As a former student of Waterford Kamhlaba, there is important information missing in your investigation, especially regarding management and the council. On a personal level, I struggled academically throughout high school. 

All my teachers and tutors were aware of my difficulties, yet instead of informing my parents, the school kept pushing me into higher grades regardless of my results. Year after year, my struggles were ignored. It was only towards the end of Form 4, just before entering Form 5 and preparing for final examinations, that the school finally raised concerns with my parents. By then, it was too late.

I did everything I could, studied extremely hard, and worked to recover from the academic gaps. Thankfully, I managed to get my grades. But the damage had already been done. The school also knew that I was struggling mentally. Every time I asked for help, my requests were brushed aside as if they meant nothing. Waterford Kamhlaba is not a good environment for a child who is not mentally strong.

Reflecting on the Instagram bullying accounts, Nicole consistently brushed the matter aside and shouted at students instead of properly investigating who was behind the accounts, even though she promised to do so. She went as far as claiming she would track down the person using their IP address, yet nothing was ever done. Children who were already struggling mentally were further harmed, and this was visible to everyone.

Waterford Kamhlaba presents itself as a perfect school, but it is not. In fact, it is far from it. From the principal firing many good teachers and replacing them with staff brought in from Kenya, to Nicole misleading students and parents with false promises of making the school a safer place, the problems are deep. School fees are extremely high, yet the dormitories are poorly maintained. Some rooms have mould, and the sports department lacks sufficient funding to buy proper equipment.

No one seems to know where the money from school fees and fundraising goes. It simply disappears without accountability. Parents need to wake up and stop accepting the image Waterford Kamhlaba sells. There are serious issues beneath the surface, and students are paying the price.

NB: The former student asked to use a pen name