By Zibusiso Shongwe
Good evening, Mr Clayton, President of MCOBA, Executive Members, invited guests, parents and most importantly the 6th Form Class of 2002.
Class of 22, please take in a deep breath in and embrace the moment.
The time has arrived for us to say goodbye to all the fantasies that became a reality.
Now is the time for us to let go and let our legacies live on forever.
The time has arrived where we say goodbye to a place, a place we call home.
A lot of people talk about legacy, but few leave it, we are the few.
Looking back to second form, we arrived at this amazing oasis of excellence as primary school boys from all over the country and beyond.
We experienced Vietnam together, a highlight at college and a highlight for the rest of our lives.
At this point we were strangers, soon to be bonded by something greater than ourselves.
We then went on to experience our first storm on Goldstones, something that gives us goosebumps to this day.
We leave a lot of memories in this place.
Just thinking about your first girlfriend that the boys always made fun of, or the second girlfriend where we thought we hit the jackpot only to get our hearts broken. Then the third girlfriend that replaced the second one only to finally realise that actually you were the problem.
Yet even with our broken hearts, we found refuge in this place.
We grew physically and mentally, and now we look back at those memories; memories tell a story that only a select few will understand. The elite few that got the chance to become a proud College Boy.
What is a College journey ?
What is within these walls that bonds the heart of men?
Why do college boys leave this place after their final exam but their hearts forever remain?
PAUSE
College is not just an institution for education
College is not just a place where individuals from different walks of life meet
College is a place that has molded strangers into brothers.
College is a place we all call home.
College is not great just because of our proud sporting history.
College is a family that will forever be with you until the end of time.
That is what makes this place special.
That is what Maritzburg College means to me.
Tonight is about us and with that being said, I wish to share a few 6th formers anecdotes when asked what a College journey was to them.
A College journey is more about the path you’re travelling than the destination you plan on reaching.
It’s something you never want to end and even after its ended, its something that lives on within you.
The destination is the ending of the five years but the journey is the memories, the bonds you make, the challenges you face and the pride and passion you gain for this place.
Even as each journey ends and you begin the next, a piece of the red, black and white stays forever in your heart.
You enter the gates on College Road alone as a Borver and leave a proud member of an eternal brotherhood. College is one moment of passion that lasts a lifetime.
College is one week of endless bonding with brothers that creates a pride for one’s school that is everlasting. There is no better journey. There is no greater feeling. There is no greater privilege.
Even after every journey, the echoes of those who have passed bind our hearts forever. You begin the journey alone facing many challenges that may come, but the people you meet along the way make the journey worth travelling.
Every step taken leaves a mark that will forever be imprinted in the mind, heart, body and soul.
That was their 6th form journey. Now I would like to tell you about my journey. The journey of Zibusiso Shongwe through Maritzburg College.
I remember as a second former not knowing my surroundings of the school block.
Always coming late to class, staying clear from the direction of the prefect’s study to avoid the likes of Zeus, Ace, Gengan and Lesur.
I remember the days of yelling “prefects sike” every time a prefect walks past our quad until one day, they had enough, and we were told to stand at attention for the entire break.
I remember the days standing by B dorm, awaiting to see if there are any 6 formers so I could run out the house without being stopped.
It has been a very bumpy 5 years.
We have experienced a lot of emotions.
We have experienced a lot of challenges and obstacles.
We overcame Covid-19 that took close to everything and left us with no answers.
We stayed at home for months, we didn’t play sport for months, and last and the worse one, we had to wear masks 24 hours a day for 7 days a week.
During this time, every College boy was playing hide and seek with Mr. Sparrow because you knew what was coming your way when he saw you without a mask.
We then faced the heart-breaking riots.
Our day-to-day routine was disturbed and to make things worse finding food was a mission and knowing us college boys we love to eat.
Despite all the massive challenges we as a form were able to pull each other up and rebuild; trying to resurrect the College fire that remained dormant within us.
From going to school once a week we still were able to achieve top marks.
We were able to produce a pool of provincial players and SA Schools players. From this amazing class, we also produced one of the top world ranked u18 sprinters, one of the top Cricket players our country has ever seen and the most must-see u18 South African rugby players.
This is a testament to our perseverance and commitment to excellence,
When the thoughts of leaving finally arrived in my head, it brought on a lot of emotions.
I’m saying goodbye to a place that has been my peace for the past 5 years.
Goodbye to my brothers.
Goodbye to the long assemblies with Mr. Luman.
Goodbye to the days of being chased around the corridor by Mr. Dorling.
Goodbye to the Friday Night Shouting.
Goodbye to AB Jackson’s. Goodbye to Pape’s and Goldstones.
Goodbye to my home, away from home.
I told myself I wouldn’t be emotional but clearly, I can’t control myself.
We started this journey as junior school kids with ambitions and no direction but through time we were taught how to live and be independent.
In 2018, we planted a seed as we walked through the gates on College Road; a seed that has grown and has been implanted within our hearts, whose roots have influenced the growth of others.
As I stand in front of you today, I now realize that the grass was never greener on the other side, as they say.
We made it greener.
We were the ones that watered the seeds, by taking every opportunity and making the most out of it.
We were the ones who made it greener for ourselves by doing things better than the day before.
The grass was never greener on the other side, the grass became greener when we became true College Boys; men of courage, men of pride.
Coming into this place, I thought this was just a school that was obsessed with the colors red, black and white but through time those colours have become embedded in our DNA.
These walls that echo to our cries time and time again, will continue to do so long after we have gone.
And as we leave, we thank those who have been with us through it all; the teachers who have shaped our future and the school that has given us a foundation.
A family to always fall back on regardless of how far away we are because it is a brotherhood that can never be broken. It’s a family, it’s a home and now I understand why they say you haven’t arrived until you leave.
You arrive when you become a part of the history of this place.
You arrive when you wear that Old Boys Tie.
You arrive when the only thing you bleed for is the red, black and white.
Boys, you have officially arrived.
We came, we saw and we conquered.
Despite us having only experienced a glimpse of 5 years out of 159 years of College history, the time we have spent here can never be forgotten.
Our time inside these walls is insignificant in the bigger picture, however in our short time here the things within these walls, both tangible and intangible have become so significant and sentimental to us all in one form or another.
While, our loyalty to college does not stop here, we have the privilege of being a part of something greater, our Old Boy’s Association.
An association that is one of the oldest and proudest in the country celebrating 125 years of brothers in arms in an endless chain!
An association that will be with us up until the day we take our last breath. Today we become a part of a brotherhood far greater than any we will ever experience in our lifetime.
In closing
As we part ways equipped with priceless knowledge and a strong support system, we embark on a new chapter in our lives.
While the idea of material success does influence our lives heavily, I ask that you follow your dreams and do what makes you happy; strive to be the best version of yourself; fly through the turbulence and live life because you are a warrior, not just any warrior, a College warrior!
We are all destined for greatness.
Each one of you has the potential to change the world , developed into powerful and intellectual individuals, to leave an indelible footprint on this world.
Be phenomenal or be forgotten!
But remember being phenomenal is the only thing that we’ve been taught at college for 5 years.
A college boy will forever be the star that shines the brightest.
Never forget where you come from
Never forget your roots
Never forget Maritzburg College.
Class of 22 it’s been a privilege.
To the prefect body: it has been an honour.
Too the fallen soldiers: I am blessed to have known you and you will always be a part of our prefect body.
To my fellow senior prefects: I am eternally grateful
It’s now time to say goodbye.
Its your deputy head boy officially signing out
Pro Aris Et Focis
