Dear Parents and Guardians

Our Friday assembly is a special one – a celebration of the achievements of our boys, followed by what I hope is a thought-provoking message for our boys that is often shared with parents. Last Friday, I was amazed by the variety of achievement, from academic to cultural to sport and how well so many of our boys do in so many fields. I urge you to read the newsletter carefully and pick up these wonderful achievements.

A word I use often when describing Bishops is “opportunity” and there is certainly that for our boys!

Staff news

The College community will be interested to know that we have almost finalised the appointment of our new Head of the Prep and we are hoping to make an announcement shortly. The list of applicants was impressive indeed and the sifting team had a tough job, going through two rounds of short-listing and two rounds of interviews in finding the right person for the position. There was representation from parents, the College DEB Committee of Council and staff and in the final round of interviews, we were joined by the Bishop, Chair of Council and the Business Manager. These processes are thorough and well thought-out with extensive deliberation taking place as we seek to find staff who will build on the ethos of the school and serve our boys and the community in the future.

We announced our new Assistant House Directors in the three boarding houses, and I am pleased to announce that the following staff will be taking up those positions:

Founders: Mr Marvin Bester (to assist Mr Barry Emms as HD with effect from 1 July)
School: Mr Sam Mofokeng (to assist Mr Brad Smith as HD with effect from 1 January)
White: Mr Japhta Makwena (to assist Mr Kurt Baatjies as HD with effect from 1 January)

We wish these new teams of leaders in our boarding houses all the very best as they take up their positions. With Mr Bester moving into boarding, a vacancy is created as Assistant HD in Kidd House and this will be advertised shortly.

We also congratulated Mr Mofokeng and Mrs Schultz-Mofokeng who are expecting their first child early in November and Mr Jarred Bradley and his wife on the birth of their son.

Use of facilities

We recently communicated our policy regarding the use of school facilities outside normal hours and by Bishops families, ODs and outside coaches. We are finalising our approach to requests for the use of fields for private coaching from coaches not employed by Bishops but employed by parents directly to coach their son. Please understand that we have to put a policy in place as we have a duty of care to those who are on our campus – boarders, staff etc – and simply cannot allow open access without some form of regulation. This will be communicated to the community shortly.

Executive Strategic Breakaway

Once each year, the executive members across all three schools gather for two days to discuss strategy. This year, the team will be away from 1 – 3 June in Stellenbosch, attending a workshop looking at how we develop our desire to grow Good Men within the ethos of the school and what this looks like in practise. These sessions are always inspiring and energising as we affirm what is important to Bishops and build on the successes we currently enjoy for the benefit of all our boys. Having staff there who have responsibility of leadership across all three schools allows for continuity of purpose and building collegiality.

New feature on My Bishops Life

I shared a new feature with our boys at last week’s assembly whereby they can record the correct pronunciation of their name on their profile to enable people to say their name correctly. I believe that part of a person’s inherent dignity is for people to pronounce their name correctly, or at least try, and we hope this feature will go some way towards that. My assembly last week spoke of pronunciation and how important it is, not only that we all try to pronounce names correctly, but that when a person speaks, not to scorn or ridicule accent. Using accent as a means of derision is simply unacceptable and is not part of building community. I have attached the assembly for your interest.

Final thoughts

We experimented with streaming these past two weeks and it has largely been successful. We will be discussing the experience and seeing if this is something we would like to explore further during the second half of the season. We were concerned by the lower attendance at the Stellenberg fixture but will take all factors into consideration when making our decision. As the colder weather sets in, I hope you are keeping warm and dry!

Kind regards

Antony Reeler
Principal

Try harder, be kinder

An old friend of mine told me a story once that illustrates one of the points I wish to make today. Around 30 years ago, when introducing someone he knew to another person he mispronounced his name, saying that it was too difficult to say anyway. The person whose name he mispronounced said simply, yet profoundly, “You haven’t ever tried really.”
I spend many hours preparing for assembly, making sure, as far as possible, that I pronounce your name correctly. If I make a mistake, I would hope, as pupils before you have done, that you let me know, gently and kindly, how to pronounce your name correctly. It is part of dignity and part of mutual respect.

