There is an adage that it takes a village to raise a child. At Dorothea Special School in Cloetesville, it took something similar to bring internet connectivity: A village of citizen leaders, each responding to a challenge they encountered together.

The story begins in 2023 when Citizen Leader Lab, in partnership with Mediclinic, hosted an “Execs Back to School” event at Dorothea. The initiative invites business executives to return to the classroom as citizens willing to engage with the realities shaping South Africa’s public schools and to explore solutions collaboratively.

Among those who walked the school corridors that day were Deon Myburgh, general manager of IT operations at Mediclinic, and Bob Govender, industry affairs executive at Mediclinic.

What they saw at the school stayed with them.

Dorothea Special School serves learners with special educational needs who flourish in classrooms where learning is active, sensory and creative. Music, movement and technology are essential tools, helping learners discover their capabilities and express themselves in ways traditional methods may not allow.

The school’s pioneering approach to learning had already earned global recognition. Dorothea was named an Apple Distinguished School, one of only a handful in South Africa and the first special school across 37 countries to receive the honour through the iSchoolAfrica Education Trust’s disability inclusion programme.

This distinction recognises schools that use Apple technology to create innovative, inclusive learning environments.

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For Dorothea, the recognition highlights not only the use of digital tools, but the school’s role in preparing learners with special educational needs for the demands of the 21st century.

Yet even in these innovative classrooms, a constraint remained: Reliable Wi-Fi, modern network infrastructure and secure high-speed internet connectivity. The irony of having the hardware and devices in place, but lacking the robust digital foundation needed to support them fully, was striking.

“Dorothea had already embraced technology as a learning tool, but without a strong, stable connection, that vision couldn’t go further. That’s when collaboration became vital,” explained Jessica Batts, a Citizen Leader Lab facilitator in the Winelands who has played an integral role in the organisation’s work in the region since 2015.

Strong partnerships

Citizen Leader Lab brings together leaders from different sectors, creating spaces where school leaders and business leaders collaborate as partners to solve challenges facing schools. At Dorothea, that convening power turned a moment of awareness into decisive action.

Through Myburgh’s leadership and coordination, a two-year collaboration between multiple companies began to take shape. Each partner contributed its technical expertise and corporate resources to build the school’s new digital network.

“Mediclinic, Remgro, Technology Corporate Management, Seacom, Gijima, AccuSolutions, HPE Aruba Networking, Huge TNS and iSchoolAfrica all contributed their expertise and resources. This March, we came together at Dorothea to celebrate the project’s completion,” said Batts.

For Myburgh, the journey reflects the full circle of citizen leadership. His relationship with Citizen Leader Lab began in 2017 when he participated in one of the organisation’s leadership programmes.

That experience introduced him to a network of business and school leaders committed to strengthening education through collaboration.

Leadership is key

Nearly nine years later, Myburgh continues to support initiatives that address the needs of schools serving vulnerable communities. His leadership at Dorothea illustrates exactly the type of collaborative, impact-driven approach that Citizen Leader Lab aims to cultivate in leaders.

“It’s been a great honour partnering with Citizen Leader Lab. True leadership requires long term commitment, not a once off, but staying the course. We all have a role to play in changing lives” says Myburgh. “This is what I really enjoy, connecting the dots and bringing people together for the greater good,” he added.

Batts reflected on Dorothea’s journey, saying that leadership lies at the heart of the school’s growth. “Leaders who don’t just see a challenge but galvanise others to act. Citizen Leader Lab creates the space for those connections to happen, and at Dorothea those connections have translated into infrastructure that supports teaching and learning.”

The reliable Wi-Fi, network infrastructure and secure high-speed internet connectivity are only part of the story. Dorothea’s transformation was never just about technology.

It is about what happens when a village of leader’s steps forward, not for recognition or attribution, but to contribute to the future of South Africa.