Prince Edward School

Prince Edward School (or "P.E.") is a public school for boys, both boarders and day-scholars in Harare, Zimbabwe. It provides education facilities to 1200+ boys in Forms I to VI. The school is served by a graduate staff of over 100 teachers including specialists in Computers, Music, Astronomy, Sport and Speech and Drama. Africa Almanac rates Prince Edward School as the sixth best school in Africa and second in Zimbabwe.

History

Prince Edward was established in 1898 in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe) as Salisbury Grammar. It is the oldest boys school in Harare and the second oldest in Zimbabwe after its main sporting rival, St Georges' College. It is listed as the 38th oldest school in Africa. Unlike St Georges, which moved from Bulawayo in its early years, PE is still located on its original site. Originally co-ed, Prince Edward is now, in keeping with most of Zimbabwe's bigger and older institutions, a single gender institution.

The School's badge is a crown and three feathers, granted to it by Prince Edward (later King Edward VIII of the UK) in the 1920s. The school's colours are maroon and dark green. For its centenary, Prince Edward School adopted a new coat of arms which does not replace the school's badge. The motto of the school "Tot Facienda Parum Factum" ("so much to do, so little done") is attributed as Cecil John Rhodes' last words.

Name controversy

In 2002, before the March 2002 presidential elections, the Ministry of Education announced plans to change names of all government schools that had colonial connotations. Scores of government schools were set to have their names changed to honour liberation war heroes, past national and African personalities and/or the suburban area in which the school is located. Prince Edward School was set to be renamed Murenga Boys High School after a Njelele high spirit said to have assisted the local heroes who fought the First Chimurenga of 1896-7. The change of names did not occur but in its wake, as a compromise, the Games Houses within the school had their colonial names changed to those of rivers in Zimbabwe.

Academic education

Academic education revolves around the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) protocol of O-Level and A-level examinations, in line with the Zimbabwean secondary school education system. O-Levels are written after the first four years of high school i.e. at the end of Form IV (Year 11), A-Levels after the last 2 years of school, in Form VI (i.e. Year 13).

In their first term of Form I at Prince Edward new boys are streamed into 8 to 9 classes. Boys in the top stream study Latin, and those in the top four study French. Depending on 'O' level results boys proceed to 'A' levels. Apart from academic subjects boys who wish to do so may take Art, Agriculture, Astronomy, Commerce, Metalwork, Religious Education, Technical Drawing, Woodwork, to 'O' levels. Prince Edward School enjoys the proud record as one of the schools with the largest number of Rhodes Scholars in Africa.

Sporting and cultural education

Jubilee ground

Sports offered are: Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Bowls, Chess, Cricket, Cross-Country, Diving, Golf, Handball, Archery, Shooting, Hockey, Indoor Hockey, Judo, Karate, Rowing, Rugby union, Shooting, Soccer, Squash, Swimming, Table-Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, and Water Polo.

Every scholar is encouraged to participate a club or society and is expected to choose at least one sport every term. Ex-headmaster, Raymond Suttle, (born 1929, deceased 2007; headmaster 1972 -1983) established the credo that each student should participate in 1) his academic studies, 2) the cultural life of the school (drama, the choir, debating, etc.), 3) a sport, 4) a hobby (such as chess club, natural history club, etc.), and 5) always be an ambassador for the school, perhaps by doing community service but at the very east by behaving in an exemplary fashion even off the school grounds (at least whilst wearing the school uniform!). Mr. Suttle was a keen sportsman and fine sports coach as well as being a published Latin scholar and he often reminded people that sport may be exciting in the moment, war may have a devastating impact on a country but it is always the cultural achievements (art, literature, music, architecture) of a civilisation that remains when all else has faded. The school offers the following cultural activities:

Archives, Air Cadets, Astronomy, Art, Boy Scouts, Boys' Brigade, Bridge, Chapel, Chess, Classics Society, Junior and Senior Choirs, Christian Union, Computers, Craft and Design, Careers, Creative Writing, Current Affairs, Debating, Dramatics, Economics, Environmental Protection, First Aid, Guitar,Greenpeace Human Rights, Interact, Library, Literary Society, Maneco, Music, Magazine, Natural History, Orchestra, Ornithological Society, Prince Edward School Times (PEST), Philately, Photography, Printing, Public Speaking, Quiz, Radio, Science and Technology, Scrabble, Scribe and Printing, Shona Dramatics, Snooker, UNESCO, Variety, Website Club, Weightlifting, Woodwork, Young Farmers, and Young Physicists.

