Felix Mshololo was born in 1954 in Durban. He attended Adams College, and obtained a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Zululand then finished his B.eD at the University of Natal. Between 1977 and 1987 he worked at Swelihle High School as a teacher. In 1988 he was appointed as Principal at Phezulu High School. In 1990 he was appointed in the same position at Menzi High School, a post he held until he passed away in February 2015.
Menzi High School
When Mshololo joined Menzi High School, the school was underperforming at a pass rate of 34%. Through empathy, and the understanding that learners come from disadvantaged communities, Mshololo and his team sacrificed their time to extend school hours for studying and extra lessons. The results of these efforts are clear. With a 100% pass rate in 2010, 2012 and 2013, Menzi High School has received a number of awards and accolades.
In 2014, Mshololo was recognised as an eThekwini Living Legend. At the same time, his deputy principal, Muntu Ntombela, represented the school at the Circle of Excellence Awards. The Overall Best Matric Result Award went to Menzi High School, along with the top awards for Mathematics, Physical Science and Accounting. And things don’t stop there – Mshololo was nominated as the Best Principal in the Kader Asmal Awards for KwaZulu-Natal in 2014.
The thing that’s so incredible about this man is his ability to transfer his knowledge. In addition to the massive impact that he’s had on his own school, Mshololo also managed to improve results at other underperforming high schools.
Neighbouring schools benefitted from these extra hours of teaching available at Menzi. As a school manager, Mshololo was tasked to assist underperforming schools either by district manager or by individual schools. In 2013 he helped Inwabi High School improve their pass rate from 20% to 79%. He further secured sponsorship for the school through SASRIA, an insurance company that funded Maths and Science tuition. He forged partnership with companies such as SASRIA and Ernst & Young to fund the university education of hardworking learners from financially challenged families.
Mshololo assisted learners in submitting their CAO applications to Universities and organized public servants within his church to raise funds to feed the poor.
While Mshololo’s energy seemed boundless, as was his humility, he passed away in February 2015 due to heart complications. With the poor state of education in South Africa being such a major concern, it is people like Felix Mshololo who truly made a difference to the future of our country. In the words of Education MEC, Peggy Nkonyeni:
“Mr Mshololo was a diligent, passionate and compulsive educationist who put the interest of his learners above his own. The entire education sector has lost a phenomenal individual”.