PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Murray High School has recently broken the umbilical cord with its sibling - the new Kwanokuthula High School - giving the township two high schools of note.
The new Kwanokuthula High School started operating as a stand-alone school at the begin-ning of this academic year.
It is the result of years of hard work and perseverance of the current Murray High principal, George Matywatywa.
Murray High had 1 627 learners in 2022 and this grew to 2 123 in 2025. This year it will house 1 271 learners with Kwanokuthula High, across the road, housing 840 Grade Eight and Grade Nine learners.
The new school has a capacity for 1 120 by the time all grades are catered for in a few years' time.
Standards remain
Despite the split, the foot will not come off the academic accelerator, said Matywatywa. "The standards are going to remain. I've declared 2026 as a year of academic excellence, setting a goal for a 100% pass rate." Murray High's matric pass rate for 2025 was 92%.
Across the road the new head of Kwanokuthula High School, Anathi Tyontwana, a former deputy principal at Murray High, has set her sights on a 90% pass rate by the end of the year for the Grade Eight and Nine classes - traditionally difficult years in the overall school system.
"It is a proud moment for me," said Tyontwana. "I'm now in charge of my own school."
She said initially she did not think the honour would come her way.
"But when the opportunity pre-sented itself, I grabbed it with both hands. I'm looking forward to see what it holds for me, especially since my Grade 12 learners I taught physical science to in 2025 [at Murray High] managed to achieve a 100% pass rate."
Indebted
Tyontwana will, in addition to her role as principal, be teaching natural sciences to the Grade Eights.
Kwanokuthula High boasts modern information and commu-nications technologies such as projectors and sound systems in its new school hall, as well as projectors in each classroom.
"We're indebted to Murray High for paying for these aspects out of its own funds," said Tyontwana.
Matywatywa's workload will be slightly reduced - the number of teachers he will be managing now is 30, down from the 60 last year. "This will give us a breather and the numbers will be more manageable now," he said.
Tyontwana will be managing 21 teachers, although this number is expected to increase after the education department finalises its calculations.
Kinship
The kinship with Murray High will continue with the latter using Kwanokuthula's new hall and sports fields as the two high schools grow in parallel.
Both agreed that they were happy for the Kwanokuthula community.
Kwanokuthula High School has not yet been officially opened, but at some point in the future, stakeholders will be invited to the school for the official opening and to inspect the new facilities.
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