Bracken High will get its R750 000 netball court....Vumani Bo!!

VUMANI BOOOO!!!!

As the ancestor of Bracken High class of 2000. I want to prophecy.... So,can I get an Amen!!! From the readers of this blog. Those who are Christians and those who are not....Just say, Aaaamen!!!! Or better yet, can we do this the African style way....I say, Vumani Bo!!!

Can all those who believe that the ancestors of South Africa can make things happen, say Siyavuma. I say, Vumani Boo!!! Well my fellow readers, a couple of months ago. My son and I visited Bracken High school... Vumani Bo!!! On our visit, we met a young white gentleman by the name of of Nick Nunes.... Vumani Bo!!! Nick is the founder of Go Alumni. This is an online platform that is set up to link past and present learners of the school based in Alberton Area, Gauteng South Africa....Vumani Bo!!!

This gentleman, who also hails in the Alberton area, told us of his plans to revive the now deteriorating Bracken High School structure with the help of past students... Vumani Bo!!! According to annonymous sources of the blog, since I left the school and the province in early 2000s.

Alliens and witches who could not even speak English invaded the area and run down the school...Vumani Booo!!! Former teachers were bullied and left powerless when they tried to confront the alliens and those that remained couldn't really speak or had any one to turn to about the alliens abuse of power....Vumani Booo!!! The Alliens did as they wished, running the beloved school to the ground and only to hand it over to the newly appointed principal, Mr Mochaki in the shadow of its former glory. It is said that MR Mochaki has done many things in the school since his appointment in 2023 this includes the upgrade of the entrance of the school. On top of Mr Nick Nunes to do list is the upgrade of a netball court of the school. On the Go Alumni page, almost R5 000 has been raised and he is calling on all former student to come and help make the netball dream come true. "It doesnt matter how much you contribute, it could be R100 monthly" said Nunes who is planning a reunion for former learners soon. To date, the site has registered about 196 Alumni from the school that was formed in 1981 with the aim of being an institution of excellence, dedicated to producing responsible well rounded and capable citizens like me. I was straight out of Woolhope High in Malabar, Port Elizabeth when I joined the school in 1998.

Having been a grade A students in Mathematics and Science in the Indian school for two years 1996 and 1997. This after running away in Gauteng When a former Afrikaans school, Help My Kaar in Braamfontein,now known as Rand Girls High was forcing me to repeat grade eight also known as standard six even though I had passed. The school then had a programme called standard six bridging class. Clever and intellegent me, who had passed with flying colours at my art primary school...The Open School On the Move in down town Johannesburg.

The same student who attended Saturday classes at PACE senior secondary school in Jabulani Soweto. The girl who went to Christian camps to learn how to swim in order to be prepared for the former white school. As well as assisted by senior mathematics studdents at Youth Alive Ministries Dube Soweto in order to cope at these schools was told in January of the school beginning that I have failed a year that I haven't even started studying. Yes, I stick it out for 12 months thinking the teachers and the department of education had made some mistake or it was a test but when that report came saying I passed standard six bridging class, I went looking for a school that was serious about me doing the next grade. So I said bye bye to Johannesburg and hello Port Elizabeth. Luckily for me, the Indian school welcomed me with open arms like all the other students. Boy, I did excell in both grade nine and ten with mathematics and science my majors. I still had an attitude towards Afrikaans and this together with the change of province, culture, language and everything else affected my grade 11 class. Mr McKelvin who had done my interview to the school had predicted my failure and the everything that might cause it. There was no arguing with him at the end of that year. I had seen for my self where I was battling.