Rugby

The 'First Fifteen' is probably the most famous sporting side of the school. Going by the name of the "Tigers", the school has had a number of successful years as one of the dominant, if not the top schoolboy rugby side in the country.

Prominent ex-Tigers include Tonderai Chavanga, who plays rugby in Western Province, South Africa. He played in the South African Under 21 world cup winning squad, the world champion South Africa 7-aside team as well as the provincial outfits of Western Province and the Free State Cheetahs. His most notable achievement is his Springbok debut against Uruguay at the beginning of the 2005 season. He scored a South African record of six tries in that match.

Cottco Rugby Festival Since 1995 Prince Edward School has hosted Zimbabwe's largest and most successful Rugby Festival, bringing together over 144 school teams from the U20 and U16 sides. Originally the David Whitehead School's Rugby Festival, the 2010 edition of the Cottco Rugby Festival was considered to be one of the biggest school boy rugby events in the world.

Alumni

Prince Edward old boys are called "Old Hararians". The Old Hararians Association was founded in 1922 and maintains very close ties with the school.

The Old Hararians cricket team is based the Old Hararians Sports Club in Harare, and fields a team in the Vigne Cup, the Harare Metropolitan Cricket League, as well as the National League for club cricket. Old Hararians contain many national team and "A" team, such as Vusi Sibanda, Prosper Utseya and Ryan Butterworth.

The Prince Edward old boys water polo team is known as "Old Eds"

Notable alumni

See also: Category:Alumni of Prince Edward School

Athletics

• Maka Mudekunye- National champion in both the 100 and 200 meters in 2005, won the national championship again in 2006 in the 100 meters.
• Joseph Makwara- track and field scholarship at Northern Arizona University, USA

Water Polo

• Liam Bradley Wright
• Simon Edwards
• Dustin Wilcox
• Sharn Appel - captain of the national water polo team in 2005, received a scholarship to Lindenwood University, twice U.S National champion
• Anton Milner - vice captain of the national water polo team in 2005, received a scholarship to Lindenwood University (USA), twice U.S National champion
• Doug Leresche - went to California on scholarship, now based in New York

Football

• Fungai "Tostao" Kwashi - plays in the V League in Vietnam
• Quincy Antipas - plays in the 3rd best league in Denmark (FC Blokhus))
• Alois Bunjira - plays in South Africa
• Gilbert Mushangazhike - plays in South Africa
• Nurdine Khan - plays in the United States
• Patel, VanRishmilRoy - former Chitungwiza North player

Rugby Old Boys

• Tonderai Chavanga - plays for Western Province in South Africa
• Piet Benade (Mpumalanga Pumas- South Africa);
• Gordon Pangeti (Stellenbosch - South Africa, SA U21);
• Vakai Hove (UCT - South Africa);
• Lawrence (Polly) Smith (Rhodes - South Africa);
• Forbes Roberts (Natal - South Africa)
• Ian Robertson (South Africa)
• Brian Murphy Snr.(South Africa) - Also attended St. George's College (Old Georgian).
• Keenan Marais (New Zealand/Japan)

Golf

• Nick Price
• Mark McNulty

Chess

• Robert Gwaze
• Farai Mandiza
• Rodwell Makoto
• Arnold Huruva

Cricket

• Alexander Graeme Cremer
• Duncan Fletcher
• Graeme Hick
• Trevor Penney
• David Houghton
• Eddo Brandes
• Mark Vermeulen
• David Mutendera
• Jackie du Preez

