Excitement is mounting as the date for the Opening of The Victor Daitz Mathematics & Science Centre draws near.
Durban High School celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2016 and a year of hugely successful celebrations ended with the opening of the Chris Seabrooke Music Centre and work beginning on the refurbishment of the Science Block into a state- of-the-art, newly furnished Mathematics & Science Centre.
The transformation of the existing Science Block into The Victor Daitz Mathematics & Science Centre concludes with the official opening being held on Wednesday, 22 February 2017. This magnificent upgrade cost R6.6m and has been sponsored by very generous donations of R5.1m from The Victor Daitz Foundation and R1.5m from the DHS Foundation Trust.
The Victor Daitz Foundation, a humanitarian organisation which supports a wide spectrum of causes and uplifts the lives of many South Africans, was named after Victor Daitz, a Jewish entrepreneur who spent most of his business life in Durban and who became a member of the family business known as Natal Cotton and Woollen Mills Ltd. After the passing of his parents and older brother, he inherited sole ownership of the business. He became a highly respected industrialist and entrepreneur. During the 1950s, Daitz sold the business to pursue retirement.
As a humanitarian and philanthropist, it was always his wish to put back into the community the major portion of the wealth that he had accumulated during his lifetime. This led to the formation of The Victor Daitz Foundation in 1984, which always functioned with an independent board of trustees under the Chairmanship of Victor himself.
His legacy is the opportunity to establish a better life for those South Africans who are the recipients of his bounty.
With education as one of the beneficiaries of the foundation and Daitz’ consideration of Mathematics and Science as the cornerstones of education, DHS was granted the funding support for The Victor Daitz Mathematics & Science Centre which boasts an auditorium, science laboratories and redecorated classrooms, all fitted with data projectors and IT connectivity, which will be beneficial to all the learners who have the opportunity to learn within its walls.
