PUPILS at Seatides Combined School and Fairbreeze Secondary, in Tongaat, showed their resilience and determination when they obtained a 96.7% and 95.2% pass rate, respectively, for the 2024 matric exams.
During the June 2024 tornado, the Seatides school was completely destroyed and hundreds of pupils from Fairbreeze Secondary were displaced after losing their homes and belongings.
Krystle Pillay, the principal of Fairbreeze Secondary, said they worked hard to ensure their pupils succeeded despite the impact of the tornado.
“I am ecstatic at the results. Many of them had no homes but still produced quality results. Many of them are from bad socio-economic backgrounds and had absolutely nothing to their names after the tornado. But they still made it their mission to do well and pass,” added Pillay.
“Our teachers were also dedicated to making these pupils successful. They even stayed after hours to teach the pupils for the next day's exams. What’s so heart-warming is that all the pupils came through despite having an excuse not to. They did not let this disaster define them. They chose to emerge winner,” said Pillay.
She said one of the most heart-wrenching moments was receiving the pupils just two days after the tornado had hit.
“The Department of Education said we had to reopen the school and write the exams. I remember the pupils crying at the gate. They had nothing - no uniforms, books, pens, or bags. We just hugged them and encouraged them to write the exams. Sadly, they did so in tears,” she added.
“My pupils knew the value of their matric certificate and they wanted it so they could have a better life. They listened to us and made sure they wrote their exams, which is especially hard knowing you have no home to return to after your papers or even a book to revise from.”
Amahle Hadbe, from Magoveni, lost her home and everything her mum had built over the years. To date her family have not recovered and the family of four now live in two rooms. She achieved two As.
“I had the mentality to not let the tornado hold me back from doing well. I didn’t let excuses dictate my future. I wanted to make my family proud as the eldest granddaughter and set an example for the rest of the kids that anything is possible with hard work.”
The 18-year-old said 2024 was the worst year of her life.
“We went back two-days after the tornado to write trials. I was overwhelmed but still wanted to give it my all. We didn’t even have money to buy a calculator to replace the one I had lost. It was devastating.
“But it feels good that I have done well. I could have failed but I didn’t allow myself to. I wanted to prove to everyone that we are fighters,” said Hadbe.
Kreolin Chetty, 18, of Maidstone, was Seatides school’s top pupil. He achieved a 90% aggregate and will be studying chemical engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand.
“The tornado was a major setback for us but I made it my priority to use the situation as motivation. I wanted to prove that despite our school being damaged, we would emerge stronger,” said Chetty.
He said thankfully his home had not been hit by the tornado.
“But it was extremely stressful not knowing if my friends and family were safe. We had written a maths exam just two hours before the tornado struck,” said Chetty.
“At the time, many of my friends could not return to school and we always worried about how they would study,” said Chetty.
He said that when they moved to the make-shift portable classrooms on the school grounds, they had some type of normalcy even though the conditions were difficult to study under.
“It was difficult to concentrate in the containers because it was very hot. I couldn't listen or absorb any information because of this. I tried to learn my work before attending class. The rainy days were especially hard. We wrote trials in the container, while it was raining and it was the worst. We could hear the rain pelting on the tin roof which also leaked,” said Chetty.
Former Seatides school principal, Kola Govender, said he was proud of his pupils' performance and that they had overcome adversity.
“It was a stressful period, balancing the needs of the pupils along with the school construction. But we received help from many which made it easier for the pupils to function. We tried our best to provide a normal learning environment for the pupils but it was difficult because some pupils and teachers suffered damages to their homes,” said Govender.
He said moving the matric exams to the Anton Lembede Mathematics, Science and Technology (MST) Academy was difficult but helpful.
“They opened up their school to us, so our matric pupils could write exams. We were so grateful. The weather on some days was bad and we had flashbacks to the tornado. But the pupils pushed through,” said Govender.
He said that despite everything, they had 100% attendance for the exams.
“I’m so proud of my pupils. We didn’t even have a matric farewell for them but they never complained. However, got together as management and teachers to give them a send off without any costs to them,” added Govender.
Current acting principal, Ruvandhiran Naidoo, said: “Despite the challenges brought on by the tornado in June 2024, our pupils have remained focused with the guidance of parents, educators and our SGB who have been very supportive throughout.