From the 1930s, South Africans begin to feel the effects of the Great Depression. As demand for South African agricultural and mineral commodities plummets, the economy falters and years of hardship ensue. Around this time, a commission of inquiry, funded by the Carnegie Corporation of the US, investigates the “poor white problem” in South Africa and its recommendations on racial segregation fuel the racism that leads to the imposition of apartheid more than a decade later.

Johannesburg’s success is based on gold, and inevitably the school is caught in the downward spiral of job loss and ensuing hardship. This, and urban drift, are challenges that it is becoming imperative to face.