It was a privilege during apartheid times to have been able attend Kimberley Boys High School, yet many still argue that nothing much has changed with the transformation at the school as oppression still continues to take place within the school. While the old boys are meant to be the guardians of the school, many of them still feel unheard by the entities within the school.
The Old Boys Union (OBU) held a lekgotla on Saturday at the school’s library which also serves as a memorial for all the world war heroes, to discuss the transformation issues pertaining to the school. The old boys expressed how most of these memorials are in fact oppressing young black people within the school because they cannot relate to any of the said heroes who are celebrated every year without fail. The library has no sign of a black hero though the learners of the school are predominantly black students.
Apartheid regime flag
The old boys have been fighting for the removal of the apartheid flag for a two years however their cries fell on deaf ears. It was only after the Solomon Star reported on the flag being oppressive to the current demographic of learners in the school that the flag was removed from the foyer of the school’s library. Chairperson of the School Governing Body (SGB), Bobby Brown expressed how unhappy he is with how the Department of Education dealt with the removal of the flag.
“I am not happy with how the department dealt with the removal of the flag as the SGB was not approached. We were only told that the flag will be removed from the library. That flag is part of our history”.
Kimberley Boys High School has automatic protection under the 60-year rule contained in the National Heritage Resources Act and was declared a Provincial Heritage Site on the 16th of February 1990.
Though Brown is not impressed with how the department dealt with the removal of flag, it seems the old boys are delighted with its removal and are hopeful that more oppressive items will be removed from the school premises.
The old boys raised complains about not being taken seriously by the SGB and management of the school as they invited the SGB and management numerous times to their old boys meetings, to which no representatives from either parties attended. They were pleased with Brown’s attendance of the weekend meeting. The Old Boys went on to complain that even during their founders march, which is aimed at commemorating black men who died, not all the names of the fallen soldiers are called.
Old boy, Masa Dibase says he wants to see change in the school because he’d like two of his sons to attend the school in the next few years.
The old boys continued discussing transformation policy that will deal with challenging tradition within the school. The old boys want the pictures on the walls of all the white heroes of the memorial to be removed as they do not speak to young black boys. Development is needed where black excellence is celebrated.
The old boys have great plans for the school and hope that they will reach an understanding with other groups within the school.
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