In Waterford’s 55th anniversary year, our aim is to raise funds to renovate Ekukhuleni Hostel.
This hostel was built in the 1960s and has seen many students pass through. It is now in urgent need of renovation and refurbishment.
The proposed redevelopment of the hostel aims to:
Images of what is now Ekukhuleni Hostel (top and right) and annexe/clinic (bottom, building on the left) in the 60’s and 70’s.
Ekukhuleni Hostel was opened in 1965, around the same time the classroom block was built. It was built in conjunction with Esiveni Hostel and the old dining hall and kitchen. It housed approximately 50 students in open plan dorm rooms. However, due to the demand for further student housing over the intervening years, small minor add-ons were built with little consideration of style and student flow. Store rooms were enclosed to provide extra rooms and the open plan nature of the hostel was bricked in to allow for perceived privacy of students. An annex was added to the hostel to allow for the accommodation of Form 1 students and a hostel parent flat was squeezed in between the two. Within this space today, 96 lower form students are housed, a 90% growth with only a 30% increase in building footprint. The old staff flat at the end of the building was subsequently converted into the school clinic.
This ad hoc growth combined with a lack of planning foresight has led to very cramped conditions and an unappealing venue for boarders during important years as students. Little refurbishment has been done to the block other than general painting and minor works. In terms of aesthetics, the hostel is a mix of different styles of architecture without any unifying factor or appeal. Other challenges the hostel faces are:
Modern day annexe/clinic (both left) and bathroom in Ekukhs (right).
The building of a new dining hall and kitchen in 2013 opened up new space in Ekukhuleni which can now be used to address all of the issues described above, as well as provide additional facilities for the College, including new working spaces for wellness programs and teachers.
Jeff Stacey, the architect who has worked closely with Waterford over the past years and who was involved in the building of the new dining hall (2013), the renovation of the classroom block (2016/2017) and the refurbishment of the MP Hall (2017), has drawn up plans which will make the hostel a place where students feel at home, have the space to meet with friends, study and hang out.
Total cost of the project is ZAR 8,200,000. Waterford friends and very generous donors Bill and Solange Brown, have donated USD 300,000 ( ZAR 4,400,000/ November 2018) towards this project, challenging the school to raise the remainder.
The school’s operating budget does not allow for the financing of major capital projects like this one. Through active fundraising, we aim to bring in the necessary remaining ZAR 3,800,000 (USD 260 000/ November 2018) over the course of 2018.
By making a donation in support of this project. If you would like, your donation can be allocated to a specific aspect of the project such as an individual bedroom/bedroom door/fittings/entrance hall, etc. We welcome any donation, regardless of size.
A gift of ZAR 1000 ($70, £55, €60) from all WK alumni would help us to achieve our fundraising goal for this project.
| Element | ZAR | USD | No | |
| 1 | Cost per 4 bed room, including ancillary accommodation | 240000 | 16500 | 24 |
| 2 | Cost per bed place, within a 4 bed room, including ancillary | 60000 | 4000 | 96 |
| 3 | Bedroom fittings (per bed place) | 12000 | 850 | 96 |
| 4 | Entrance doors (per wing) | 8000 | 550 | 5 |
Do you and a group of friends want to contribute jointly? Please do! We welcome group efforts. Send an email to celisse.ruiz@waterford.sz and we can help you get started.
We are in the process of confirming with the architect the best way to acknowledge donors. We’ll keep you posted as we move forward.
Recognize the location but not the name of the hostel? Let us know what this building was called when you were at Waterford. Share your memories with us.
If you have questions or comments regarding this campaign please email Anne Rein Muller at advancementdirector@waterford.sz.
