Mr Athol Jennings
As Waterford Kamhlaba UWCSA, we received with a heavy heart the news of the passing of our former principal, Mr Athol Jennings, who was at WK in the period 1974 – 1984. His legacy as a visionary leader and trailblazer in education has left an indelible mark on our beloved institution, and his contributions will be forever etched in our hearts.
| Date of birth: | October 19, 1930 |
| Date of death: | February 10, 2024 |
| Virtual Memorial | March 10th, between 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM SAST https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87991776546 |
In remembrance of Mr. Jennings, we cordially invite you to join us for a virtual memorial on March 10th, between 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM SAST. The memorial will be hosted on Zoom, and we encourage all alumni, former staff, and members of the Waterford community to come together to honour the life and achievements of this remarkable leader.
Additionally, we invite you to contribute to sharing old memories you have of Mr Jennings below. We believe this is a platform for alumni, former staff, and all members of the WK family to share their thoughts and reflections. If you would like to share videos, please upload them HERE. We will find a way of how best to publish or share these memories with the wider WK community and beyond. Thank you for your support during this time of reflection and remembrance.
Tributes
Philippa Dodds (WK 1980-1985)
2 months agoA kind, gentle, open, engaging man. A man I respected deeply. A long life full of profound impact - what a wonderful legacy! I have had the fortune to cross paths twice again with Mr Jennings after leaving school. I picked him up from the airport with Ross to attend a UWC International meeting in Joburg. Upon seeing Mr J, I blurted out - you have shrunk! He just chuckled and told me that perhaps it was that I had grown. I think that spoke to both how I viewed him and how he approached those in his world. The second occasion was a reunion at WK in 2013. I had a long chat to him about what he was up to at that time. He had moved to a beautiful town in the Free State, Clarens, and was working to bring together all the local community and religious groups in order to improve the level of education in the area. So he was still weaving his vision at 83! I am very grateful for the foundation Mr J helped to lay during my formative years. My condolences to his kids - you probably know who you are!!
Khetsiwe Dlamini ex WK
2 months agoHeadmaster Jennings was an amazing person and headmaster. I am grateful for his life. I am all the better for it.
Denise Janisch (née Bill) [WK 1980 - 1986]
2 months agoMy sincere condolences to the Jennings family (with a special hug for Ross, my old classmate - what a moving family presentation you gave there!). It was a privilege to have been a student at WK during Athol's leadership - a man with a vision and a man of great integrity, kindness, compassion and strength. Rest in peace!
Anonymous
2 months agoMy condolences to the Jennings family. Athol was a champion mile runner. He was my headmaster, athletic trainer and a personal coach. I will always remember him as a champion. May his soul rest in peace! Drew W/K.
Debbie Thompson (nee Marshall) WK 1977 to 1982
2 months agoTo the most inspirational man I have had the pleasure to know. Thank you very much for living such an important, influential life.
Alison McKendrick WK 1979-1985
2 months agoMr Jennings I remember as a gentleman who always had a kind and encouraging word to give. MHSRIP .
Michele Moten-Bridges 1981-1984, Washington, DC, USA
2 months agoMr Jennings To hear of your recent passing saddened me but also had me recall the wonderful times I had at Waterford Kamhlaba. When I last saw you in 2018 I was in awe that you remembered me and some of my shenanigans from 30 years prior. You also remembered my dreams and I'd I had achieved them. I was proud to say yes as if still 16 seeking the headmaster approval. Thank you for always having my back! Respectfully, Michele Moten Washington, DC 1981-1984
Grace Wiltshire
2 months agoPlease accept my condolences Pat, Mark, Kevin, Karen and Ross. So much of your family life was shared. Athol was very welcoming to us volunteers (‘77 to ‘78) which we really appreciated being only 18 at the time. He was a very kind, calm, personable, steady and a dedicated leader of the school. I’ve always measured leaders of institutions up to him. We all respected him. We are very grateful for his dedication to serving the Waterford community.
Barry Hickson
2 months agoLooking back on my days at Waterford, I remember Athol Jennings as a man with a quiet, confident and kind manner who did a great job steering the ship in the years I attended Waterford. Not sure why I remember this particular event, but I remember that he made a trip to Chile (Allende time) and brought back some slides and did a presentation along with making some observations on the political situation. His passion for cross country and physical fitness was something that inspired many of us and is a source of fond memories of my days at Waterford .. Who can forget those 50 k walks/runs. My condolences on his passing and much respect for a purposeful well lived life.
Helen Backhouse
2 months agoThank you for the many kindnesses you shared when I was a volunteer from 1977-8. Athol's leadership and athleticism combined with a quiet authority also a sense of humour made Waterford/Kamhlaba a great environment for both learning and life. Pat was truly welcoming and supportive. Mark, Kevin, Karen and Ross, please accept my sincere condolences, and thank you for sharing your parents with so many.
Peter Gwinyai
2 months agoWill be remembered with respect. RIP
Ronald Mathies
2 months agoWe were friends of Athol and Pat during our time in SD 1978-81, worshipping at the Methodist church in Mbabane and part of the same care group that functioned throughout that time. In 1991 I was in South Africa for the Canadian International Development Agency as a consultant evaluating World Vision SA programs and Athol and a colleague were my colleagues. He was a man of amazing wisdom, humility, dignity and grace. Thanks be to God for the life and legacy of Athol Jennings.
Miranda Rajah
2 months agoMr Jennings was a man of great vision and his leadership style at WK was progressive and proactive . I enjoyed being a student under this vision . His family too was a great part of our campus life as they were students too during my stay and this only added quality and value to the milieu. A great loss of a remarkable person . I especially enjoyed some days when he took out phys ed lessons as besides being a great leader he was a great sports man and was encouraging in this manner . Glad to have known him . Condolences to his children .
