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End of an Era: Johannesburg’s 112-Year-Old Mayfair Convent School to Close
A century of Catholic education draws to a close
One of Johannesburg’s oldest private schools is set to shut its doors. Mayfair Convent School, founded in 1913 by the Sisters of Mercy, will close at the end of 2025 after 112 years of service. The news has left generations of alumni, parents and staff grappling with the end of an institution that has been part of the city’s Catholic education community for more than a century.
The school, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2013, has long provided primary education from Grade 0 to Grade 7. But after years of financial strain, the board confirmed in a letter to parents that the property is already up for auction.
Financial struggles prove too heavy
Grace Masuku, chairperson of the school board, explained that government subsidies had been cut drastically, with a 13% reduction followed by an 18% drop, and only half of the expected funding arrived in June 2025. Despite attempts to keep the school afloat, the funding shortfall made it impossible to continue.
Parents were asked to keep paying fees in full until December to ensure teachers and creditors could be compensated. Masuku acknowledged the emotional toll of the decision. “This is not just the closing of a buildingit is the closing of a chapter that has meant so much to all of us,” she said.
The impact on families and staff
The closure has created uncertainty for families who now face the challenge of finding placements for their children in 2026. Masuku assured parents that staff would assist with the transition and thanked the school community for its loyalty. “Mayfair Convent has been more than just a place of learning; it has been a second home, a source of pride, and a community,” she said.
Teachers, meanwhile, have been consulted and have accepted that closure was the only option. For many, it marks the end of careers spent nurturing generations of Johannesburg learners under the school’s ethos of discipline, service and Catholic values.
Not an isolated case
Mayfair Convent is not alone. Other private schools have also faced closure this year. King David Victory Park, part of the country’s largest Jewish school network, will also close at the end of 2025. Founded in 1960, the school has been one of the best-performing in the country, with candidates averaging more than three distinctions in the 2024 IEB results.
Despite this success, the South African Board of Jewish Education decided to close the Victory Park campus after a review of its role in the broader King David network, which also includes campuses in Linksfield and Sandton.
A reflection of wider pressures
The closure of two historic schools in the same year underscores the financial and structural challenges facing South Africa’s private education sector. Rising costs, reduced subsidies and shifting demographics have made it harder for smaller and mid-sized schools to survive.
For families and former students, however, the end of Mayfair Convent School represents something more personal: the loss of a place where children discovered their identities, formed lifelong friendships and carried forward a legacy that stretched across generations.
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Source: Business Tech
Featured Image: Property24
