As with all great accomplishments, Erasmia Primary School started from humble beginnings.
In 1902, just after the tumultuous era of the Anglo-Boer war, the little farming community of
Mooiplaas/Hoekplaas took on the responsibility of educating their children.
Teaching and learning were solely informal and independent due to government shutdowns of
schools during the war.
A few years later in 1906, Mr R.C. Broekhuizen, a doctor by profession, undertook the difficult task of
converting an old house in Hoekplaas into a simple school for 25 children. Though this facility was
labelled a “Goewerment Skool”, it was not a safe environment for children to learn and develop, and
Mr Broekhuizen received numerous warnings from the Department that the building was unfit for
school activities.
In 1909, Mr and Mrs Skinner opened their hearts and home to the children of Mooiplaas and
converted their house into a simple school, complete with lodging for learners traveling from further
away.
There is no idea that cannot be improved on and in 1914, that idea became The Stone School- the
hard work and effort of Mr Skinner who undertook to build a solid school building on his farm.
The school consisted of two classrooms (which doubled as a hall when the wooden panel that
divided them was removed), an office/storeroom and a porch, which would later become a third
classroom. As this was a simple school with few resources, the amenities were a far cry from what
we are used to today.
The toilets consisted of traditional pits, and water was carted by wagon from the nearby river each
morning. A separate area was constructed for horses and donkeys used by learners from the
neighbouring farming areas of Knoppieslaagte, Valhalla and Mnandi, to travel to and from school
every day.
Drought and the depression of 1933 saw a great movement of people to this area and, with the
construction of the Iscor Steelworks factories in 1934, and the consequent production of steel in
1936, as many as fifty families settled in and around Mooiplaas. The Stone School’s carrying capacity had reached its limit.
Seeing the need for a larger, functioning school, the government stepped in, acquired some land
from the founder of Erasmia, Mr W.F. Erasmus, and constructed a building about half a kilometre
away from the Stone School. It became known as “the KNAP School”, as the floor was made using
tiles bearing the name of Knap, bought from a contractor of the same name. The school then had
four big classrooms (two of which could again be joined to form a make-shift hall for the
community), a separate office and storeroom, and two pit toilets. Water was then stored in large
tanks next to the school.
As there were only 4 classrooms, grades (at that time ‘standards’) were combined in one class.
As the town of Erasmia (which was then officially proclaimed a part of Mooiplaas) developed in the
forties and fifties, the school could again no longer accommodate all the learners attending.
When a new building was constructed in 1961, a new chapter in the history of Erasmia Primary
School history was written.
The school’s name was changed from “Mooiplaas 69” to Erasmia se Laerskool.
With the end of the Apartheid era in the 1990’s many people started moving into Erasmia from the
neighbouring town of Laudium.
The schools name was changed to Erasmia Primary School and the language of instruction was also
changed to English.
Erasmia Primary School is now home to 25 Classes, almost all equipped with Smart Interactive
Boards, a school hall, Grade R area consisting of 2 classes and a beautiful playground.
The current SGB and Principal plan to replace temporary classrooms provided by Government with
new brick classrooms and build a new computer centre.
Erasmia Primary School has been a centre of excellence for over 100 years and continues to produce
happy , confident, kind and caring learners who strive to do their very best.
Please send us an email if you were a student at Erasmia Primary School we would like to form a
database of all the past, present and future learners – info@erasmiaprimary.co.za