52-627: Michaelhouse is a full boarding senior school for boys founded in 1896. It is located in the Balgowan valley in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal , South Africa. St. Michael's Diocesan College was founded in Pietermaritzburg in 1896 by James Cameron Todd , an Anglican canon . The school was established as a private venture with fifteen boys in two small houses in Loop Street. James Cameron Todd had
104-522: A bus service, which was closed down in the 1980s. Nowadays regular daily bus services connect Pietermaritzburg to other major cities in South Africa. The bus station is located on Burger Street, opposite the McDonalds Centre, and it serves major bus companies. Greyhound and Intercape are the most reliable and they operate several round-trips from Durban to Johannesburg daily, where Pietermaritzburg
156-547: A campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal . It had a population of 228,549 in 1991; the current population is estimated at over 600,000 residents (including neighbouring townships) and has one of the largest populations of Indian South Africans in South Africa. Pietermaritzburg is an emerging metropolitan area. The city was occupied by Voortrekkers , in April 1838 following the murder of Piet Retief and his seventy-strong party at
208-462: A clear idea of what he wanted the school to be. He wrote: "A man's tone, moral and spiritual, as well as intellectual, is largely determined for life by his school." Within a few years, Michaelhouse became the Diocesan College of Natal, governed by a permanent trust deed and administered by a board of governors . In 1901 the school relocated to Balgowan , when some 77 boys took up residence in
260-431: A heated swimming pool (12 lanes by 25 metres), a heated water polo pool, eight tennis courts, a weight training facility, a six court squash complex, a golf driving range with artificial putting green, an indoor sports centre (used primarily for basketball and indoor hockey - the facility also houses four artificial surface indoor cricket practice nets) and a dam for canoeing . The nearby Woodridge Estate hosted
312-471: A male teaching quotient of approximately 62%; the master(teacher)/pupil ratio is 1:10. Each grade has 6 classes with approximately 21 boys per class. Michaelhouse school-leavers write the Independent Examinations Board exams and consistently achieve top results. The school has produced over 30 Rhodes scholars to study at the University of Oxford and 10 Elsie Ballot scholars to study at
364-502: A province of the Union, and Pietermaritzburg became one of the capitals of the country. During apartheid , the city was segregated into various sections. 90% of the Indian population was moved to the suburb of Northdale while most of its Zulu inhabitants were moved to the neighbouring township of Edendale and white inhabitants were moved out of those areas. There exist two interpretations about
416-520: A result of which the Inkatha Freedom Party won a majority in the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government, Pietermaritzburg shared its status as capital of the (then newly created) province of KwaZulu-Natal with Ulundi . Pietermaritzburg became the legislative capital of the new province, while Ulundi became the administrative capital. The IFP, being strongly Zulu nationalist, desired that Ulundi,
468-648: A shield on its shoulder, the dexter supporter's shield displaying the Union Jack and the sinister supporter's the flag of the Natalia republic . Pietermaritzburg is on the N3 highway , the primary route between the harbour city of Durban , some 90 kilometres (56 mi) away, and the Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging conurbation. The R33 connects Pietermaritzburg with Greytown and Paulpietersburg , while
520-431: A substantial part of the region's industrial output. Pietermaritzburg is also the city where major South African pizza franchise Debonairs Pizza was founded. The Pietermaritzburg borough council assumed a coat of arms in 1861. The shield depicted an elephant standing on grass, and a cross of five stars was placed above the shield. The motto was Umgungunhlovu . It is unclear what the original colours were, but by 1910
572-589: A vow was taken that if the Boers were granted victory over the Zulu, then a sacred church would be built which still stands today, The Church of the Vow . It was Jan Gerritze Bantjes, Secretary General to Andries Pretorius, Commander of the campaign who arranged the financing of the church by the Boer towns folk which by then had taken a low priority after the war. The town grew rapidly to become
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#1733106219319624-546: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg ( / ˌ p iː t ər ˈ m ær ɪ t s b ɜːr ɡ / ; Zulu : uMgungundlovu ) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal , South Africa after Durban . It was named in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality . The town was named in Zulu after King Dingane's royal homestead uMgungundlovu . Pietermaritzburg
676-564: Is an important focal point in the school's architecture and ethos. The chapel was built running from North to South with the apse at the North end. In the 1940s, however, the chapel was no longer big enough to fit the entire school in for a service. Thus the chapel was extended towards the East. Because of World War II , the chapel was only finished in the 1950s. A memorial to those who died in World War II