I had not chosen Geography out of interest. I took computer science even when I had no computer at home and couldn't do the home work or understood it. I had an attitude towards Afrikaans and it was a the school's second language so to say, I had failed it made sense to me. I was battling the whole year. I knew now I needed to drop the computer science subject because I couldn't do the homework nor understood it. I changed Geography to Business Economics because I have always been a business person and it made sense to do business than geography. I still understood maths and science and received good results in both subjects plus they were easy for me so keeping them also made sense. All in all, this was a failure that was out of love and correction. The standard six failure for me then was out of hatred and was not explainable, it was dictated and no matter how much I improved my results during that year still the witches had forseen the future and my God was refusing to bow down.

Coming to Bracken high though, the Alumni has registered 196 students to date. Nick want to create a school legacy by helping the school either raise funds or anyone with skills to do anything come and volunteer. There are planned Alumni programmes that will kick off next year. This includes the reunions of all the ancestors from 1981 when the school was established.

Twinning up to build a legacy that benefit SA

They are probably one of the many unsung heroes of the black community. But for decades now, twin brothers -Thabo and Mpho Putu- had been grooming and supporting many gifted children from the previously disadvantage communities to excel and and make a impact on others. Their aim, is to see these kids grow up to become leaders in various fields including art, politics, sports and other areas that will later benefit South Africa. Through their early 90s programme, Gifted Child Development Programme (GCP) they have produced the likes of Kwaito kingpin Kabelo Mabelane who became one of the members of music group TKZee, SABC3 Isidingo's new director and actor Motlatsi Mafatshe and the current Democratic Alliance (DA) leader, Mmusi Maimane. It is no surprise that in some households they are called deputy fathers as they provide the father figure and guidance to many youth especially those from single parenting homes. I too have felt their extended fatherly love in the 90s. When the South African government opened white schools to accommodate black students, these two brothers went all out raising funds that saw me become part of the first black students at Rand Girls High in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. It did not end there, together with teacher friends, Humphrey Mogale, Paul Dlamini and Ben Setlhatlhole volunteered to teach us English, mathematics, science at PACE High School in Soweto.

An exercise that was suppose to prepare us for Model C schools.

In those days some of us had never had a chance of being in the same room with white children nor did we know how a science laboratory looked like. While the five days camps at Rocky Valley and Stoney Ridge was a nice holiday away from home but also had spiritual and educational programmes to boast our confidence and believe in our dreams. Our 1993 educational trip to the SABC Auckland Park where we met and interacted with the much love newsreader then, Noxolo Grootboom sparked an interest in me of gathering news. I listened with interest as she told us that she started as a receptionist and later groomed for news.

Not knowing later in my life I will become a print journalist for a community, regional and national newspaper with five awards (national and provincial) to my name. "We strongly believe in prevention," said Mpho as we set down for coffee at Seatlle in Rosebank.

"Better give the child everything they need so they do not end up doing crime. Make them believe that everything is possible and they can be anything they want to be. Ours is to give them that kick start". Both are teachers by profession but also run their own community church, Orlando Baptist church and Mondoer Baptist Church. Both churches have youth ministry every Friday.

They still advocate and lobby for exchange programmes and have traveled to countries like America, Ethiopia and all over the world.

Just recently, they were able to facilitate for more than 800 students who wouldn't have had the opportunity of studying at a tertiary institution. "For us this has been our life purpose and calling. Hence we've never stopped and instead we continuing with the work and growing in all areas that we have served," said Thabo. They have a collection of MBAs, degrees and masters. You can imagine the embarrassment I felt when I had to tell them, I'm still trying to complete my law degree at Unisa,i didnt even reveal I was hustling for a TV job over and above the journalism and creative writing qualifications on my belt. I mean, as one of the loud mouth playful student.

I did feel a bit embarrassed by the little effort I had put on my education. But felt a light burden been lifted off as they encouraged me in all the projects I'm currently doing. I met the brothers at Teen Out Reach Christian Club. At the time, my father had just returned from exile with nothing and they were helping him to rebuild his life. The club was formed in the 1970s and is one of the living legacies of Rev Frank Chikane and Pedro Raboroko.It was formed to continue the work Steve Bantu Biko's black consciousness movement.