Pioneer Teachers in South Africa

In a previous post, the story was told about the first South African teacher, Carl Jonas who was from Elim. The other students who were also enrolled in 1838 came from different mission stations. They were Alexander Haas, Dawid Lakey, Joshua Plezier, Johannes Absalom, Michael Balie, Jacob Haas, and Petrus Beukman - they were all from Genadendal. Then there were Nikolaas Oppelt and Josef Hardenberg from Groenekloof, and Wilhelm Klein from Enon. They were clever monitors of their respective schools, excelled in their schoolwork and were recommended by their teachers for tertiary education. All of them were in their teens and had to stay for at least seven years in the College which also served as a boarding house. They were regarded as “afgegegevende” (given off) to the Mission and were not supposed to see their families during this time of training. The Curriculum included subjects like English, Dutch, Mathematics, Biblical Studies, History, Geography and Music (piano and violin). Practical subjects included Agriculture and Woodwork. Discipline was strict and no wonder that three of the eleven were excluded before they could qualify.

During years of research, recording the stories of senior citizens, scratching in attics and putting my nose in old archival material, I discovered photos of some of the long-serving pioneer teachers. Photos of Petrus Beukman I found in the attic of the house where he spent his last days at Genadendal, those of Hardenberg and Oppelt I found in the Herrnhut Archives (Germany) and that of Balie in the old German Magazine called “Missions-Blatt,” printed by Steinhaus in Barmen (1848). Later on, I also discovered their correspondence with the Mission Director and then made a study of their lives, where they taught, and the bitter and sweet experiences domestically and professionally.

When we were at school, we had to learn the detail of Voortrekker pioneers to whom we could not relate, but here were personalities who made their marks in the Education History of South Africa and who I only discovered years later.

Photographs show four of the pioneer teachers with their autographs.

“Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example.” - Philippians 3:17.