ACSI NATIONAL PRINCIPALS CONFERENCE 2025
Neil Malherbe | ACSI Southern Africa Director
The Protea Hotel in Stellenbosch welcomed a large contingent of delegates to the 2025 ACSI National Principals Conference. The vineyards below the hotel were clothed in autumnal shades and the mountains formed a majestic backdrop to three amazing days of worship, inspiring devotions, excellent speakers, delicious meals and meaningful fellowship.
The Hillsong Stellenbosch worship team brought a vibrancy to each day, as they invited us to step into a space of adoration and praise – and to be reminded of the great calling on each of the principals’ lives to honour God in their schools.
The three pastors who led our devotions each brought a powerful message. Adrian Quinlivan spoke about the three simple words “Paul, an apostle”, as he reminded us of the pause indicated by the comma. He focused on our identity in Christ (“Paul”) and the need to pause before conflating who we are and what we do (“an apostle”). Ilze Hofmeyr and Zeeko Alexander built on this on the following days as they encouraged the principals to step into their calling and to see challenges as part of the deepening of their faith and their leadership.
A golden thread ran through all of the speeches presented by our guest speakers, despite none of them being aware of what each was going to speak about – and no guidance from us either. The Holy Spirit was clearly at work!
Our first speaker was Paddy Upton, whose international successes in a number of sports as coach and sports psychologist made him a fascinating opening speaker. His comments about reframing negative experiences and practical examples of the impact this has was most interesting.
Friday kicked off with Prof. Nicola de Jager, who focused on the challenges facing our learners as they enter tertiary institutions, with the many worldviews which await them, and how we can better equip them to stand firm in their biblical worldview. Her presentation also gave an insight into how language and social norms have been shaped by Marxist ideologies and how we can better stand against these.
Next up was Phillipa Geard, founder of RecruitMyMom and RecruitMyGraduate, who spoke on preparing students for a working future we can’t yet see. Her presentation was a timely reminder of the essential skills which our learners will need, if we are to help them to maintain hope and build resilience as future leaders.
After lunch, we were challenged in a provocative and powerful speech by Rorisang Tshabalala, who suggested that “old people should be fired from leadership roles”! However, his premise was that “old” is not a numerical value but rather a state of mind and of spirit. He encouraged leaders to remain humble in their leadership and to put the Great Commission into action by moving beyond the safe confines of their Christian schools.
The final speaker of the day, Neil Hart, from the Mergon Foundation, spoke quietly and yet with no less passion, about ‘The Leader Within’. He encouraged the principals to “go deeper” in their faith and to reflect servant-hearted leadership in the same way that Jesus did.
Friday night was a meaningful time of fellowship – and more good food – as we enjoyed a formal Gala dinner. The evening started with communion and a delicious starter, before we were addressed by Calling Academy founder and visionary leader, Werner Cloete. He echoed Neil Hart’s message that often it is through suffering that our roots are forced deeper and our faith made stronger. The evening was a happy evening of engaging with each other and of making new friendships, made all the more special with the enormous spread of tasty food laid on by the hotel.
Saturday’s closing address was given by Mahlatse Mashua, who spoke with sincerity and passion about the need for Christian leaders in education to provide a positive, non-anxious presence in what is an increasingly fractured age. Without realising it, he drew together many of the themes and ideas that previous speakers had mentioned and his really was the perfect way to draw to a close three incredible days.
We were grateful to the fantastic team at the Protea Hotel, for whom no request was too great. The accommodation, meals and conference venue provided some pampering for all those who attended, for which we were most grateful. We also appreciated the presence of a number of our valued service providers, whose tables reflected a wide cross-section of services available for schools.
We were grateful for the huge turnout of principals from across South Africa, as well as from Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique. We trust that the few days enriched each of those who attended and that they were able to return to their schools invigorated and refreshed.
My sincere thanks too to the whole ACSI team, who invested many months of hard work to ensure that the conference could be such an enjoyable and well-run event. Special appreciation to Nicole Thomas, who headed up the organising of the conference, and whose attention to detail made all the difference.
We look forward to seeing you in KwaZulu-Natal in 2026!
Neil Malherbe
ACSI Southern Africa Director