From indenture to excellence: the story of Tongaat Secondary School

JOIN us in commemorating 80 years of Tongaat Secondary, a beacon of education in South Africa, highlighting its journey and contributions to the community.

- SUGIE GOVENDER

The history of Tongaat is the history of Indian indenture in South Africa.

Tongaat is known as the cradle of Indian indenture. It was the Saunders family of the then Tongaat Sugar Estate who mooted the idea of bringing Indians to South Africa.

First generation James Renault Saunders had the experience of working with Indians in the sugar industry in Mauritius. He was astounded by the archaic production methods and work ethic in the South African sugar industry, which induced him to motivate at the provincial county of Victoria parliament, for bringing Indians to South Africa to boost the sugar industry. Thereafter everything else is history.

After the first generation of Indians came to Tongaat in 1860, informal education only commenced in 1884 by the likes of Mr A Jeawan, an educationist and the Wesleyan Church. It was only in 1893 that the then Natal Education Department took charge of education in the town. However, from those formative years, only primary school education became well-established and fostered initially for boys and later for girls.

The Tongaat Indian Schools Trust Board was set up in the 1900s, during the development of education in Tongaat. They were tasked in 1937 to bring secondary school education to Tongaat.

At this stage, pupils interested in obtaining a senior certificate for university entry could only study at Sastri College in Durban, which was a costly affair for most of the poor in Tongaat, who worked in the cane fields and sugar mill.

At a meeting of the trust board with the people in 1937, the people committed to contribute from their meagre wage of 2 pound ten, a shilling every month, for the establishment of a secondary school in Tongaat.

The board stepped up its efforts by collecting funds from throughout Natal in an earnest effort to establish a secondary school.