WATCH: St David’s Marist Inanda’s Gwijo Boys sing for Temba Bavuma

The St. David’s Marist Inanda Gwijo Boys gave a rousing performance at the official Temba Bavuma Oval renaming ceremony in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

Our Gwijo Boys gave a spellbinding performance for the whole school at the official Temba Bavuma Oval renaming ceremony. #TembaBavumaOval pic.twitter.com/0Bg3YlyMvF

— St Davids Marist Inanda (@InandaSpirit) April 1, 2025

The performance was fitting for the historic occasion where the Proteas captain was honoured by his former high school.

“It’s an incredible honour to have the main cricket oval renamed the Temba Bavuma Oval, a place that shaped so much of my journey,” said Bavuma on Instagram.

“To St David’s Marist Inanda, thank you for this special recognition and for playing a vital role in my growth, both on and off the field.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone that was present in sharing the moment with me and making the day a memorable one. Your support means everything.”

The field at the Catholic boys’ school was previously known as the McGregor Oval.

Bavuma joined the school in 2005 and left in 2008, playing for the school’s A teams from the outset.

His involvement with St. David’s continued after graduation, with the St. David’s Marist Inanda Foundation partnering with the Temba Bavuma Foundation to sponsor a student’s school career.

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A post shared by St David's Marist Inanda (@inandaspirit)

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St David’s Gwijo Boys

iGwijo is the practice of collective singing, which is deeply rooted in South African isiXhosa culture, taking the form of call-and-response.

In 2024, St David’s hosted the inaugural High School Gwijo Festival as a way of celebrating Africa Day and gwijo songs.

The festival featured performances by six schools from Johannesburg, as well as a music group, Gwijo Avenue, held at the school’s Champagnat Hall.

Some of the schools that participated include St Andrew’s School for Girls, St Teresa’s School and Jeppe High School for Boys.

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The growth of iGwijo

The singing practice has been popularised by the Gwijo Squad’s presence at Springbok games in the last few years.

They’re a mainstay at Bok games – always there to welcome or give the national team a send-off when needed.

The Gwijo Squad is a sports fan movement aimed at being a catalyst for transformation in South African sport and stimulating an inclusive involvement of sports fans in the country.

The supporters’ movement was established in 2017 after the Springboks ‘A’ faced the French Barbarians in Durban at an empty Moses Mabhida Stadium.

One fan, now Gwijo Squad Chairman Chulumanco Macingwane, contacted a few friends who were concerned about this paucity of support.

After a week, 35 people united in Soweto to add their voices to a game that pitted the same two teams against each other, giving rise to the Gwijo Squad.

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