More than anything, Makhanda is a city of education. The future of Makhanda is inextricably linked to the prospects and progress of the myriad educational institutions in our city, says the GADRA Management Team, who write about partnership, mutuality and unity.
When John Williams, the chief financial officer of GBS Mutual Bank, recently phoned the Gadra Matric School (GMS), he spoke about how the principle of mutuality guides so much of our collective practice in Makhanda. He is perfectly correct. For example, when charitable donors visit Gadra Education, they often comment that civil society co-operation is a distinguishing characteristic of the city. Our bonds and bridges frequently overcome deep fissures, such as those of race and class.
Education at the heart
One of the main aspects of our contemporary solidarity is a shared commitment to educational excellence. The 2024 Makhanda Education Summit adopted the vision that Makhanda emerge as the leading education city in South Africa by 2028. Towards this end, local public and independent schools, Rhodes University, government officials from the St Aidan’s Education District Office, local businesses, NGOs, and other organisations are working to make progress at every level and phase of the education system. Our vision is materialising, as evidenced by numerous indicators, including literacy and retention rates, Bachelor’s passes, and the throughput of local students to Rhodes University, as well as graduation from our university.
Gadra’s pivotal role
The GADRA Matric School is playing a crucial role in the revitalisation of education in Makhanda. From its start in 1994 with just 53 students, GMS now enrols more than 300 students annually. Even more important than these numbers are its academic outcomes. GMS is oriented towards Rhodes University, arguably the best university in the Eastern Cape. We seek to enable both physical and epistemological access to Rhodes for our students, and since 2015, GMS has been the top feeder school to Rhodes. A total of 99 GMS alumni from the Class of 2024 began their first year at Rhodes University in February 2025. Since 2020, GMS has been the school that contributes the highest number of Rhodes graduates. At the April 2025 graduation ceremonies, one in every 28 Rhodes graduates was a GMS student.
Benefits of ownership
For the past 32 years, GMS has operated from leased premises (initially at Victoria Girls’ High School and more recently at Carinus Art School). Since leasing limits growth and draws resources away from where they are needed most — our students — for the past decade, GMS has been looking to establish its own campus. Ownership has many advantages:
- Financial sustainability: No escalating rental costs, freeing up funds for teaching and learning.
- Long-term stability: A permanent base secures a future and allows for bold planning.
- Purpose-built spaces: Classrooms and facilities designed for students’ needs.
- Eco-sustainability: Installing solar and rainwater tanks minimises reliance on municipal service provision and uses eco-friendly power and water supplies.
In late 2023, Gadra was informed that the Community of the Resurrection of Our Lord (CR), an Anglican order of nuns based in Makhanda, wished to transfer ownership of 1 Gowie Street to Gadra Education. The CR was founded in 1884 to undertake pastoral and educational work. Its educational legacy in the city is vast, including Good Shepherd School and the Teacher’s Training College (now St Peter’s Campus). The reason it is not selling 1 Gowie on the open market, but rather transferring it to Gadra, is to honour its educational mandate. Gadra deeply respects the strong educational legacy of the CR sisters and is determined to build on it meaningfully.
Education mile
To ready the property as the new premises of GMS from the onset of the 2026 academic year, in June GADRA appointed AJ’s Building Services CC to undertake the necessary construction and renovation work. The wooden floors, staircases and handrails have been restored to their original glory. Wonderful stonework has been exposed –- perhaps a reason for the building being known as ‘Stonehenge’ in yesteryear. Thus, the process of creating a permanent home for GMS also involves restoring an important educational heritage.
It is exactly one mile from St Andrew’s College (SAC) and the Diocesan School for Girls (DSG) in the north-west of Somerset Street to Hoërskool P.J. Olivier in the south-east. In between lie numerous iconic and significant educational landmarks and facilities, including the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Rhodes University’s schools of Languages, Business, and Fine Art, the Music Department, St Peter’s Campus, Albany Museum, and Victoria Girls’ High School. For GMS, it is an honour to be joining these institutions on Makhanda’s ‘Education Mile’.
Local financial support
The reason John Williams called Gadra was to inform them that GBS Mutual Bank had decided to make a significant donation towards the renovation of 1 Gowie Street. In fact, several of the most substantial donations have come from local institutions, namely Grahamstown Rotary, the Thelma Henderson Trust, and Rhodes University’s Masakhe project. Several other community members and organisations have also contributed, including ITB Software, Les Roberts, Kim Weaver, the Estcourt family, Malcolm Hacksley, Cathy Meiklejohn, Crystal Warren, Katie Appollis, Callie Grant, Carol Thomson, Jon Ebden and Angie Thomson.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the marvellous renovation of 1 Gowie Street, a project that is intimately linked to our broader, city-wide vision. The new Gadra Matric School campus is more than just a building; it is a symbol of what can be achieved when a community works together for the common good. We are almost there, but not quite. If you would like to contribute via our BackaBuddy Campaign: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/casting-gms-in-stone
