feel free to send an email with any comments and contributions. We would, further, like to feature your stories and thoughts as part of the alumni blog. please send us an email if you would like to share.

Call out to graduating cohort "Class of '73": If you started at WK in Form A in 1967, then you are part of the “Class of ‘73” cohort,  even if you didn't go through all the way to Form VI in 1973. Faarooq Mangera, Xolile Guma and Kumarun Chetty are working towards organising a reunion in celebration of this class. If you would like to join the cohort WhatsApp group and to stay updated as the planning develops, you can contact Faarooq.

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