Teachers, pupils, alumni of Umtata High School and members of the community reminisced about the school’s rich history during a celebration of one its traditions, the Ceremony of the Bell.
The annual celebration held last weekend honours those who died during World War 1 and 2, and those who perished in SS Mendi, a troop ship which sank in 1917, killing hundreds of South Africans during World War 1.
While the school celebrated the lives that were lost, Grade 12 pupils also played their last rugby and soccer matches before focusing on their final exams.
The school band, as per tradition, dazzled the crowd.
Teacher Phumlani Boni, the head of the organising committee, said: “The Ceremony of the Bell is an occasion where we celebrate the soldiers who were camping at the school in the world wars and commemorate those who passed on when the SS Mendi sank.”
Boni said that in previous years, the event had usually lasted an hour, but this year they had set aside the whole day.
“In 2019 we decided to include all stakeholders, including the traffic department, police, the ambulance service and sponsors.
“We introduced a sports tournament where we invited schools for a rugby and soccer match.
“We wanted them to close the sports year on a positive note and we had a successful .day.
“The event also had a fundraising aspect. If pupils were their own clothes there was a fee and there was fee for parking, among other things.
The money raised for the day goes into the school’s development fund.
“We want the netball court and the pool area to be fixed, as well as developing the sports fields,” Boni said.
Grade 12 pupil Ayanda Mtse played his last game at the school and was filled with mixed emotions.
“The match was intense and emotional,” he said.
“We were not playing for us any more. It was bidding farewell to the school.”
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