Amanzimtoti High unveils Louise Lemmer stand
Amanzimtoti High School unveiled the Louise Lemmer stand, in honour of the school's former principal, during the first assembly of 2025.

AMANZIMTOTI High School (AHS) which is flying high after its remarkable achievement of a 100% pass rate for its matric class of 2024, held their first assembly of 2025 on the recently completed Louise Lemmer stand.
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Lemmer, who served as principal since 2005 and retired in 2023, was the guest of honour at the event and delivered a rousing speech to the learners.

Lemmer encouraged the school’s learners, “You are Amanzimtoti High School and Amanzimtoti High School is you. It’s not a building. It’s not just a name. So when you walk out in the community you walk tall and you walk with pride. To the grade eights, you have got five years ahead of you. It’s time to build your future. Not by the day that you walk into your matric year. You need to start that journey right now in grade eight. I hope you will remember that you can change your circumstances by changing your attitude. As a matter of fact, your attitude will always determine your life. But it’s not just that simple – it’s hard work. It’s dedication. There will be many stumbling blocks. There will be blood, sweat and tears but in the end, you will look back and know that it was worth it.”
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Hein Kapp, the current principal, reflected on some of the former principal’s achievements throughout her illustrious career.  Under her guidance, the AHS drum majorettes won the SA Champs in the early 80s. She was appointed as the chief examiner for Afrikaans FAL. In addition to this accolade, Lemmer was elected deputy president of South African Teachers’ Union in 2019 and was also instrumental in the founding of South African Comprehensive Assessment Institute, the latest assessment institute endorsed by Umalusi.
Lemmer said, “I retired two years ago already, so the Grade 11 and 12 learners that are here now are learners I had when I was still here. This school is close to my heart and my time at AHS was 34 years altogether. We started with the stands while I was here because it was a dream of ours to make it bigger – the school grew so much that we couldn’t fit the school into the assembly hall anymore, so we had to make another plan. As a principal and as a member of staff, you want your entire school together. Now that it is complete, the leadership and governing body wanted to name the area after me. It’s humbling, and it is a privilege because everything that this school has achieved has been achieved through teamwork – by a lot of people that did a lot of hard work.”
A plaque erected to commemorate Lemmer’s contributions to AHS during her time there was unveiled during the assembly.

“Samuel Murefu, the school’s 2025 Head Boy and a role model to so many learners, presented an inspiring speech at our first assembly. The top 10 NSC certificate achievers of 2024 also attended the assembly to celebrate the school’s 100% pass rate and award for being top school in the Amanzimtoti Circuit. In addition to maintaining this ethos of excellence, Mathematics Olympiad certificates were also presented to current learners who excelled in the Olympiad last year. The mathematics department hopes to maintain their 2023, sixth position in KZN this year and in the years to come,” said Kapp.
The school bid a farewell, but not goodbye, to Lemmer with an honorary school battle cry. “With a great start to our 2025 academic year, we envision and hope for many more successes along the way,” added Kapp.
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According to Sandy Naidoo, head of academics at AHS, there were several reasons to celebrate the day. She emphasised the school’s exceptional bachelor’s pass rate of 80,2%, and noted that there were 184 subject distinctions amongst the matric class of 2024.
Naidoo added, “We had a 100% pass rate in core maths. In fact, the majority of our subjects had a 100% pass rate. To top it off, we had nine A-aggregates and 35 B-aggregates. We also celebrated the handing over of a new school vehicle from Hyundai. Today was a special day.”
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