| DF Akademie | |
|---|---|
 Hoërskool D.F. Malan prior to being renamed to DF Akademie | |
| Location | |
 | |
Frans Conradie Drive,Boston , | |
| Coordinates | 33°53′37″S18°37′35″E / 33.8936°S 18.6265°E /-33.8936; 18.6265 |
| Information | |
| School type | PublicSemi-Private |
| Motto | Vir jou Suid-Afrika (For you South Africa) |
| Religious affiliation | Christianity |
| Established | 1954; 72 years ago (1954) |
| School district | District 4 |
| Principal | Hannes Oosthuizen |
| Principal | (Deputy Principal) Stiaan Dippenaar |
| Staff | 100 full-time |
| Grades | 8–12 |
| Gender | Boys & Girls |
| Age | 14 to 18 |
| Number of students | 1,200 pupils |
| Language | Afrikaans |
| Schedule | 07:45-14:10 |
| Campus | Urban Campus |
| Campus type | Suburban |
| Colours | Yellow Blue White |
| Slogan | Akademie is ons besigheid ("Education is our business") |
| Nickname | DF |
| Rivals | |
| Accreditation | Western Cape Education Department |
| Newspaper | Die Herout |
| Feeder schools |
|
| Alumni | Werner Greeff H.Kennedy P. Greeff Eduard Greyling Loki Rothman Marais Erasmus Frikkie Kancho Margot Rothman Juvan Coetzee Johnny de Ridder |
| Honours | Part of 100 schools included in TheCambridge University Student Guide to Excellence: 2012 and 2013[1] |
| Website | DF Akademie official website |
DF Akademie is apublicAfrikaans medium co-educational high school situated in the suburb ofBoston,Bellville in theWestern Cape province ofSouth Africa - nearCape Town. In 2012 and 2013, the school was included in TheCambridge University Student Guide to Excellence, a selection of 100 top schools worldwide.[1] In recent years, it has been one of the academically top-performing schools in theWestern Cape.
The school was established in 1951. D Brink was the first principal up to 1969. He was followed by E Smit (1970–1977), H Franzen (1978–1986), C de Jager (1986–1988), B Volschenk (1989–1996), R Truter (1996–2007), Joe Dorfling (2007-2016), Sias Conradie (2017-2025) and currently Hannes Oosthuizen.
The school was initially namedHoërskoolD.F. Malan after the Prime Minister of South Africa from 1948 to 1954. Objections to the school's name commemorating Malan, known as one of the "architects ofapartheid", led the school's governing body to initiate a process to change the name, and a vote in 2021 supported a change to "DF Akademie". The name change was challenged in court, but in June 2025 the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed the challenge, and the new name became official in 2026.[2][3]
DF Akademie is also notable for producing several famous musicians on the local South African music scene, such as Pierre Greeff and Hunter Kennedy. Consequently, many local bands includingaKing,Foto na Dans,Jax Panik, Lukraaketaar,Die Heuwels Fantasties and Frik13 are associated with the school. This, along with the fact that other similar musicians attended neighbour schoolBellville, has led to the Bellville area, in which these schools are situated, earning the nickname "Bellville Rock City".[4] Musician Loki Rothman, who attended the school, reached the final ofSA's Got Talent in 2009 while still a senior in the school, and the founding members ofCape Town alt-pop duoEMERGER, Emma de Goede and Gerrit "Gerry" Matthee, also attended the school.[5] Their debut single "Break & Fall" was a winner of the internationalAvid andAbbey Road Studios Song Contest and they were featured asApple Music'sNew Artist Spotlight in July 2018.[6]
Other notable alumni include formerSpringbokrugby playerWerner Greeff, international cricket umpireMarais Erasmus,ballet dancerEduard Greyling and a formerdean ofEngineering at theUniversity of Stellenbosch, Prof Arnold Schoonwinkel. Actors Leigh Wakeford, Albert Maritz and7de Laan duo Chris Vorster and Corné Crous all attended the school.
DF Akademie has a sister-school inKortrijk, Belgium and some of the students from these schools usually visit each other yearly.[7]
DF Akademie annually participates in theDTBSathletics competition (known as MTBS prior to DF Akademie's name change), along with three other schools from theBellville area:Tygerberg High School,Bellville High School andStellenberg High School. DTBS is especially well known for the performance of these schools' non-competing pupils on the pavilion, as they perform songs, cheers and choreographed visual displays to encourage their athletes during the day, for which a trophy is also awarded. DF Akademie has thus far been the second most successful school in the singing trophy, winning it two times fewer than Stellenberg. It is in the athletics, however, where the school achieved unprecedented success, winning the trophy all but three times in the first 19 years of the competition.
The school also participates in a yearly Interschools event (week-long derby) with its local rivalBellville High School, in which the schools contest on most platforms - includingRugby, Field hockey,Netball,Cross country,Chess,Debate,Mountain biking and, from 2013 onwards,EA Sports FIFA. The first team rugby, hockey and netball matches are the main events. In recent years Bellville has strongly dominated the rugby while DF Akademie dominated both Boys' and Girls' hockey.[citation needed]
