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Beast Foundation scholarship students celebrate one year anniversary at Reddam House Helderfontein

MyPR: Beast Foundation scholarship students celebrate one year anniversary at Reddam House Helderfontein:

The Beast Foundation, in partnership with Inspired Education Group, has proudly announced the one-year anniversary of three high school scholarship recipients at Reddam House Helderfontein. The scholarships were awarded to Njabulo Zulu, Ethan Makombe, and Tshenolo Gaesenewe, who were selected from over 200 applicants from across South Africa.

The scholarships, which cover both tuition and boarding fees, have given these students access to a world-class education at Reddam House Helderfontein. In addition, The Beast Foundation sponsored school uniforms, stationery, and textbooks for the beneficiaries.

Ethan Makombe from Durban, Njabulo Zulu from Johannesburg, and Tshenolo Gaesenewe from Potchefstroom, have thrived in their new environment, despite the challenges that come with being away from home. All three students have found success in their academic and extramural activities, with Njabulo Zulu involved in aquatics, basketball, public speaking, chess, and a major production, Ethan Makombe excelling in drama and basketball, and Tshenolo Gaesenewe participating in hockey, soccer and choir.

In response to their first year at Reddam House Helderfontein, Ethan described it as interesting, Njabulo described it as unexpected, and Tshenolo described it as experimental. All three students have shown tremendous progress in their studies and extracurricular activities. Njabulo, for instance, is excited about his major production role this year, while Tshenolo has set her sights on obtaining a PhD in Civil Engineering.

Commenting on the scholarship recipients, Tendai Mtawarira, Founder and Chairperson of The Beast Foundation, said, “Tshenolo, Njabulo, and Ethan are excelling at Reddam Helderfontein. This makes me so happy and fulfils the mission of the Foundation which is to empower young people with education and provide them with access to wonderful resources and schools like Reddam that will enable them to thrive and succeed.”

Reddam House Helderfontein is a unique school that focuses on using nature as a classroom. Its students have access to world-class facilities, such as boutique boarding houses, fully equipped science laboratories, high-tech classrooms, an indoor aquatic centre, and performing arts studios. The school’s innovative approach to education has resulted in students spending less time on their devices and more time interacting with each other. The school’s approach to education is based on the belief that if students are learning about butterflies, they should be amongst the butterflies. This vision drives the school to expose its students to outdoor activities and experiential learning in the natural surroundings of the greater Helderfontein area. Students are taken out of their comfort zones and challenged to try new experiences, such as mountain biking, koppie climbs, and lessons on how to braai, crochet, identify birds, and take better photos.

Graham Bennetts, Executive Head of Reddam House Helderfontein, expressed his pride in the scholarship recipients and said, “Their parents, and Beast himself can be exceptionally proud and I have no doubt that all three have the potential to become great future leaders in our country.”

For more information on Reddam House Helderfontein go to https://www.helderfontein.reddamhouse.com/.

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Did you know this about Johannesburg? In 1964 the Johannesburg Botanical Garden was established in the suburb of Emmarentia. The Emmarentia Dam forms part of the Garden. The Garden is best known for its roses.

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The Oriental Plaza: A Phoenix in Fordsburg

If Johannesburg is a city of forced displacements, the Oriental Plaza is its most resilient response. While the Rand Club was built for the elite and Ponte for the “jet-set,” the Oriental Plaza was born from the trauma of the Group Areas Act—a piece of Apartheid legislation designed to geographically separate the races. Yet, in true Johannesburg fashion, what was intended as a tool of containment and financial ruin for the Indian community transformed into one of the most vibrant, independent commercial powerhouses in the country.

The story of the Plaza begins with the destruction of Pageview, affectionately known as Fietas. In the mid-20th century, Fietas was a legendary multicultural hub, centered around the bustling 14th Street. It was the city’s premier destination for textiles, clothing, and spices, where shoppers of all races would rub shoulders in a “jazzy, soulful” atmosphere. However, because Fietas was located so close to the white-only city center, the Apartheid government declared it a “white area” in 1962. The community fought back for decades, but by the 1970s, the bulldozers arrived. Homes were leveled, and the thriving traders of 14th Street were forcibly relocated to a purpose-built, modernist complex a kilometer away in Fordsburg: the Oriental Plaza.

The government’s intent was cynical: by moving the traders into a controlled environment with high state-mandated rents and strict rules on what could be sold, they hoped to break the back of Indian commercial dominance. The early years were devastating; many businesses folded, and the “Grand Bazaar” felt like a sterile warehouse compared to the street-level energy of Fietas. However, the traders refused to vanish. They eventually won the right to purchase their own shops, making the Oriental Plaza unique among South African malls because it is owned by the shopkeepers themselves rather than a corporate landlord. This ownership model changed everything. Without the burden of massive monthly mall rentals, the 360+ independent stores can offer prices that national retailers cannot touch, turning the Plaza into a “bargain-hunter’s paradise” that draws millions of visitors a year.