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."Maritzburg College admission numbers", memorandum provided by the Maritzburg College admission department in December 2024
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. In late 2024, alumni Andile Simelane (cricket) and Sheldon de Klerk (bodybuilding) earned national colours - in doing so, becoming the school's 338th and 339th sporting internationals.It's brother school is Pretoria Boys High School sharing many cultural and sports exchanges for the past 54 years.Spreadsheet titled "Maritzburg College International Sportsmen", as maintained by the Maritzburg College Archives, December 2024.
History
Victorian origins
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,For a biography of Philip Maurice Dudgeon, see was commissioned to design on the then outskirts of the city a larger classroom and boarding block, which was completed in 1888. This later became known as , honouring the school's third headmaster, RD Clark (MA (Oxon)). He is often referred to as .
Clark House carries the KwaZulu-Natal provincial heritage authorities' seal certifying it as a heritage landmark. A similar honour was bestowed on the school's Victoria Hall, the building of which commenced in 1897 (Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee year). During the Second Boer War, it served as a British Army hospital from November 1899 until July 1900.
Headmasters Since the school's foundation in 1863, the following 15 men have held the post of headmaster of Maritzburg College:
Calder, William, (Edinburgh Training College), 1863-1867 Forder, James, BA (Cantab), 1868-1878 Clark, Robert D, MA (Oxon), 1879-1902 Barns, Ernest W ('Pixie'), MA (London), 1902-1925 Pape, Septimus W, MA (Oxon), 1926-1937 Snow, John H ('Froggy'), BA Hons (London), 1937-1941 Hudson, John W ('John-Willie'), BA (NUC), 1941-1953 Fuller, Raymond E ('Bones'), BA, 1954-1965 * Commons, Hector J, MA (South Africa), 1966-1977 * Olivier, Keith, BA UED (Natal), 1978-1985 * Forde, Dr R Dudley, MA (Natal), PhD (UNISA), 1986-1992 Elliott, Kenneth P, BA BEd (Natal), 1992-2002 * Pearson, Clive E, BA UED (Rhodes), 2003-2005 Jury, D Ronald, BSc UED (Natal), 2006-2012 Luman, Dr Christopher J, MEd, PhD (UNISA) BA HDE (UCT) PGDip Sport Management (Massey), 2013-2025 Redfern, Alan 2025-
School crest, colours and motto
The school crest is a red shield with a crossed carbine and assegai (a traditional Zulu weapon), over the Latin scroll bearing (For Hearth and Home).
The College colours of red, black and white were first introduced in 1891 by EJ Holgate, the captain of the school's football team. A short while later, Mr RD Clark instituted the school motto (derived from the Latin inscription he composed for the Colonial War Memorial, now in the foyer of Clark House) and the badge of carbine-and-assegai, both of which were initially connected more with the school's Old Boys' Association than the school. An ardent Victorian, Mr Clark was especially proud that 11 of his young school's sons had died in the valiant (as he saw them) colonial struggles 'for hearth and home' (the motto) – hence the school's martial insignia too. Notably, seven alumni had died at the bloody Battle of Isandlwana. Two of the school's most prized artefacts are assegais that had been retrieved from the battlefield in June 1879; these were presented to the school in 2018 and 2022, respectively.
Debate has taken place as to why Holgate chose the combination of red, black and white for the school's colours. A popular belief is that they highlight the various skirmishes, battles and wars between the British and the Zulu that took place in the late 19th century (especially Isandlwana). The colours are said to represent the warring parties (white and black) and the blood that was shed between them (red).
Houses Although Maritzburg College operated as a boarding school soon after its foundation in 1863, the school's system of sports Houses was not introduced until 1902. Initially, a system of four Houses was introduced. A fifth House – Nathan House – was added in 1910. The old Houses were as follows:
, named after the third headmaster, RD Clark (headmaster 1879–1902) , named after Clark's long-serving senior assistant master, Rev John D Stalker (staff 18811902) , named after Stalker's successor, AS Langley (staff 18971909) , named after an early Games Master at the school, W Oxland (staff 19011908) Sir Matthew Nathan House or simply , after the last governor of Natal, Sir Matthew Nathan
The old House system of five sporting Houses was replaced in 2014 with 10 new so-called 'day' Houses. Each of these meets every morning, has about 130 boys, and form the basis of the school's strong mentoring programme. The Houses are now as follows:
, named after the first headmaster, William Calder , named after the second headmaster, James Forder , named after the fourth headmaster, Ernest Barns , named after the fifth headmaster, Septimus Pape , named after the sixth headmaster, John Snow , named after the eighth headmaster, Raymond Fuller , named after the ninth headmaster, Hector Commons , named after former Vice Principal, SE Lamond (staff 19111950) , named after former Deputy Headmaster and distinguished rugby coach, JM Skonk Nicholson (staff 19441982) , named after former Deputy Headmaster, JR 'Cabbage' Strachan (staff 19521978)Records of the Maritzburg College Archives, September 2013
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. Thus, a boarder in the Clark House might these days find himself assigned to Nicholson's day House.
The school's five boarding Houses are:
: opened in 1910 and the home of the school's approximately 100 grade 8 (Form 2) boarders : home to about 100 boys in Forms 3-5 : opened in 1958 and home to about 130 boys in Forms 3-5 : opened in 1998 and home to about 80 Form 6 boarders (originally called College House until 2013) : purchased from the Shepstone family on behalf of the school in 1919 and used for many years as the school's sanatorium and for staff housing. The fifth boarding house, "New" Shepstone House, next door to the old building, was designed by Charles Taylor, the 1984 head prefect, and opened in September 2018. It houses up to 90 boarders in grades 9 to 11.
Academic standards
The school employs 105 teachers on its academic staff - in addition to scores of administrative, estates, additional sports and other support staff. The subjects offered at grade 12 level include accounting, Afrikaans, agricultural sciences, business studies, computer applications & technology, dramatic arts, economics, English, geography, engineering & graphic design, history, information technology, life sciences, life orientation, mathematics, mathematical literacy, ap maths, music, physical science, visual arts and Zulu.
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 first inter-schools cricket and rugby matches were both played against the , on 6 October 1870, with the then High School (now ) winning both fixtures. The cricket match was played in the morning on the Camp Grounds and the rugby match was played in the afternoon on the Pietermaritzburg market square.