Ninety-eight years ago in Cape Town, there was no high school for children of colour excpet Trafalgar High. The state did not provide primary or secondary school for people of colour. It was left to churches and mosques to oversee the schooling of children. 

More that ninety-eight years ago, a band of men and women in the Teacher's League of South Africa(TLSA) and the African People's Organization (APO) began a campaign to start a secondary school in Claremont. Sam Wentzel, Stephen Reagon, Phillip Poole, D.E Wessels, Arnold Carlier, Hadji Galant, Mac van Dieman, and Dr A.E. Abdurahman were among the founders of our school. Livingstone was the outcome of their efforts. 

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And so, on February 26, 1926, Livingstone opened its door with Mr E.C. Roberts as our first principal. Under his leadership and with the mighty efforts of his staff and parents, the school grew by leaps and bounds. From what started as a dairy farm to what we see today. Mr E.C. Roberts created a curriculum to span language, science, mathematics, art, music, drama, and physical education. The school became a target of officialdom and the security police, and for the next ten years, authorities refused to appoint a permanent principal of the parent's choice. 

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In 1963, memebers of the staff were arrested, detained and jailed. Even with the odds against the school, we found a way for learning to continue. In 1964, the C.A.D ordered out of the school all pupils classified as 'African'. Their fellow pupils rallied to their support, demonstraiting their soldarity with strictly organized stay-aways, while the staff organized ways and means to offsef the worst of the dikat.

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Under the Group Areas Act, all the primary missions and one state school were forced to close, Rosmead Primary School was the only one left to carry on. The state had hoped Livingstone would be drained of its pupils in this way,making it easier for the school to shut down. The Claremont area had been deignated a 'white group area'. Segregated secondary schools had rapidly been built in group areas and extended locations to draw pupils away from urban areas. What was important was the loyal support of the parents for their own 'alma mater' and the uncompromising dedication of the school to the defense on non-racial, quality education. 

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Despite the fact that we live in a new political and social era that is more democratic, it remains our duty to resist any attempts to steer us away from our mission and goals. Our school, born out of a need to serve a community bereft of educational possiblities, remains vital to the academic well-being of many, for whom education is key to a successful life. Throughout its history, Livingstone High has confounded its critics and other bys= producing a quality education and very notable results. This it has done despite a lack of resources and space, attacks launched against it by the state. In doing so, the school has always lived up to its motto: 

"Nulla Vestigia Retrorsum" - No Step Back!

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Advance Livingstone, Advance. 

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