Rustenburg School for Girls

Sketch of Rustenburg House by Montrose Cloete

The school was founded in 1894 in the historic Rustenburg House, which dates from the early years of the Dutch settlement at the Cape [1] In 1932, the High School moved into its new buildings on Erinville Estate and Charlie's Hope. Charlie's Hope was subsequently demolished in 1976, before being rebuilt closer to the school. Erinville is now the name of the High School's boarding house. Rustenburg House was declared a National Monument in 1941, but still houses the Junior School.

Headmistresses and Headmasters of the High School:

• Miss Alicia Bleby, 1894–1911
• Miss Jean Donaldson-Wright, 1912–1916
• Miss Caroline Kemp, 1916–1936
• Miss Gwen Hazell, 1937–1951
• Miss Margaret Thomson, 1952–1979
• Mrs Josephine McIntyre, 1980–1991
• Mrs Mary van Blerk, 1991–1999
• Dr Elizabeth Fullard, 1999–2006
• Mrs Susan Schnetler (Acting), 2006-2007
• Ms Laura Bekker, 2007-2015
• Mrs Susan Schnetler (Acting), 2016
• Mr Michael Gates, 2017 -

Headmistresses of the Junior School:

• Miss Marion Roper, 1933–1944
• Miss Zoë Orton, 1945–1967
• Mrs Ruth Jones, 1968–1977
• Miss Hazel Lentin, 1978–1998
• Mrs Conway, 1998–2007
• Mrs Di Berry, 2008 - 2018
• Mrs Peterson, 2019 -

Rustenburg Girls' High School

In 2009, the Sunday Times published a list[2] of the top 100 government schools in the country, based on the 2008 matric results and Rustenburg was placed fifth.

In 2011 the school was placed as the top school in the Western Cape,[3] up from position three in 2010[4] and position six in 2009.[5]

A 2013 survey by "Fairlady" magazine listed Rustenburg High School for Girls among the top 25 schools in the country.[6]

In 2014, Rustenburg again qualified for inclusion in the Top 20 list and was placed 6th.[7]

In 2015, the Western Cape Education Department stopped ranking the top schools in performance order and instead listed them alphabetically, Rustenburg was included in the list of the top 22 schools.[8]

In 2019, a Grade 7 girl, was number one in the Western Cape for Horizon Maths Competition.

A Rustenburg tennis player at the 2006 Interschools Tennis

Rustenburg has always been well represented in South African and Western Province teams. In 2012, two girls represented South Africa in tennis and Artistic gymnastics while two staff members represented South Africa in sevens rugby and triathlon.

The High School has nine tennis/netball courts, a swimming pool and two hockey/cricket fields. An Astroturf playing field was installed during 2014 and floodlights are planned for 2016.

The following sports are offered by Rustenburg: cricket, cross-country, hockey, indoor hockey, netball, running, football, squash, swimming, tennis, touch rugby, waterpolo.

The highly acclaimed High School Music Department features an Orchestra, Choir, Chamber Choir, Jazz Band, Wind Band, String Quartet, Vocal Quartet, String Ensemble and Savuyisa (Marimba Band).

• Frances Ames, neurologist, psychiatrist, and human rights activist[9]
• Jodi Balfour, film and television actress[10]
• Louise Carver, singer [11]
• Janette Deacon, archaeologist
• Mabel Malherbe, South African politician[12][13]
• Debora Patta, broadcast journalist and television producer[14]
• Leila Reitz, the first woman elected to South Africa's parliament
• Edith Layard Stephens, botanist[15]
• Désirée Talbot, opera singer [16]
• Marjorie van Heerden, book illustrator
• Pauline Vogelpoel MBE, late director of the Contemporary Art Society and member of the International Council of the Tate Gallery
• Elizabeth Voigt, late director of the McGregor Museum in Kimberley

Scenes in the films Spud 2: The Madness Continues and Spud 3: Learning to Fly were shot at the school.[17]

• List of primary schools in South Africa
• List of High Schools in South Africa