Rowing

• Colin Smith (Great Britain Olympic Silver medalist Beijing 2008 8+/mens coxed eight)

Diving

• Paul Pember

Squash

• Casper Coetzee (World Jnrs Mens Champs, Pakistan, 2004)
• Craig Heath (World Jnrs Mens Champs, Pakistan, 2004)
• Mark Assaraf (World Jnrs Mens Champs, Pakistan, 2004)
• Ahmed Hassan (World Jnrs Mens Champs, New Zealand, 2006)
• Ainsley Gannaway (World Jnrs Mens Champs, New Zealand, 2006)

Athletics and cross-country

• Abel Kahuni - ran for South Plains College and the University of Central Oklahoma (USA).

Business

• David Potter - founder and chairman of the microcomputer systems company Psion PLC
• John Bredenkamp (probably the richest man in Zimbabwe with an estimated fortune of £720 million as indicated by the Sunday Times (UK)) ;
• Dr. Shingi Munyeza - Chief Executive Officer of the fastest growing hospitality group in sub-Saharan Africa, African Sun Limited

Film and media

• Alfred the Alleycat- stand-Up comedian in the USA.
• Carl J. Ncube - Zimbabwean-based animator and film director credited for producing Nyami Nyami The Zimbabwe Film Festival's first ever animated feature film. He continues to work on improving the media industry in Zimbabwe.
• Craig Peter- Zimbabwean based, playwright, actor and film maker.
• Musi Samuriwo - International award winning script writer.
• Over the Edge - theatre troupe made up of old boys Lucien Wiina Msamati,Shaheen Jassat, Craig Peter, Zane E Lucas and Gavin Peter.
• Miles Anderson. Graduated with Honours from The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Has starred many times in London's West End notably as Bill Sykes in Oliver at the London Palladium. Spent 12 years with the Royal Shakespeare Co where he played Macbeth and in that time was the first male Peter Pan, he has 3 Brish Theatre Awards and an Olivier Nomination. He has recently received acclaim most notably in The Wall St Journal for his performance as George in The Madness of George The Third at The San Diego Theatre directed by Adrian Noble. His TV credits are numerous and include Ultimate Force, House of Cards, Soldier Soldier, Frost and and The Waking the Dead.

His films include Cry Freedom, A Far Off Place and Lorna Doone.

• Simon Bright. Producer and director of numerous documentaries and feature films with African themes.

Music

• Sam Mutukudzi- (singer and guitarist) performed on the international stage with his father and legend of Zimbabwean music,Oliver Mutukudzi, as well as being a recorded artist in his own right with the release of his solo album and has toured around Europe and South Africa. He was killed in a car accident on 15 March 2010.

• Herbert Schwamborn- known under his artist name Metaphysics has gone to win major awards in Germany as a solo artist and also as a member of the multi-platinum band Söhnemannheims. He runs a record label based in Germany called Gandanga Music.

• Dumisani Maraire Jr.- better known as Just Lyphe in international music circles. He has shared the stage with world famous hip-hop and rnb artists from both Africa and the United states, and topped online charts like Reverb Nation's world charts. He was also part of the group, the Native Young Crew which took first place in Zimbabwe's only nationally televised talent competition in the early 1990s. He is now co-founder and President of the Property Of Africa Foundation.
• Lucian Msamati.- Lucian Msamati was born in the UK and grew up in Zimbabwe. In film, his appearances include Coffin, Legend Of The Sky Kingdom, Dr Juju, and Raoul Peck's award-winning film Lumumba. His television work in the UK includes Spooks, Just Like Ronaldinho, Ultimate Force, Too Close For Comfort, The Knock and Heads And Tales. Msamati started his career in the theatre and was founder member and artistic director of Zimbabwe's acclaimed Over The Edge Theatre Company.

See also

• List of boarding schools

External links

• Prince Edward School website