Certain names may be difficult to us, particularly if names are common to a language that is not our own. There may be what appear to us to be click sounds or guttural sounds, there may be groupings of consonants or vowels that come out differently in our mother tongue – but we try, or so we should. I think specifically of the letters x, c and q in isiXhosa that have their own click sounds. I think of the letter g in Afrikaans, I think of the combination of th in English that is pronounced differently in isiXhosa and Afrikaans (where it doesn’t exist). Lucas Radebe, famous soccer player, Setswana speaking, had his mispronounced for years in the UK. And that is just a few languages.

That is but one part of the respect of language – to try to pronounce sounds and words in the language you are using.

The other is the reaction we have to those who are trying but who do not pronounce words and names the way we do. To mock, scorn, ridicule or laugh at someone who speaks differently to you is commonly known as a micro-aggression. It is offensive, even if a person laughs along with you because are they really laughing with you or are they doing so to cover up embarrassment?

Language evolves over time and the English language spoken now is very different from that spoken or written in the time of Chaucer. According to Wikipedia, there are 88 out of 195 countries in which English is an official, administrative or cultural language. Around 400 million home language or native speakers and between 1,5 and 2 billion who are non-native English speakers. I could not find an accurate number on how many different dialects there were but in Britain alone, the “home” of English, there are, apparently, at least 40 different dialects, sounding totally different and often using different spelling or word order. I have heard a number of English-speakers say something to me in English, my home language, that I simply could not understand. One of my favourite rugby referees, Nigel Owens, a Welshman, speaks English with a beautiful Welsh accent. I heard him speak once and it was hard for me to follow, until I became used to it.

Even your own use of English is different from mine when I was your age and words have either evolved or changed meaning, with some words not existing 30 years ago, mostly linked to some kind of technological change.

When it comes to language, there is such a vast range, in format but also in how the word is spoken.

So, my message to you today has two parts – try harder and be kinder to those who try. Make an effort to learn to say someone’s name as they would like and make every effort to accept the way people’s accents simply are. Do not laugh, mock or scorn how someone pronounces a word – that is unkind. We speak of diversity often – diverse races, religions, cultures. But there is diversity too in language. Diversity within apparent sameness – the way we speak English. And that is special.  

Africa Day

The OAU, Organisation of African Unity, was founded on 25 May 1963. Now known as the African Union, it was declared a special day to celebrate Africa's unity, diversity, and progress, while also acknowledging the challenges the continent faces.
I am proud to be an African and have always considered myself as one. While my family may have roots elsewhere many generations ago, Africa is the only continent I feel closely associated with and I cheer along with millions of others for African athletes and sportsmen at various sporting contests.

I celebrate African musicians whose rhythms resonate deep within my soul, poets, artists and authors. I love coming home when I travel.

Africa’s significance as a continent will be felt more in your lifetime than in mine due to its relatively youthful population and its vast resources and natural beauty. I think of our own Table Mountain, Chapmans Peak Drive, the Lowveld and our many nature reserves including the Kruger Park. Our resources of gold, diamonds and so many other precious elements. But mostly I think of her people, her special people. We have our issues that is for sure, but we have opportunity too and many of you will have successful careers or travel in our continent.

Being African makes us special and unique and is widely regarded as the cradle of humankind.

This Sunday, celebrate your being an African and commit to her future and her prosperity for all her people.

Science

Pipes, Pressure, and Perseverance: SAICE Schools Water Engineering Nationals in Johannesburg.

Ben Honigwachs, Shyam Dahya and Aidan Edwards plunged into the Aqualibrium SAICE Schools Water Competition finals between May 8-9, 2025, at Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, Johannesburg. Among 10 top schools nationwide, they harnessed Bernoulli’s principle to craft a water distribution network with finesse. While not clinching a top-three spot, their sharp teamwork and cool-headed problem-solving made waves. Hosted by SAICE, this brain-tickling challenge ignited their passion for Engineering.

