Son’s gift keeps father’s education dream alive

By Celani Sikhakhane

• Businessman Smanga Mabaso has rebuilt Lobethal Missionary School to honour the vision of his late father, Reverend Chazuyise Mabaso.

• The upgraded school now teaches 318 learners from Grade RR to Grade 12 and employs 24 teachers.

While many historic missionary schools across South Africa are shutting their doors, one rural school has been given a new lease on life.

Children in the remote villages of Msinga no longer have to watch their dreams disappear.

Instead, they now have a modern school built on a promise made by a son to honour his late father.

KwaZulu-Natal businessman Smanga Mabaso has officially reopened Lobethal Missionary School at Mphelankani after rebuilding it with modern facilities.

The school was founded by his late father, Reverend Chazuyise Mabaso, through the Rock of Life Mission in Tugela Ferry.

For Smanga, the project is more than bricks and mortar.

It is the fulfilment of a dream that began more than 30 years ago.

“The upgraded campus includes modern classrooms, sports facilities and a swimming pool, creating an environment designed to give children in the area access to quality education without leaving their community,” said Mabaso.

He said the transformation honours the vision of his late father, who believed rural children deserved the same opportunities as learners anywhere else in South Africa.

The school now provides education to 318 learners from Grade RR to Grade 12.

It also employs 24 teachers, creating much needed jobs in one of KwaZulu-Natal’s poorest regions.

For families in Msinga, the school means children can receive quality education close to home instead of travelling long distances or dropping out altogether.

The reopening comes at a time when many missionary schools across South Africa continue to struggle.

Several institutions that once shaped generations of South Africans have closed because of declining financial support and the loss of international donors.

Scrolla.Africa reported in 2024 on the closure of one of the country’s oldest Catholic schools after 149 years because funding had dried up.

Over the years, many missionary schools have faced similar challenges.

Some lost support during apartheid after resisting full state control.

Others struggled under democracy as overseas funding declined and education priorities changed.

To preserve these historic institutions, government and church organisations launched the Historic Schools Restoration Project.

The programme aims to restore missionary schools and turn them into sustainable centres of educational excellence.

Schools such as Adams College, Healdtown, Inanda Seminary and St Augustine High School have all benefited from restoration efforts.

Now Lobethal Missionary School joins that growing list.

For Smanga Mabaso, rebuilding the school is not only about preserving a family legacy.

It is about giving children from one of South Africa’s poorest communities the chance to build a better future through education.

Pictured above: Smanga Mabaso inside one of the new classrooms.

Image source: Supplied.