Lynne Coleman (Adams) - (77-83)
2 months agoAthol Jennings I first was introduced to him as Mr Jennings- my first and only secondary school headmaster on arrival at Waterford kamhlaba in 1977. Age 10 years and 8 months old - a naive young girl from Zambia who had travelled alone to boarding school in Swaziland- the place that became home to me for the next 7 years . The environment that I entered in to was so nurturing and caring, the staff were so supportive and guided us well- a very challenging task with young adolescents. Athol was a great leader and role model. The students I met there became my friends and family for life - we grew up together on the hill and bonds were forged that few have torn asunder. Mr Jennings- Headmaster, Father figure- mentor- life teacher - tutor for Theory of Knowledge lessons, he and his staff guided a whole generation of Waterford students through adolescence and toward adulthood. The most formative time of their lives. Whilst acting inloco parentis - in place of the parents and in so doing, sparing countless parents the responsibility and accountability for their children’s actions. Something I always wished I had as I was raising my 3 sons. Athol was a Headmaster we all respected, admired, and revered. Boarding school enabled us students to experiment , explore and grow into confident and independent individuals. Athol encouraged a culture of mutual respect between staff and students- where we were encouraged to talk, think and question. His influence in my life went beyond my education and has spanned subsequent chapters. His daughter Karen, was my best friend and I was welcomed into their family home on campus regularly. There would always be a warm welcome from Pat and the smell of freshly baked muffins and a pot of tea in the kitchen. The story continued beyond Waterford as the friendship bonds with all four of his children strengthened, Mark, Kevin, Karen and Ross - and our lives would intersect occasionally and still do to this day. One huge life event intersected very importantly and significantly for me- my marriage 30 years ago almost to the month. I planned to get married in Cape Town on the mountainside- outdoor marriage’s had only just been legalised and the requirements were very strict. I needed an ordained minister to conduct the ceremony and there was only one man that I considered to ask- Athol Jennings - more incredibly he agreed! Standing on the mountain with my intended, having our union blessed and conducted by Athol, the man who had featured so strongly in my life already, featuring again so importantly at the start of the next chapter in my life. I felt truly blessed. Our lives and families have continued to mingle and intertwine and it is with great sadness that I contemplate this loss. Athol was a wonderful, wise, inspiring, compassionate caring man- he fathered 4 amazing children that I am proud to call my friends- our children have grown up together and are friends- so the circle of life continues. Our friends have become our family Athol has left his mark like a blueprint on our lives. A life lived well and for those whose lives he touched, all were the better for it. Rest in Peace Athol Hamba Kahle. 🙏🏻
Danielle Waring (WK 82-83)
2 months agoI only had the privilege of knowing Athol Jennings for a short while, but he made a deep impression on me. He exemplified such a different, more considered style of leadership to that which I had been exposed to back in the UK. He was both an inspirational leader and an accessible human being, a mixture of gentleness and strength. I will always remember his calm, reassuring presence and ability to imbue confidence, even in the most unlikely of circumstances. I have fond memories of him using his expertise and endless patience to try and train me and my friend to sprint the 100ms in some kind of reasonable time! My heartfelt condolences go out to all his extended family and especially to Ross, my friend. Wishing you all the strength you need to get through this difficult time. His spirit lives on.
Michael 'Kup' Taylor WK 1981-87
2 months agoAthol Jennings was the first person I met at Waterford, when I travelled from Botswana at 11 years old for the entrance interview. It was him who set off my spark for Wotaf, a spark that remained for all seven years I was there. He was a man of great vision but also great humility and personability. He inspired me on many occasions. His 'kids' carry that in different ways, it's been a pleasure to know them - especially my classmate Ross - and I pray peace for the whole family with this sad loss for all of us.
Anonymous
2 months agoHe was a great leader.
Zanele Masuku ( 81 -85)
2 months agoWhat a great man. I recall an honourable man who was a true leader and left an indelible mark at Waterford. He was soft spoken yet firm. A man of stature. Condolences to the family and especially Ross my classmate. May his soul rest in eternal peace 🙏🏾
Conrad Hughes (WK 87-93)
2 months agoRest in peace. A man with vision and love in his soul, a builder of Kamhlaba, one world. Thoughts and strength to the family and to Ross.
Patricia Angoy (WK Principal 2021& 2022)
2 months agoMy gratitude to Athol Jennings and to the whole family for paving the way for so many students, staff and Principals to work for justice and peace wherever we find ourselves. Your life’s work will always be remembered. My sincere condolences. Rest in Peace and in the lives of all who knew you or of you. Blessings.
Sindi Msibi (Née Tshabalala)
2 months agoMr Jennings will rest in the peace and comfort of knowing that he touched many lives. In my time of knowing him, he was a kind, supportive and generous headmaster. We thrived under his leadership.
Geoffrey Kitakule
2 months agoThank you for the Great service to education and Waterford community. May your soul rest in peace.
Martin Kimani
2 months agoI did not have the privilege to get to meet and know you but, as a parent, you are making an immense impact on me and my family. Thank you. Rest in Peace and Power
Years
Nationalities
Students
Alumni
Jenny Sprong
1 month agoWonderful to read all these tributes. I met Athol in Clarens, after he had retired. He graciously agreed to be my clergy mentor on my learning partnership when I was training for the Methodist Ministry. Athol never stopped teaching and guiding! In his gentle way, his wisdom continued to influence and direct my path. I am deeply grateful for the years we shared and for the friendship I cherished. Athol remained an athlete for life! Although Athol was 20 years my senior, I had to work hard to keep up with Athol when we hiked the hills surrounding Clarens. It was in the wide outdoors that Athol preferred to discuss matters pertaining to theology and ministry. I shall miss Athol very much.