The golden thread of hope that has run through Makhanda since 1850
If you’re a long-time resident of Makhanda, you have probably heard of the Assumption Development Sisters or experienced the impact of the work that they do. The Sisters arrived in South Africa on a boat from Ireland, settling in Makhanda to establish a convent and school. They soon after became a major institution in the community development sector, embodying an ethos of inclusivity, resistance and care.
The Assumption Development Sisters were initially known as the Sisters of the Assumption (French Order nuns) and established their convent in Grahamstown on 15 January 1850 on the corner of Beaufort Street and Hill Street. It was the first convent institution set up in Southern Africa. The initial group of sisters, led by Sister Gertrude (born Josephine Amelia de Henningsen), arrived in Grahamstown on 15 December 1849 after a challenging journey, including a voyage by whaling vessel and an ox-wagon trip from Port Elizabeth. The sisters primarily cared for disadvantaged children and orphans.
“It was actually a very nice three week journey on the boat. I was sick for the first week, which is normal. But after that, as a young lady of 18, 19 years of age coming out to do my training at the corner of Beaufort and Hill Street, P.O. Box 17, where we have been from then until now,” shares Sister Amelia, one of the Sisters at the convent. I've been doing that for the last 65 years until I got a bit too old.”
The Sisters came to Makhanda at the request of Bishop Aidan Devereux, the Vicar Apostolic of the Eastern District of the Cape of Good Hope. Concerned about education and the moral conditions of the youth amidst the challenging environment in the Eastern Cape, Bishop Devereux appealed to Mother Marie Eugenie (known as Madre Mere), the founder of the Assumption Order in Paris, to send a group of sisters to Grahamstown.
Due to evolving community needs, changing church roles, and possibly financial sustainability challenges, the convent in Grahamstown closed in December 1982 after 133 years of continuous operation. This marked the end of their initial institutional phase, but not their presence or influence in the community.
Following the closure of the convent, the Sisters continued to ensure young people were cared for and the community felt seen and transitioned from a convent-based model to a more community-integrated approach. They expanded their mission to engage directly in local communities, especially in poorer townships like Joza.
High Tea with the Assumption Development Sisters
Vice Chancellor of Rhodes University, Prof Sizwe Mabizela organised a High Tea on behalf of the Committee of the VC’s Education Initiative as a way to express gratitude for the impact the Sisters have had in Education in Makhanda over the past few decades.
Sister Anne Patricia, Sister Amelia Murphy, Sister Pikolwethu Kwenxe, Sister Virtinie and Sister Mary Dael joined the committee who met at the Vice Chancellor’s Room at RUCE.
“We gather in celebration and thanksgiving. Of course, thanking first and foremost our loving Father and our Blessed Virgin Mary who brought the Assumption Development Sisters to this part of the world and determined that this is the place where you will make a difference,” Prof Mabizela proudly announced at the Thanksgiving event last month.
The High Tea brought together the committee represented by Education stakeholders in both the University and Makhanda, the Vice Chancellor and the Assumption Sisters for an afternoon of sharing stories and laughing about the lifelong memories that have lovingly been made in the Education sector over the decades.
The VC Initiative is a collaborative project that addresses Education access and success for all children in Makhanda. Community-based organisations, GADRA, the Education Faculty, RUCE and the Centre for Social Development at Rhodes, form part of the committee. Through the organisations’ various activities and initiatives, the Committee works closely with the Assumption Sisters.
Director of RUCE, Diana Hornby, reflected on the system-wide impact that the Sisters have made directly and indirectly on Education in Makhanda.
“In the entire basic schooling system in Makhanda, out of all the children who come into Grade 1, 74 percent go on to complete Matric. That is significant because that is the work that the Sisters meaningfully contribute to, which is to keep young people in the system. For us all, somewhere along the line, you've touched our lives and you've been a golden thread that runs through it.“
Prof Mabizela spoke particularly to the role the Sisters played in establishing the Assumption Development Centre, a socio-economic development hub in the Joza location in Makhanda East.
During apartheid, the Assumption sisters operated a clinic in Joza. After the newly democratically appointed government established public clinics in locations, the sisters opted to transform the clinic into a community service. They set out to interview hundreds of households living in the area, asking what they hoped would become of the space.
The community unanimously suggested a skills and economic development programme. The Sisters then got in touch with the Rhodes Community Engagement division and other NPO’s , and soon, the ADC was born.
“[The Assumption Development Sisters] allowed us the use of their clinic and allowed us to convert that into an incredible hub to develop skills to give people of Makanda a sense of hope so that they can change their lives,” said Mabizela. "That Assumption Development Centre is making an incredible contribution to the city and this University. The Assumption Sisters are at the heart of the ADC project. It is your project. It is your generosity that makes that project possible. You have been part of this community in many, many ways.”
The ADC has intrinsically woven itself into the fabric of Joza and Rhodes University, with its role in the space constantly evolving. The current Programme Manager of the centre is Masonwabe Nduna, a born and bred Makhanda resident. “I’m particularly biased because the manager [Masonwabe] is a graduate of Rhodes University, who started as an intern and is now fully in charge of the programme,” Mabizela added. Sister Amelia is also a Rhodes University alumni.
175 years of stories to tell
Margie Keeton, who is the daughter of Dr Thelma Henderson, shared her experience of the Sisters over the past couple of decades.
She particularly speaks to a time in the early 1980s when Sister Amelia was principal of St Mary’s Primary. Working in the development sector, Thelma Henderson recognised a need to ensure children in the Currie Street Area had regular meals and nutrition. Setting the scene of Makhanda at a time when German police lined the roads leading into the townships, Margie shares how her mother, Thelma maintained her commitment to her goal of feeding young children. She drove straight to St Mary’s to speak to Sister Amelia and was (as expected) warmly received.
“It was sometime in the early '80s, things were not settled in the township. [Regardless] she drove to Sister Amelia, unannounced and told them the whole story. And together they cooked up this idea that became something big - St Mary’s Development and Care Centre.
St Mary’s DCC continues to be a hallmark of community development in Makhanda today.
The Assumption Development Sisters have also played a role in establishing the Assumption Nutrition Centre in 1992. The Nutrition Centre addresses child malnutrition and food security within Joza, providing regular meals to children from vulnerable families.
Although deeply rooted in Makhanda, The Assumption Sisters are also globally engaged citizens, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to Makhanda. Several initiatives established in the earlier years in places such as Nigeria, Zambia, Malawi, Egypt and Zimbabwe, have continued to operate or have evolved according to changes in local contexts over time.
Maintaining a hearty sense of humor seems to be a vital part of life as an Assumption Sister. This is easily reflected in the stories shared, particularly those speaking to times where injustices in society were the norm. Sister Amelia shared a story about the Sisters’ experiences traveling in Africa during the 1980s.
“In Nigeria, young men [guards] were supposed to be doing some work, watching people and checking their things. The guards were told to stop the people and ask them to open their bonnets and their boots. So anyway, our Sisters came along with their bonnets and of course, their boots. So the young men said, ‘Please could you take off your bonnets?’ They knew that the cars had bonnets and boots, but they didn't know that these Sisters definitely had boots and they definitely had bonnets on their heads. So they had to remove their bonnets and their boots to check that they were not smuggling stuff!”