728-705: Is not much more than an old trading store and a train station where locally grown timber is picked up. However, nearby is Michaelhouse , the Anglican boarding school for boys in the Diocese of Natal, an exclusive private boarding school. The school complex, built in the English gothic style from red Pietermaritzburg brick, includes a chapel which is open to the public, featuring a stained glass rose window by Ervin Bossanyi and seven lancet windows by Margaret Agnes Rope . As elsewhere in
780-466: Is outside the entrance to the chapel. The original chapel now forms the gallery and vestry. The apse of the old chapel is used as a baptism font. The extended chapel can seat nearly 600 people. Beneath the new chapel is a crypt which is used for smaller prayer meetings and services. The crypt can seat 30 people. The stained glass windows featured in the Sir Herbert Baker designed chapel, include
832-510: Is popularly called Maritzburg in Afrikaans and is often informally abbreviated to PMB . It is a regionally important industrial hub, producing aluminium , timber and dairy products, as well as the main economic hub of uMgungundlovu District Municipality . The public sector is a major employer in the city due to local, district and provincial government offices located here. The city has many schools and tertiary education institutions, including
884-473: Is the second to last stop before Durban. Pietermaritzburg has two types of taxi services: metered taxis and minibus taxis . Unlike in many cities, metered taxis are not allowed to drive around the city to solicit fares and instead must be called and ordered to a specific location. A number of companies service Pietermaritzburg and surrounding areas. These taxis can also be called upon for airport transfers, point to point pickups and shuttles. Minibus taxis are
936-615: The Hebrew Mikha'el which translates to the same. The school hymn, Stars of the Morning , reflects this with the line " 'Who like the Lord?' thunders Michael, the Chief ." Hilton College and Michaelhouse have enjoyed a long history of friendly rivalry. The two schools have much in common and are the only two full boarding schools remaining in KwaZulu-Natal. The schools are located near one another in
988-558: The KwaZulu-Natal Midlands , Balgowan has some wealthy farmers, mostly in the timber production industry (pine and eucalyptus) or in dairy and cattle farming. Popular niche soft drinks manufacturer Frankie's Soft Drinks Company is located in the town. The Midlands Meander, a scenic tourist route featuring arts and crafts, restaurants and accommodation, runs through Balgowan on the R103 road . This KwaZulu-Natal location article
1040-465: The KwaZulu-Natal Midlands . The bond between Hilton and Michaelhouse has developed since 1904 when the two schools played their first rugby match at Hilton College, which Hilton won 11-0. Both schools consider each other their main fixture in all sporting disciplines. The high point of this rivalry is the biannual Hilton-Michaelhouse Day. This event, held alternately between the two schools, sees them play one another in rugby and hockey. The culmination of
1092-526: The Oribi . The original school buildings are made of traditional Pietermaritzburg red brick. The entire school is built in a lattice of quadrangles. It is in fact possible to move from one end of the school buildings to the other without ever having to get wet on a rainy day. There are ten boarding houses. The house system was put in place by Rector Warin Bushell in 1928. Initially, four houses were established but as
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#17331062193191144-515: The Paraguay team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup , and Michaelhouse was chosen to be the team's training base for the tournament. Since the school was founded in 1896, it has produced approximately 8700 alumni. Around 6650 are living. Alumni are members of the Michaelhouse Old Boys' Club . The Club was founded on Whit Monday , 1 June 1903. The School's Founder (Reverend James Cameron Todd ) was
1196-551: The R56 connects Pietermaritzburg with Ixopo and Kokstad . The city is served by Pietermaritzburg Airport , which has regular scheduled services to OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. There are 4 flights to Johannesburg and 4 return flights daily, with a reduced number of weekend flights. It once operated flights to Cape Town International Airport in Cape Town – this route
1248-532: The University of Cambridge . The school hosted the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships in 2002. The school was founded in a building in Loop Street, Pietermaritzburg . It had capacity for about 30 boys in total, but it was not long before that became inadequate. Around the turn of the century, approximately 60 acres (24 ha) of land in the picturesque Balgowan valley, approximately 45 minutes north-west of Pietermaritzburg
1300-625: The Club's first President. The Club is headquartered in the Heritage Centre on the school campus. The year of matriculation is given in brackets, where it is known. 29°24′S 30°02′E / 29.400°S 30.033°E / -29.400; 30.033 Balgowan, KwaZulu-Natal Balgowan is a valley in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands in South Africa . The town of Balgowan
1352-524: The Inglis Indoor Centre was finally completed in the month of August 2006. It is named after James Inglis, a past chairman of the Board of Governors. In summer it is used for basketball and cricket and has three courts that can be used simultaneously as well as 4 indoor turf cricket nets, whilst during winter it is used for indoor hockey. The centre also features a cafeteria/restaurant which is available to
1404-625: The Michaelhouse rose window , created by Ervin Bossanyi depicting the head of Christ surrounded by the birds of Natal Province at the rear of the chapel. There is also a series of lancet windows in the sanctuary by Margaret Agnes Rope depicting the Virgin and child, flanked by the Archangels Michael and Gabriel and Samuel as a boy, King David as a young man, John the Baptist as a child and
