| Die Hoërskool D.F. Malan | |
|---|---|
 Hoërskool D.F. Malan today | |
| 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; 71 years ago (1954) |
| School district | District 4 |
| Principal | Sias Conradie |
| 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 Malan Official Website |
Hoërskool D.F. Malan is apublicAfrikaans medium co-educational high school situated in the suburb ofBoston,Bellville in theWestern Cape province ofSouth Africa - nearCape Town. It was named afterD.F Malan, the prime minister of South Africa from 1948 to 1954. 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 and currently Sias Conradie.
Objections to the school's name commemorating Prime MinisterD.F. 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 overwhelmingly supported a change to "DF Akademie", but the process was challenged in court. In June 2025 the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed the challenge, allowing the process of changing the name to continue.[2]
DF Malan 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".[3] Also on the music scene DF Malan produced musician Loki Rothman, who 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.[4] 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.[5]
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 DF Malan.
DF Malan has a sister-school inKortrijk, Belgium and some of the students from these schools usually visit each other yearly.[6]
DF Malan High School annually participates in theMTBSathletics competition, along with three other schools from theBellville area:Bellville,Tygerberg andStellenberg.MTBS is especially well known for the performance of these schools' non-participating pupils on the pavilion as they perform songs and cheers to encourage their athletes during the day - for which a trophy is also awarded. DF Malan has thus far been the second most successful school in the singing trophy - winning it two time less than Stellenberg. It is in theathletics, 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 yearsBellville has strongly dominated the rugby, DF Malan Hoërskool strongly dominating both Boys' and Girls' hockey (althoughBellville won the 2012 girls hockey match). The netball is usually an unpredictable affair.