Music

Leave It Blank
 
Our Matric Rock Band, Leave It Blank, consisting of Julian Pilkington, Oliver Frankel, Liam Chester, and Edward Cruise managed to make the V&A Waterfront Band Slam Competition Final, which was held on Friday 16 May. They were up against Bergvlei High School and Settlers High School. The band was absolutely amazing and managed to win the competition. A big congratulations to these boys who have been together in this band for five years. What a bonus to end on such a high!

Windwork Fanfare Festival

On Friday, 16 May our Jazz Band, Wind, and Brass Band took part in the Windworx Fanfare Band Festival held at Wynberg Boys' High School. All three bands were provided with feedback by three esteemed adjudicators and were all given a Highest Honours (87-89%) for their superb performances. Well done to our talented musicians.

Tygerberg Eisteddfod

On Monday, 19 May our choir took part in the Tygerberg Eisteddfod held at Durbanville High School. The choir did the school immensely proud and managed to obtain an average of 90% for their performance. The choir is now awaiting to hear if they progress through to the final which will take place in term 3.

CCNF Prestige Concert

Our best wishes to our String ensemble who will be taking part in the CCNF Prestige Concert on Sunday, 25 May in the Cape Town City Hall.

Chess

Congratulations to Maximo Craig (G9) and Oliver Shaw (G8) for their selection to represent the Western Province U15 Chess squad.

Wynberg Weekend

We are looking forward to an action-packed weekend of sport at Wynberg over the next couple of days. The matches will be live streamed; however, we encourage our community to head down to the Berg and support our boys at their away fixtures this weekend. Our unified support is invaluable to our community and boys!

https://bit.ly/WBHS25-SuperSportSchools

Road and Trail

We wish to congratulate Rohan Rossouw for being awarded Full Colours for Road and Trail Running after achieving many exceptional results for races in and around Cape Town.

Hockey

Congratulations to the following boys on their selection to represent Western Province Hockey in 2025:

18A - Luc Dicey
18B - Litha Mbiko
16A - Callum Anderson
16B - Callum Jones and Cuan Cadiz
14A - Jack Gibbon, Macen Lesbirel, and Neo Milne
14B - Felix Tanton, Henk Cursi, and Litha Maham

We wish them well for their respective competitions in the June/July holidays.

Soccer

Congratulations to Nic Deckenbrock, who has been appointed as the 1st Team Soccer Captain, and to Keegan Rinquest, who will serve as Vice-Captain. We wish them both every success as they lead the team into the season ahead.

Special recognition goes to Keegan Rinquest and Elihle Tsobo, who each received a ball for scoring a hat-trick during one of the games at the Wynberg Tournament.

Well done to our U15A team, the defending champions, who finished second and received silver medals. Congratulations also to our U17A team, who secured third place and were awarded bronze medals at the Wynberg Freedom Tournament. We are proud of all the players for their effort and commitment. Keep up the excellent work!

Cricket

Bishops is delighted to announce that 1st XI cricket stalwarts, Adnaan Lagadien and Waco Bassick, represented their school and country - with distinction - on the Junior Proteas recent tour of Namibia. Adnaan, on his second tour abroad with the SA U19s, starred with the bat, at the top of the order, amassing 163 runs in his three knocks at an average of 81.5. Waco made his Junior Proteas debut in the second match of the series and captured his first U19 international wicket in the process. The SA U19s won the series 3-0.

Adnaan has already received Full Colours for cricket and a Distinction Tie (in 2024). Waco, having gained national colours, is duly awarded Full Colours for cricket and a Distinction Tie.

Basketball

Congratulations to the following boys who have been awarded their colours for Basketball:

Half Colours:

Yazeed Salaam
David Furter
Lulibo Nyawula
Khanyi Sixaba
Cody Cedras
Leo Cobbledick
Tristan Pugnalin
Thomas Strijp

Rowing

We congratulate the following Bishops rowers on their outstanding achievements this season.
At the recent Senior Rowing Championships, held at the end of April, Bishops had the largest number of rowers selected to represent the Western Cape of any school in the province, a testament to the strength and depth of our rowing program.

Selected for Western Cape U16:
Oscar Weldon
Roman Waltman
Edward Potgieter
Adam Carter
David Traill

Selected for Western Cape U19 and awarded Half Provincial Colours:
Matthew Maurel
John van der Watt

Congratulations go to Ben Redfern, who was selected for the South African Schools U16 Rowing Team. Ben travelled to the United Kingdom, where he raced against top school crews from around the UK and returned with three medals; a bronze, a silver, and a gold across different events. He also secured Western Cape half colours.

