A Brief History of Robert Carruthers School.
During and immediately after the Boer War education and schooling facilities and standards in South Africa suffered immensely and as a consequence; in 1902; the Lord Milner Administration actively enticed British teachers to the war-torn country.
And so it was that Mr Robert Carruthers, 28, arrived in the country, along with many other Scottish and Welsh teachers and started his South African career as principal of Miriam Marks School in Pretoria.
At this time the Anglican community in Witbank erected a corrugated iron structure in the veldt on the site of the present Sheins Building on the corner of Eadie and Lewis Streets. The idea was that the ‘building’ would serve as a school during the week and a place of worship on Sundays – catering for children and adults from the surrounding farms.
Mr Holland was appointed as the first school principal in 1906 but died not long thereafter so was succeeded by Mr Urie who stood in as principal until Mr Carruthers was appointed into the post in 1908.
At that time children of all ages who arrived at school (when they weren’t needed on the farm) by train, donkey cart and on foot amongst whom were Miss C Anderson, Miss I Anderson and Miss Janet Anderson who had recently arrived in the country from Scotland. 
The records the school has indicate that all three of these young ladies ended up teaching at the school in later years and that Janet Anderson married Mr Carruthers in 1915. Sadly, the details surrounding this romance are long since lost.
We are most fortunate to be in possession of a copy from Chris Anderson’s reminiscences from that time so include, for your interest, an extract which clearly describes our school’s early beginnings
After the Anglo Boer War my father obtained employment in Witbank in 1902. As there was no school here then we didn’t join him until 1907.
Whatever schooling there was before that had been conducted by the two Carnegie sisters from Glasgow and later by a Miss Gilfillen.
The station was on the other side of the railway lines and there were eight houses behind it. We had to cross the lines, dodging around trucks to get to the mine. Then we came to the sports ground, when being Sunday, a cricket match was in progress. To the east of the sports ground was a row of seven mine houses and to the south side was a block of four brick houses backing on to what is now Haig Avenue.
On the opposite side of the field were two tennis courts and the mine single quarters. Below these, on the corner of Main Street, stood the Wesleyan Church. On the opposite side of the street a railway bridge was under construction and was completed a few months later. Witbank then was just a mining camp with a dusty road flanked by wood and iron shop buildings all facing the railway. Behind these and a street’s width away from the mine single quarters stood the Carlton Hotel.
Between the shops and the hotel there was a narrow lane leading to a room known as the boardroom where meetings and small functions were held. This was where our first bioscope was shown in 1910 – 11.
Behind the mine houses was a long wood and iron shed. This was the school.
It belonged to the Anglican Church and was divided in two. Once a month a minister from Middleburg took service in the smaller room and the larger one was the school. There were two teachers and the principal who unfortunately died in November from enteric fever, which was a very common complaint at that time…………
……..in the Easter of 1908 the school was taken over by Mr Carruthers and it was through his efforts that a permanent brick school was erected on the site of the present Post Office. It was still very much in the veld and the mine sports ground was used for games and sport. Soon two extra classrooms and a woodwork room were added to the building. Children came by train from Uitkyk, Kendal and Balmoral.
In 1909 the Witbank Colliery built a recreation hall and a large storage tank for mine water. It was six feet deep all over and this was where we learnt to swim. Water was obtained from welled tanks but after the Health Board was formed water was delivered by an ox-drawn water cart. Our allowance, for a family of six was four four-gallon paraffin tins per day. ……………
if a child had to have its tonsils or appendix removed, the operation took place on the kitchen table………………… With the introduction of dual medium schools further accommodation was required and the old Masonic Hall in Main Street and the three churches in the town were hired as classrooms.
The steady increase in numbers soon necessitated the building of another school and in 1924 an extension was built on the present site of the Civic Centre.
Street lights were switched on in 1926. In 1930 the school was raised to Junior Certificate and later to matriculation standard and it was named Witbank Intermediate School. In 1929 a law was passed saying children must be taught in their home language, so dual medium primary schools
were scrapped and the children separated into English and Afrikaans schools. In 1930 an Afrikaans medium school, Kragbron, was built opposite the swimming bath in Hofmeyer Street. when further accommodation was required at this school a new Kragbron was built further up the town…………
With the opening of the General Hertzog dual medium high school in 1942 all the children in the district from standard six to matriculation had to attend that school so the Intermediate school fell away and left the English Medium Primary school which was (later) named Robert Carruthers School ……..
Mr Carruthers remained principal of the Intermediate School until 1935. Thereafter the name changed to Witbank English Medium School; an English medium, co-ed primary school. In December 1963 the present building was ready for occupation and named Robert Carruthers School in 1964. The official opening was conducted by the then Director of Education, Prof JJ Mulder on the 20th November of that year.
Since that time many extensions and improvements have taken place because the initial school was built to accommodate 350 children – a vastly reduced number from the 1158 children we started 2014 with. Ironically, the school opened with 367 children and ever since that time we have had more applications for enrolment than we can accommodate.
For interest we list some important ‘milestones’ in our history.
1968 – six new classrooms and an extra toilet block was added and the staffroom and office area enlarged.
1970 – two new FP classes and toilet blocks were added as well as three new IP classes, a library and an audio-visual storeroom.
1971 – by this time the school had eighteen brick and three prefabricated classrooms.
1973 – the first Chinese children admitted to the school.
1975 – our school driveway was tarred and the grandstand completed.
1979 – the concrete wall around the swimming pool was erected. The operetta Oliver! was first produced at the school. It was again staged in 1993 and 2003. In 2012 Oliver with a Twist staged.
1980 – the big field was grassed and we started making application to buy the park opposite the school in Alexander Street. Mr D Peach took over as principal from Mr E Q Kay.
1981 – improvements were made to the administration offices and extra classrooms and an additional toilet block were built.
1985 – the original grandstand was discarded and the present pavilion, change rooms and toilets facilities (not the adult toilet block), garages and tuckshop were built.
1988 – the present Media Centre and (ex) Videotorium, staff toilets, four new storerooms, a hall kitchen, chair storeroom, costume room and a teacher workroom were added. New chairs and curtains were bought for the hall.
1990 – the first black children were admitted.
1993 – the school converted to a Model C school.
2001 – tennis/Netball Courts resurfaced.
2002 – Media Centre extended and foyer upgraded. Concrete palisade and school gates installed.
2003 – Gr R classroom built/altered. Teacher carports erected.
2004 – published our school history book.
2005 – 12 classrooms carpeted.
2006 – bought our first school bus and revamped the staffroom. Installed CCTV cameras at all entrances.
2007 – opened a fifth grade 1 class, built a garage for the bus, built an extra storeroom, introduced hockey at the school for the first time. We were voted the BEST PRIMARY SCHOOL in Nkangala.
2008 – tennis courts resurfaced, roof waterproofed and extra Gr 2 classroom and toilet block built. JoJo tank erected. Won the BEST Performing Primary School in the REGION.
2009 – Classrooms converted into a Gr R block; new Gr 2 classroom and new storeroom built. Installed an Interactive Whiteboard in the Science Laboratory. Traded in the bus for a newer and more effective one.
2010 – Jungle Gyms erected for the Foundation Phase children, bought laptops for all teachers and bought our first school bakkie.
2011 – built an adult toilet block at the pavilion and upgraded the children toilet blocks. Started a Gr RR class.
2012 – started a fourth Gr R class and moved into 3 Gr R classes on the new sports grounds.
2013 – five Gr R and one Gr RR class moved to their new site on the property opposite the school. Upgraded the entire school’s electrical system.
2014 – all three stages of the preschool building were finally completed and officially opened on 14th February.
