In 1993, Elda Mahlentle started a school (the Elda Mahlentle Primary School) in the informal settlement called Chuku Town, opposite the racehorse stables in Milnerton. Grades 1 to 4 were housed all in one small shack. By the end of 1994 the school had expanded up to Grade 9 and consisted of eight container classrooms. The Department of Education subsidised the school through payment of ten teachers' salaries.
In 1996 the new houses were being built in Joe Slovo and so the school moved there with 16 educators. After lengthy negotiations the school finally became a public school in 2004. Elda Mahlentle Primary School became Sinenjongo High School and Marconi Beam Primary School.
Rabie Property Group has taken on Sinenjongo High School as the major beneficiary of their Corporate Social Investment Programme.[3]
Malinga Nopote was appointed as the school principal in July 2010, and spoke at TEDxCapeTownED in 2012 about the remarkable improvement in the pass rate of the school.[4][5]
The school received an award for being one of the 10 most improved schools in the Western Cape in 2012 from the Western Cape Education Department.[6]
2 prefabricated computer laboratories (with less than 40 working computers in total)[11]
More than 18 prefabricated classrooms, with 27 teachers (in addition there are 4 Maths-and-Science and 1 English teachers, hired by the private sector[12]) and more than 800 learners.[13]
In 2017 Sinenjongo moved to the new school building[14][15] which has
41 Classrooms
4 Science laboratories
A computer laboratory
A media centre
A school hall
A sports field
The new school hall was however burnt down as part of protests held in 2020, and as a result, has been subject to impairment. (Impairment of assets, in terms of the requirements of International Financial Reporting Standards, the IFRS's International Accounting Standard - IAS 36: loss of value of an asset compared to 'book value'; below its recoverable value).
Academic results
Learners studying in Sinenjongo High School
From 2010 the school has obtained a high pass rate[16][17] and has been graduating students who matriculate to a university level, called a Bachelor pass.[18][19]
Grade 11A Class who penned the open letter for free access to Wikipedia on their cellphones, (photographed in May 2013 as the 12A class) reading their open letterA sample from a Cape Town radio interview between Kieno Kammies and Pam Robertson, Maths and Science teacher at Sinenjongo High School about her class and their campaign for free access to Wikipedia on their cellphones.
In 2012, the 11A grade class at the school lobbied South African cellphone network operators to provide free access to Wikipedia to assist students with research.[25][26]FNB Connect (a South African ISP) was the first to respond by offering free Wikipedia browsing during certain hours to their own clients. While this offer is not available to cellphone users, it will put more pressure on the cellphone network operators to offer the same.[27][28]
In May 2013, the school was visited by Victor Grigas and Charlene Music from the Wikimedia Foundation to shoot a documentary about the school and this campaign.[29][30][31]
Plus, in June 2013, national, provincial and local newspapers, published the students' letter and had articles written about it, especially on the week preceding the South African national holiday of 16 June "Youth Day". The letter has received a voice beyond its home-province, the Western Cape, to provinces like the Gauteng and the KwaZulu Natal and continues to strengthen it through the Free Access to Wikipedia from Cellphones Facebook page.[32][33]
On 14 February 2014, in response to a NekNomination challenge from Five Roses Tea, the cellphone operator MTN Group announced via a YouTube video that they would provide access to Wikipedia without data charges. A NekNomination is an internet craze that started as a drinking game, but developed into an online challenge to make a positive difference in South Africa.[34][35]
The Gr 12A learners have written a number of articles for the IsiXhosa Wikipedia.
'Ukucinezeleka kwamanina' (Oppression of Women) by Sinako Mtakati took first prize in a competition held in August 2013. In 2014 grade 11A learners joined WikiAfrica and started editing and creating articles. Nicholas Dodo, Sinoxolo Cotyi, Esethu Dudumashe, Asiya Bucwa and Sesethu Mdikane joined Lead SA in association with WikiAfrica at an Edit-a-thon.[36]
In late 2013 Sinenjongo learners received more than 95 WikiReaders with mixed funds from a Wikimedia individual engagement grant[37] and an Indiegogo campaign.[38]
Yearly events
There is a Careers day for the Grade 8s and Grade 9s where people from different career fields speak to the learners and let them know about those career fields. This is done because the learners in Grade 10 have to choose subjects that they'll major in until matriculation. The other grades' pupils get included too.[39][40][41]
Annually there is an academic awards ceremony for the Grade 12 class. It is also their valedictory.[42]
A month before the valedictory, the school has a social farewell celebration for the Grade 12 class known as the "Matric Dance" or "Matric Ball"[43]
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