39 38 The Chronicle 2021 Centenary Edition Back row (L-R): Sphesihle Zondi, Louis Nel, MJ Mcengwa Middle row: Giovan Linton, Joshua Maskell, Javhar Naidoo, Avuzwa Gazi Seated: Andrew Sandy, Taylin Govender, Mr Manzini Zungu, Nhlangano Zulu (Chairman), Ongama Duze Absent: Ryan Denekamp, Ethan Groom IMBIZO The Kearsney College Imbizo was established in 2016 to support and facilitate transformation, diversity and inclusion in the College. The Imbizo, made up of boys from Grades 9 to 12 from a wide range of cultural, language, religious and gender-identity groups within the College, provides a platform where the boys of the College can engage in honest and open discussions around these important topics. The Imbizo promotes and celebrates the diversity of cultures and identities of all those in the Kearsney community and works hard to ensure that boys understand the different histories and contexts which shape the lives of the diverse boys who attend Kearsney College. Deputy Headmaster Mr Manzini Zungu is responsible for leading and guiding the Imbizo. The pupils on the Imbizo are recognised by their fellow pupils as trusted leaders who they can approach to discuss and report any incidents of concern. They take a firm stand on issues of racism and prejudice and support Kearsney College’s position of zero-tolerance for this behaviour. As Nhlangano Zulu, the 2021 Chairman of Imbizo, said, “We are very firm and clear that we do not accept any form of prejudice at Kearsney College, but we also understand that we need to help boys to change their views, as they have come from contexts which have determined their attitudes and behaviour, and they have not always been exposed to other ways of life. Over time, as boys move up through the grades, they change. They learn from the Imbizo and the culture within the College that racism and prejudice are not accepted nor tolerated here. These issues seldom arise in the higher grades”. In 2021 Imbizo representative Javhar Naidoo led the Youth Day celebration on 16 June. He presented an inspiring speech on the role of the youth in creating change in South Africa and building the country and its future. The speech highlighted the diversity of the youth of South Africa and how there is strength in this diversity. This echoed the speech given by Bishop Purity Malinga at the opening of Kearsney’s Centenary Centre. She encouraged the boys of the College to become the leaders and agents of change for the future in South Africa while recognising the challenges as South Africa deals with economic and social challenges and the COVID pandemic. The alignment of Javhar’s speech with the bishop’s reflects the wisdom, maturity and vision of the boys in the Imbizo. Heritage Day celebrations, held on 23 September, are strongly supported by the Imbizo. This day is an opportunity for all boys to reflect on and celebrate their culture, histories, language and identities. Taylin Govender presented a moving tribute to his culture and family in his Heritage Day speech. He described the extraordinary life of his Indian grandmother and the impact her life had on him. His colourful descriptions of her life in Clairwood, a site of immense cultural significance in Durban, which is not always recognised, opened everyone’s eyes to the fantastic diversity of life in South Africa and how we can all benefit. The boys of the Imbizo of 2021 feel privileged to be part of this group. They have said that they have learned so much from each other and from Mr Zungu. They acknowledge how far Kearsney College has come in its transformation journey and note that there is still significant work to do. They value being able to mentor and guide the boys of the College, particularly the younger boys, who they say are often uninformed about prejudice and exclusion. This change is becoming more evident, as boys, for example, can now introduce themselves as coming from traditional clans, linking their family’s names and their place to their identity and culture. In addition, the visit to the College by Her Majesty the Queen in October created awareness and respect for the role of the Zulu royal family. All languages are recognised and supported. The Imbizo addresses issues related to prejudice regarding language use and exclusionary behaviour based on language, particularly for those not speaking the dominant languages of English and isiZulu. As a result, boys can speak more openly about their sexual orientation and live more freely within their own identities. The boys of the 2021 Imbizo recognise that they need to do more work on gender and genderbased violence issues and continue addressing systemic inequality issues related to race. Spending time with the Imbizo is a life-changing experience. The wisdom, maturity, tolerance, understanding, leadership and empathy of the group of boys is inspiring and reflects the light and hope of South Africa. Prof. Cathy Sutherland Kearsney board member and Mr Manzini Zungu Deputy in Charge Kearsney College Imbizo Extract from Leavers’ Dinner Speech by Bakhe Dlamini, Sheffield prefect My name is Bafanabakhe Gcinani. The last-born son of the Dlamini tribe ophuma kangwane abo Nkhos’, Dlamini, wena WeKunene, Gwalgwala. I can introduce myself in this manner primarily because Kearsney has created a platform- a platform for me and other students to express their cultural and religious identities. Kearsney provided this platform as they embrace the privilege that many of us enjoy in representing our respective families. But this is not the only thing I’m thankful for. In 2018, while I was being driven to The Valley of 1000 Hills to meet “500 faces”, I never knew that a unique brotherhood would form to last a lifetime. Boys going through the same experience as me will all remember being received and welcomed by coaches, teachers, staff and finally the headmaster, who welcomed me, with the other Grade 8s, into his home for at the New Boy dinner in 2018. But with the boys the feeling of acceptance is a bit different. Whether you have been at Kearsney for five years, four years, three years, it does not matter. How I see it, we are all like fine wine. We all enter the cellar at different times, but it is almost as if we all know we will come out as fine wine, so we treat each other the same. Kearsney has shown us all how we are blessed- to have three meals a day, to have the online lessons during the COVID lockdown, to having the lights on during load shedding. We are not only fortunate as boys, we are privileged, and it is a privilege we cannot ignore, but sometimes as boys we forget. In conclusion, I will forever be grateful to Kearsney for teaching and showing me this privilege in life. Allowing me to form brotherhoods free from the shackles of racial segregation or financial marginalisation, as we put aside our differences to focus on one narrative comprising leadership, excellence, manners, and respect.I thank Sheffield House, I thank the boys of the College and, finally, I thank Kearsney. Carpe diem!
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