HOERSKOOL MERENSKY
School History
Tzaneen in the Limpopo Province is an attractive subtropical garden town with a colourful profusion of indigenous and exotic flowers and vegetation. Hoërskool Merensky’s roots go back to 1936, and it developed into an agricultural school with 500 pupils by 1961. The school was officially christened Merensky High School in 1976. In 1984 it became a dual-medium school. A fig tree is prominent in the school’s coat of arms. It is a Biblical symbol (usually a reference to good fruit that is borne of true faith), but it also literally refers to the place of assembly for early students at the school. That is, the first school hall was beneath a fig tree. Other symbols on the coat of arms are the bee, representing hard work, and the oranges, symbolic of the Lowveld where enormous citrus farms are found. The school boasts excellent facilities, with a large conference centre and an excellent gym. Merensky has over 100 pupils. Its current headmaster is Mr JP van den Heever.
School Information:
Name: Hoërskool Merensky
Founded: 1961
Pupils: 1000 +
Motto: Labour et Conserva
Rugby jersey: Blue, navy and yellow with navy shorst
Rugby at Merensky
Although Merensky is proud of its Protea cricketer Dale Steyn, it also has a proud rugby history. In 1988 the First rugby team reached the semi-finals of the prestigious Director’s trophy. In 2006, rugby at Merensky enjoyed a particularly successful year. Five Merensky rugby sides were crowned Limpopo winners that year, and Barry Landman’s First XV drew in the final of the Beeld trophy to share the prestigious Cup with local rivals Ben Vorster.Landamn now plays for the Cheetahs, having been contracted directly after school. He is the son of Christie, a Merensky old boy Old boy who played provincial rugby for Northern Transvaal in 1908-81. Jacques Bischoff is another Merensky Old boy who represented Northern Transvaal in 1994-1995. The school’s contribution to rugby in the province is clear from the many Merensky boys making up Craven Week and other representative sides in 2007, where 25 boys gained provincial representation across all age groups.