1456-503: The Zulu Capital, Mgungundlovu (6 February 1838), when seeking land to settle around Port Natal (The Natal-Land Treaty), and from where the reprisal Wenkommando departed (November 1838) to defeat Dingane at the Battle of Blood River (16 December 1838). Pietermaritzburg is approximately 160 km (100 mi) direct from the Zulu capital, Mgungundlovu. Prior to the battle (9 December 1838)
1508-477: The area's tourist attractions include; the KwaZulu-Natal Museum, City Hall, Colonial Buildings, Imperial Hotel, Comrades House and SANBI Botanical Gardens . Attractions in the surrounding areas include; Albert Falls Nature Reserve, Howick Falls, Midmar Public Nature Reserve, Queens Elizabeth Park and World's View. Pietermaritzburg has a well-developed higher system of public universities. Pietermaritzburg
1560-598: The arms was granted by the College of Arms in May 1961. It was registered at the Bureau of Heraldry in May 1973. The blazon was: Per fess Azure and Vert, over all an elephant statant Or, tusked Argent (i.e. the shield was divided horizontally into blue over green, and displayed a gold elephant with silver tusks). The crest was changed to a blue sun displaying gold and silver stars, and two black wildebeest were added as supporters. Each had
1612-429: The boy with the loaves and fishes . The pews are made of solid teak. The chapel has a bell-tower, installed in the 1950s with a carillon of eight bells. It has been a tradition (with unknown origins) that only boys from Tatham House may ring the bells. The bells are rung before each chapel service (there are three services a week, although not all are compulsory). A 550-seat theatre was built and completed in 1976. It
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1664-399: The buildings which remain the core to the school to this day. Its name was later changed to Michaelhouse . The school adopted the 9th century chorale "Stars of the Morning" as its official school hymn . The Latin school motto , Quis ut Deus translates to 'Who like God?', or, less literally, 'Who is like God?'. This motto is derived from the name of the school whose origin stems from
1716-701: The capital of the Zulu Kingdom at the time of its fall to the British in the Anglo-Zulu War , be the post-apartheid capital of the province. Ulundi had also been the capital of the bantustan KwaZulu , which makes up a portion of modern KwaZulu-Natal. However, Ulundi severely lacked the infrastructure to be an effective seat of government, and the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Party ,
1768-598: The capital of the short-lived Boer Republic or Natalia . Britain took over Pietermaritzburg in 1843 and it became the seat of the Natal Colony's administration with the first lieutenant-governor, Martin West , making it his home. Fort Napier, named after the governor of the Cape Colony , Sir George Thomas Napier , was built to house a garrison. In 1893, Natal received responsibility for its own government, and an assembly building
1820-478: The day is the main rugby match between the two schools' 1st XVs, which is the oldest continuous rugby fixture in Kwa-Zulu Natal . The years of study are referred to as blocks E to A. "A block" is the equivalent of grade 12 or year 12 and has boys aged 17 or 18 and "E block" is the equivalent of grade 8 or year 8 and has boys aged 13 or 14. Michaelhouse educates boys and has an academic staff of about seventy with
1872-526: The ivory to English traders at Durban (then called Port Natal). Today, the town is still called by its Voortrekker name, although the municipality of which it is part bears the Zulu name. The University of Natal was founded in 1910. In 1922 the University extended to Durban . The two campuses were incorporated into the University of Natal in March 1949. It became a major voice in the struggle against apartheid and
1924-413: The origin of the city's name. One is that it was named after Piet Retief (Pieter Mauritz Retief) and Gerrit Maritz (Gerhardus Marthinus Maritz), two Voortrekker leaders. The other is that it was originally named after Piet Retief's full name alone. In this interpretation the original name was "Pieter Mauritz' Burg", later transliterated to the current name. In 1938, the city announced officially that
1976-673: The production of Doc Marten shoes. However, these industries have declined in the area due to lower production costs in Asia. Extensive timber plantations and numerous citrus farms surround the city, contributing a significant share of the city's output. The Liberty Group has made major investments in several phases in the region since 2002 with the development of the Liberty Midlands Mall (the area's largest shopping centre by gross lettable area and its most prestigious) and Stay Easy hotel. Hulett's Aluminium and Willowton cooking oil contributes
2028-474: The pupils as well as the public, and accommodation for visiting teams to stay overnight. The library is stocked with over 16,000 books and has an adjoining 50 seat lecture theatre. There are four Science laboratories, three Biology laboratories and four computer centres. The school has a sanatorium and laundry service. The staff reside on the estate. There are 11 playing fields: These include six turf cricket pitches, two artificial astroturf hockey surfaces,
2080-411: The region. Since 2004, progress such as the modernisation of several buildings in the city centre and a proliferation of retail and housing developments in the suburbs are results of recent investment in the city by both the public and private sectors. Until the late-1990s, the region was renowned for the production of high quality textile, clothing and footwear products. An example of the latter included
