Lifelong friends step up as Roedean's head girl and deputy

THE interview begins with laughter as Masana Mkhabela and Lilly Playne recall the moment they heard they had been elected head girl and deputy head girl, respectively, of Roedean School (SA) for 2026.

- STAFF REPORTER

"It was a great and surreal moment," they agree - a mix of disbelief and quiet joy at being trusted to lead a school they've both called home for more than a decade.

What are the chances that two four-year-olds who met in crèche would grow up to lead their high school together?

For the pair, it's not just a coincidence. Masana and Lilly have spent their entire school journey side by side, from pre-primary through to the leadership roles they'll step into next year. It's the kind of full-circle story that rarely happens by accident and it says something significant about what Roedean School (SA) does particularly well.

It's what happens when a school creates the conditions for genuine relationships to form and leaders to emerge organically, not from a mould, but from a community that gives young women space to figure out who they are and what they stand for.

As they prepare to lead, their vision is clear: to help others lead and to show up with care. This is what leadership looks like when young women are trusted to grow at their own pace, find their voices and learn from a community that models authenticity.

When asked what kind of leader she wants to be, Masana doesn't reach for the expected cliches about excellence or achievement. "I want to be a leader who creates spaces for others to lead," she says. Her approach has been shaped by watching others at Roedean School (SA), leaders who led with empathy. She recalls her head of house, someone she hadn't known well, but who remembered small details. "If you told her your favourite colour is pink, she would remember that and maybe get you something pink. That kind of care stuck with me."