After 44 years Irista Primary School in Sarepta finally has its own school hall.

Founded in 1982, the school was one of many that operated without a hall. Learners used to gather outside or squeeze into classrooms for assemblies and events.

The R11,6-million multi-purpose hall was officially inaugurated on Thursday 22 October, through a partnership among the Garden Cities Archway Foundation, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) and the school’s own fundraising efforts over 15 years. The hall was opened by Jannie Isaacs, board member of Garden Cities.

Teacher Heather van Staden, master of ceremonies, recalled being asked by learners when they would get a hall. “Well, tonight we have the answer,” she said. “This hall is more than just bricks and cement. It represents hope, resilience, dignity, opportunity, and the power of a community that never gave up on its dream.” Van Staden said the hall was proof that patience and perseverance paid off. “Fashionably late, but absolutely beautiful.”

Changing the narrative

Landeka Diamond, director for the Metro East Education District, said many schools still have learners sitting in scorching sun or cold because they lack such a facility. Irista had served its community for more than 40 years with limited opportunities for assemblies, parent meetings and school events.

“But that changes today,” she said. “We are changing the narrative.”

The facility was a significant investment for the school’s 1 357 learners, Diamond said. “We’re not going to look at it in terms of monetary value. We’re going to measure it with what happens inside this hall.”

She thanked the Archway Foundation and Garden Cities for partnering with the department, and entrusted the facility to the school leadership, governing body, staff, parents and the wider community. “When I walk in here in the next 10 years, I want to see that it has been well maintained.”

The power of one

Isaacs said the Archway Foundation, established in 2003, had built 135 halls and invested not less than R450 million in education facilities across the Western Cape. Irista’s hall, approximately 700 m², could seat about 800 people with another 100 on the balcony.

Previous multi-purpose halls built in the area included one at Sarepta High in 2007 and at Sarepta Primary in 2024. Isaacs expected the number of completed halls to reach 144 by the end of the financial year.

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He spoke on “the power of one”, saying every great movement started with one person who decided to act. “One inspired person inspires another. One act of courage encourages another. Soon, one becomes many.”

Isaacs acknowledged former principal Francois van Wyk, who had begun working towards the hall years ago, but could not attend the evening.

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From vision to reality

Eliseberth Nimrod, financial officer at Irista, said the hall stood as a beacon of hope and a symbol of hard work coming to fruition. Its absence had meant relying on rented venues and being unable to hold regular assemblies.

John Matthews, Group CEO of Garden Cities, said improvements in academic performance and morale have been noted at schools where halls have been built. “Garden Cities is dedicated to the promotion of education as the key to stability and financial security for everyone in South Africa.”

He said corporate citizens have a responsibility to help redress the inequalities of the past. “Our goal remains: to help provide equal facilities for the schoolchildren of the Western Cape and to level the academic playing fields for every learner in every classroom at school.”

The school has been headed for the past year by acting principal Faghrie Boraine, who has taught there for 26 years. In his welcome message, Boraine said the gathering was not merely to open a building but to recognise “the progress of a community, the power of collective effort and the belief that what we build today saves the possibility of tomorrow”.

He hopes the hall will become a place “where voices are heard, achievements acknowledged, creativity is encouraged and where our school community finds common ground”.

Events planned for the hall include a Grade R graduation, the annual award ceremony, parent meetings, orientation, indoor netball, cheer squad practices, the debutante ball, school dance and Grade 7 farewell. The hall will also be shared with the community and rented out for workshops, training sessions and functions.

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