BY THEMBA ZWANE
MBABANE – Ka-Boyce High School Head Boy, Phiwa Dlamini, has described retiring headteacher Steven Shabangu as a “present leader” whose influence went beyond his position and remained visible in the students he led.
Speaking during the school’s Speech and Prize Giving Day and Farewell Function on Friday, September 25, 2026, the Head Boy paid tribute to Shabangu for his hands-on leadership, discipline and the standards he established during his tenure.
“There are some leaders whose presence is felt through their position, and there are others whose presence is felt through the people they leave behind. Mr Shabangu was the latter,” he said.
The Head Boy said Shabangu was not a distant leader, but one who interacted directly with learners, challenged them, corrected them and consistently reminded them that their future would require discipline and sacrifice.
He said these lessons had become part of the Ka-Boyce experience and would continue to influence learners beyond their years at the school.
Among the most memorable lessons associated with Shabangu was his famous phrase: “The warmer the blanket, the colder the future.”
According to the Head Boy, the phrase carried a deeper message about avoiding excessive comfort in the present at the expense of one’s future.
“Behind those words was a lesson we will carry with us: never become so comfortable in the present that you neglect the future,” he said.
The Head Boy said the true impact of Shabangu’s leadership would potentially become clearer as former learners progressed into different professions and positions of responsibility.
He imagined some of the students he led eventually becoming doctors, teachers, engineers, entrepreneurs and leaders, saying they could one day recognise that some of their most important lessons had not necessarily been taught in classrooms.
“When that happens, we may realise that some of the lessons you gave us were not taught in classrooms, but through the standards you set, the responsibilities you entrusted to us, and the example you provided,” he said.
The tribute presented Shabangu’s retirement as the end of his formal leadership at Ka-Boyce, but not the end of his influence on the school community.
The Head Boy thanked him for his leadership, for challenging learners and for becoming part of their educational journey.
“Your time as our Headteacher may have ended, but your influence remains in the standards you established and the lives you touched,” he said.
He further told the retiring headteacher: “Mr Shabangu, you came as our Headteacher, but you leave as a lasting part of our school’s story.”
The emotional tribute was followed by the presentation of a gift to Shabangu on behalf of the students.
Presenting the gift, the Head Boy described it as a humble expression of appreciation for the impact the retiring headteacher had made on the learners.
He acknowledged that the gift was small compared to Shabangu’s contribution, but said the students hoped it would serve as a lasting reminder of the young people he led and the memories they shared.
“Though small compared to the impact you have had on us, we hope it will always remind you of the students you led, the memories we shared, and the lives you touched,” he said.
The farewell formed part of Ka-Boyce High School’s Speech and Prize Giving Day, which also brought together school leaders, teachers, learners, former pupils and distinguished guests to celebrate achievement and mark Shabangu’s retirement after reaching retirement age.
For the learners, however, the occasion was more than a formal farewell.
It was an opportunity to acknowledge a headteacher whose leadership, according to the Head Boy, was experienced directly by the students and whose lessons are expected to remain part of the school’s culture long after his departure.
The message was clear: while Shabangu may have handed over the responsibilities of headteacher, the standards and lessons associated with his tenure will continue to live on among the learners he served.
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