These boys have represented both Bishops and the Western Cape with distinction, and we commend them for their hard work, commitment, and success.

Congratulations to the following boys who have been awarded full colours for their contribution to rowing:

Full Colours

Matthew Maurel (re-award)
John van der Watt

Water Polo

Tim Young, from Grade 11S, has been selected to represent South Africa at the U20 Men’s Water Polo Championships taking place in Zagreb, Croatia this June.

This is not only a remarkable honour, but even more so when you consider that Tim is just 17 years old, making him the youngest player ever to be selected for a South African U20 Water Polo team.

This is an extraordinary accomplishment and a testament to Tim’s dedication, talent, and incredibly hard work.

We also want to recognize Michael Mafunda, equally young, who has been named as a non-travelling reserve for the same U20 national team. This means he is on standby as a potential representative for South Africa—an impressive achievement that reflects his commitment and high level of performance.

Basketball

Full Colours:

Thuso Theledi, the 1st team captain, has shown remarkable leadership in the past two years, and has played with passion and dedication in all matches and tournaments; big or small. He has shown exceptional skills, respect for his peers and staff members, and continues to be a valuable member of our basketball community. For his service and achievement for the past four years, Thuso Theledi is being awarded with full colours for basketball.

All-Rounder's Tie

Congratulations to the following boys who have received their All-Rounder's Tie:

Michael Rich
Max Davies
Arman Patel

Junior Deputy Mayor

Congratulations to Matthew Kriel who has been elected as Junior Deputy Mayor and will be part of the Junior City Council. We are extremely proud of you Matthew and wish you success in this role.

175 Wine

We have a few cases of wine from our 175 limited edition stock. Click on the link below to purchase.

Red

White

Khaki Shirts

The School Shop currently has a shortage of Khaki Shirts in a number of sizes, as a result of their manufacturer discontinuing the shirts without warning. While the School Shop has sourced an alternative supplier, the correct fabric does first have to be imported from abroad, so there will be a delay. We expect to have stock levels return to normal by term 4. This shortage will most likely only affect college boys in the summer terms, but we thought it best to alert all parents of this sooner rather than later. A further update will follow when available.

Bishops/VUSA Charity Golf Day

Thank you to everyone who made this year’s Golf Day such a success.  We are especially grateful to Coronation Fund Managers, our title sponsor, and to RSAWEB, AO Pay, Greeff Christies, Winx Brokers and Kanu Wines for their hole sponsorships. A big thank you as well to those who donated prizes which always contribute to the excitement of the day. Congratulations to Deshan Veerasamy, Luvarshen Naidu, Brad Barrit and Mark Harris, who took first place and walked away with Consultmet-sponsored Fieldbars as their prize.

Thanks to your support, R160,000 was raised for the Bishops PA and VUSA. VUSA’s portion will go directly towards finishing the library and homework classroom at our new hub in Langa, part of our continued commitment to creating a safe, inspiring space for sports, learning and psycho-social support.

On behalf of the Bishops PA and VUSA, thank you for turning a round of golf into a real investment in the community.

To see more from the day, please see THIS short video.

We are already looking forward to the next VUSA event, the much-anticipated 24-Hour Cycle Challenge proudly brought to you by Investec. Please save the date: 6–7 September. It’s a day (and night!) of energy, unity, and purpose that you won’t want to miss.

Jacob Fried

On Thursday 8 May at the ceremony of Cambridge International Examinations Top Awards, former pupil Jacob Fried was given an award for ending as the top achiever for A Level History in the World in the 2024 Final exams. He also came top in South Africa in A Level Economics.  In the photo taken at the awards ceremony are left to right Mrs Michelle van Schalkwyk, Deputy Academics, Mr Tony Reeler Principal of Bishops and Jacob Fried, and his History teacher Dr Paul Murray. On behalf of the Bishops community we would like to congratulate Jacob on this outstanding achievement and wish him all the best for his future.