2132-563: The rise of the Zulu Empire, the site that was to become Pietermaritzburg was called uMgungundlovu. This is popularly translated from the Zulu as "Place of the Elephant", although it could also be translated to mean "The elephant wins". Umgungundlovu is thus thought to be the site of some Zulu king's victory since "Elephant" (Indlovu) is a name traditionally taken by the Zulu monarch. Legend has it that Shaka had his warriors hunt elephant there to sell
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2184-431: The school grew the number of houses increased. These are, in order of age, with foundation date in brackets: Each boarding house houses about 70 boys in dormitories of four to twelve for the younger boys and in double and single rooms for the senior boys. The boys share two dining halls (one for senior boys and one for juniors) for their meals and are supplied by a kitchen, with an on-site bakery and butchery. The chapel
2236-500: The second element Maritz should also honour Gert Maritz. In fact, neither Retief nor Maritz ever reached Pietermaritzburg. Retief was killed by Dingane , successor to Shaka , king of the Zulus . Maritz died of illness on 23 September 1838 near the present-day town of Estcourt , some eighty kilometres northwest of Pietermaritzburg, after the battle with the Zulus at Bloukranz. At the time of
2288-612: The shield had been coloured blue. By 1931, the council had approved new artwork in which the stars were placed on a radiant sun. The arms were registered with the Natal Provincial Administration in November 1950. Many early renditions of the coat of arms, visible on older public building and wrought iron lampposts, features an elephant which is clearly an Asian elephant rather than an African elephant . More recent versions reflect an African elephant. The final version of
2340-728: The standard mode of transport for the majority of the population who cannot afford private vehicles. A bus rapid transit system is currently being developed in Pietermaritzburg. The initial phase would see the development of a west to east corridor from Edendale to Northdale. The BRT route will traverse the CBD along Church Street. Pietermaritzburg has a dry-winter humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification : Cwa ). Summers are warm and occasionally hot, with frequent rainfall. Winters are dry with high diurnal temperature variation , with light air frosts being possible. Some of
2392-468: The two other strong political parties in the province, among others, called for Pietermaritzburg alone to be the capital. The debate came to an end when the ANC came to power in the province in 2004, and named Pietermaritzburg the sole capital of KwaZulu-Natal. This has resulted in the relocation of several government offices to Pietermaritzburg, an action that has generally been welcomed as a positive development for
2444-519: The winter night in the waiting room of the station , Gandhi made the momentous decision to stay on in South Africa and fight the racial discrimination against Indians there. Out of that struggle emerged his unique version of nonviolent resistance , Satyagraha . Today, a bronze statue of Gandhi stands in Church Street, in the city center. In 1910, when the Union of South Africa was formed, Natal became
2496-405: Was built along with the city hall. On 7 June 1893, while the young Mahatma Gandhi was on his way to Pretoria , a white man objected to Gandhi's presence in a first-class carriage. Despite Gandhi having a first-class ticket, he was ordered by the conductor to move to the van compartment at the end of the train: he refused, and he was removed from the train at Pietermaritzburg. Shivering through
2548-424: Was donated to Rector James Cameron Todd. The buildings were started in 1900 and the school took occupation in 1901. The first buildings to be completed were the existing administration block, vestry and gallery of the now extended chapel, and Founders House. The hill overlooking Michaelhouse is one of the rarer biomes in the country (Midlands mistbelt grassland) and is the preferred habitat for an indigenous antelope,
2600-496: Was one of the first universities in the country to provide education to African students. It became the University of KwaZulu-Natal on 1 January 2004. Pietermaritzburg was the capital of the Colony of Natal until 1910, when the Union of South Africa was formed, and Natal became a province of the Union. Prior to 1994, Pietermaritzburg was the capital of Natal Province . Following the first post-apartheid elections in South Africa, as
2652-486: Was opened at a ceremony by Elizabeth Sneddon in 1976. The theatre hosts a variety of performances, mainly aimed at the resident population of pupils. However, the theatre is open to the local community. Many performers give a one night performance on their way between runs in Johannesburg and Durban . The Schlesinger theatre is one of a number of facilities at the school that was funded by an old boy. The construction of
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#17331062193192704-514: Was terminated in 2019. Pietermaritzburg Railway Station is served by long distance trains on the Durban-Johannesburg and Durban-Cape Town routes of Shosholoza Meyl . It has been proposed that the Metrorail commuter rail system be expanded from Cato Ridge to Pietermaritzburg. The Pietermaritzburg Municipality historically operated a tram service, which was closed down in the 1940s, and
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