The College hosted its annual Speech Day on 9 October 2025, marking the end of the academic year and the beginning of a new chapter for the Class of 2025.
The ceremony opened with the Academic procession, accompanied by the College's Brass Ensemble performing Gaudeamus Igitur, the traditional student song. Mr Peter Wright, Senior Deputy, welcomed parents, staff, and the young men of Upper V to the afternoon's proceedings.
A Question of Impact
Ms Tina Playne, Chair of Council, opened her address by acknowledging the times we're living in — tremendous challenges alongside immense possibilities. She didn't shy away from the hard facts: in South Africa, over 70% of children can't read for meaning by Grade 4, despite the country spending above the global average on education.
Against this backdrop, she reminded the St John's community of their privilege. "With such privilege comes responsibility: a call to rise to our fullest potential, not merely for personal success, but to serve a country where far too many are still denied these same opportunities."
She highlighted the Academy as an example of this responsibility in action—"a beacon of transformation, turning the promise of education into lasting, life-changing impact."
Her challenge to the Class of 2025 was direct: "The question is no longer what impact St John's College has made on you, but what impact you will make on the world."
The Walk is the Gift
Mr Stuart West, Executive Head, reflected on his six years at the College through the lens of a simple but profound idea: the walk is the gift.
He shared a story from the Belgian Congo about a missionary teaching the Christmas narrative, who emphasised that the wise men's true offering wasn't the gold, frankincense, and myrrh they carried—it was the journey itself. The miles walked, the perseverance shown, the faith that kept them going.
For the Class of 2025, Mr West offered a challenge rooted in Jesuit tradition: Vince te ipsum—conquer yourself. Not conquering others, but mastering yourself. "The greatest battle you will face is not against others, but within yourself—against fear, doubt, arrogance, impatience, and selfishness."
He explained what this means in practice: choosing "integrity over convenience, courage over comfort, and service over self-interest."
"The world you step into does not need stronger opinions, but better men—men who are rooted and anchored in who they are; men who, in first conquering themselves, are truly free to lead, to love, to serve, to build, to connect, and to see the greater good for others."
He closed with a simple truth: "My walk at St John's is the gift—a gift I will carry with me always, and one I will cherish forever."
Brotherhood Forged
Menzi Bongwe, Second Prefect, did the maths: the Class of 2025 collectively spent 40 000 weeks at College, 760 years of memories condensed into a few short years.
Writing his speech as a letter to the College, he reflected on Proverbs 27:17: "As Iron Sharpens Iron, Brother Sharpens Brother." The College, he said, gave them "800 odd brothers to shape and carve us into who we are."
He was honest about what that shaping looked like, not just the victories, but the defeats, too. "Pink Day, the countless silver medals across basketball and water polo, and all the other times we've fallen short. The truth is, these experiences are just as powerful in making us."
He remembered three classmates who couldn't be there — Nathan, Jake, and Sonwabo — before closing with an image that captured the bittersweet nature of the day: "the grass on Burger will wither, new Johannians will bloom, and every moody boy, now a man, who's worn this blue and this maroon will find it hard to say goodbye."
Ignite Your Light
Siza Gule, Head of School, built his address around gratitude and legacy. He opened with William Blake's lines about seeing "a World in a Grain of Sand" and holding "infinity in the palm of your hand," using them to frame what gratitude really means—not just transactional thank-yous, but "a deep-seated, all-encompassing appreciation for life's experiences—both the highs and lows, the mundane and the magical."
He listed what 2025 had accomplished: the first-ever student head of Transformation and Diversity, Diversity Dialogues bringing together over 100 students, a reading initiative collecting over 1 000 books, 8 000 cans donated for Mandela Day, the revival of school spirit through a war cry band and mascot, and formalised service prefects revitalising peer tutoring.
"Had you told me this would be the story of 2025, I might have called you ambitious—perhaps too ambitious. Yet here we are."
In his tribute to Mr and Mrs West, Siza traced their legacy across the campus. In Amphi, the Friday addresses about family and belonging. On Burger Field, their support for every sport. In Big School, the warmth they brought to performances. In the office, conversations where "with a little Pixie Dust, I could fly and help others do the same."
"Mr and Mrs West, you have truly ignited the light of St John's, in its students, in its staff, and in its spirit. May God's face shine upon you both as you enter this next chapter."
He closed with a rallying cry for the future, echoing King Henry V: "Ignite Your Light. As St John's steps into a new era, may we rise like the eagles, seeing further, daring greatly... When challenges come, and they will, when doubt clouds your path, and pressure bears down, remember: the light within you is stronger than anything before you."
A Theatrical Moment
Between the speeches and prize-giving, Elliot Cross performed as Salieri from Peter Shaffer's Amadeus, offering a dramatic reflection on genius, mediocrity, and greatness that echoed the day's themes of self-mastery and purpose.
Celebrating Achievement
The prize-giving followed, with Mrs Vanessa Govender, Deputy Head: Academics, announcing the year's awards. While academic excellence was honoured, the prizes also recognised leadership, tenacity, strength of character, and service to the school community.
Induction into the Old Johannian Association
The occasion closed with a moving moment. Mr West, in his capacity as President of the Old Johannian Association, called the Upper Vs forward to don their OJ ties and be inducted into the OJA.
Framed ties were also presented to the families of three young men who had passed and would not be matriculating with the Class of 2025 — Nathan Bewsher, Jake Visser, and Sonwabile Makaula, affirming their enduring place in the Johannian family.
Speech Day wove together themes that will stay with this class: privilege demands responsibility, self-mastery comes before service, brotherhood is forged through both triumph and struggle, and the journey itself, the walk, is the gift.
