Manenberg to Delft to KwaZulu-Natal

On October 4, we were visited by 45 students, mostly grade sevens, from Mahlabathini Primary School in Mahlabathini, north over the Black Mfolozi River in northern KwaZulu-Natal, led by technology teacher Mr Nkululeko Cele.

''It was very good, the staff at the science centre divide the children into different classes and they do some practical things. The children took their models all the way back to KwaZulu-Natal to show their parents what they have done at the MTN Sciencentre. We don't want to miss those lessons at the science centre,'' said Mr Cele.



In addition, Grade nine students came from Manenberg High School (above) in the area of the same name in Athlone. Their trip was organised by Ludwig Bernard of the school, which has had its ups and downs. Last year one of Manenberg's learners, Cheslyn Jones, was fatally stabbed by gang members outside the school.

On the other hand, last year Manenberg also got a matric pass result of 85.29% (to give you a comparison, it was about 35% a few years earlier) and is hoping to do better in the 2007 matric exams, which start any day now. A visit to the MTN Sciencentre - courtesy of sponsorship from the Department of Science and Technology - seems like a good way to work towards achieving a 100% matric pass rate!

On the same day, we had a visit from Rosendaal High School (above) in the remote and poor satellite township of Delft, a mixture of shacks and small cinder block houses some 35 kilometres away from the rest of Cape Town. This is what the school itself has to say about itself:

''Situated in Delft, Rosendaal High serves a poor socio-economic community with high incidents of unemployment, gangsterism and crime. The road towards technology has therefore been a long and difficult one for the school and from their humble beginnings of one computer donated by an ex-deputy-principal for administrative purposes, Rosendaal High now has a full Khanya computer laboratory (see below).''


This is the school that sent 70 learners from grades 8 and 9, escorted by teachers Mr Claude Petersen and Mrs Barbara Mouton. ''In an area like us, our learners don't get out of it much and they enjoy it when they do,'' said the school's newly-appointed maths and science subject head, Virgil Fritz. ''Our learners were very excited, I could see that. Their report back was also very positive.''

The school's visit was subsidised by the Department of Science and Technology, so no fees were necessary for their visit to the MTN Sciencentre. ''It's a very challenging situation for us,'' said Mr Fritz. ''They made it free for us and that is important to us because we are a sub-economic area. If there was money involved, we wouldn't have gone.''

Students also came from Khayelitsha's Matthew Goniwe Memorial High School, named for the teacher and activist who was assassinated and his corpse mutilated by apartheid-era policemen. Learners from Malibu High in Malibu Village also came on the same day, courtesy of sponsorship from the Department of Science and Technology.

PS: The next day, Muizenberg High visited. Surfer's Corner! And Eloise Nefdt and John Crossland took the Mellow Yellow mobile laboratory out to Oliver Tambo (not the airport, silly, that's in Johannesburg; this is a high school named after the teacher who led the African National Congress in exile). We'd tell you more, but we don't want to overload you.