The Bambisanani Partnership is a collaboration developed by St Mary's Menston Catholic Voluntary Academy in Menston in West Yorkshire, England and Mnyakanya School in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. "Bambisanani" is the Zulu word for "working hand in hand". The Bambisanani Partnership has used sport as a catalyst to develop international understanding, education, health and leadership. The initiative, which began in 2006, has gained both national and international acclaim. The University of Leeds, Leeds Trinity University and Newcastle College are now members of the partnership and like St. Mary's School regularly have students visit South Africa to extend its work. As of December 2025, the charity has engaged and connected 34,000 young people from both South Africa and the UK in its various programmes.
Mnyakanya High School in Nkandla serves one of KwaZulu-Natal's most deprived rural communitiesWharfedale Observer – Menston school's efforts give children in poverty a chance Mnyakanya High School was opened by Nelson Mandela and in 2004. The school serves a vast area and many students walk two hours to and from school each day. Mnyakanya has 850 students.
A fundamental aim of the partnership has been to create 'two way' learning between both countries with a focus on 'working together and learning together'.– Small Charity Massive Impact: The remarkable Bambisanani PartnershipWharfedale Observer – National Recognition for St. Mary's School and Bambisanani Partnership For example, the projects and programmes 'Leadership through Sport', 'Sports Festivals' 'Cycling to Success',Yorkshire Evening Post – Otley star Lizzie Deignan praises Leeds universities for cycling initiative in South Africa 'Literacy through Sport', 'Numeracy through Sport', 'Art through Sport', 'Learning through Football' (Premier Skills), 'International Athletics Challenge' and the joint training of Physical Education teachers and Sports Coaches.
History 2006–2010
The Bambisanani Partnership began in 2006 when David Geldart, Assistant Headteacher at St. Mary's Catholic High School, Menston first visited Mnyakanya High School. In the same year Lucas Dube, Principal of Mnyakanya School visited St. Mary's School. Fundraising began in earnest to develop the partnership with support from members of the Kaiser Chiefs – former St. Mary's students.
In 2007, David Geldart returned to Mnyakanya with two Sixth form pupils. The purpose of the week-long visit was to develop the partnership and conduct joint leadership training with South African students, sport assistants, educators and volunteers.KwaZulu Natal Department of Sport and Recreation – United Kingdom and South Africa School Linkage Programme
In 2008, St. Mary's students and staff visited South Africa. Students from both Mnyakanya and St. Mary's worked collaboratively to plan and deliver a large community sports festival for primary school children. The festival was attended by Armichand Rajbansi, KZN Minister for Sport. The group were also visited by Ina Cronje, KZN Minister of Education who also visited St. Mary's School when visiting the UK in the same year.Wharfedale Observer – Menston school is host to African visitors
In 2009,'Bambisanani Enterprises', a student led social enterprise was established in both St. Mary's and Mnyakanya High School to both develop entrepreneurial skills and raise funds for the partnership. For example, Zulu students produced and sourced local products, such as indigenous crafts to be sold in the UK. The work of Bambisanani Enterprises was highlighted by the Yorkshire Young People's Enterprise Forum. The 14 St. Mary's pupils who visited South Africa in March 2009 received the inaugural Certificate of Excellence Group Award from the Diana Award for their outstanding volunteering and leadership. The award was presented by Ester Rantzen CBE.
July 2009 saw the first visit by Mnyakanya pupils to the UK.Wharfedale Observer – African visitors at Menston school During the visit, the fourteen Mnyakanya students worked with St. Mary's students on a variety educational sporting and cultural activities which included the creation of a mural to celebrate international co-operation. The group were special guests at both Leeds Rhinos and Yorkshire County Cricket Club fixtures and also participated in the annual St. Mary's Sports Day at South Leeds Stadium. Sally Bridgewater, a former pupil at St. Mary's who had visited South Africa organised a classical music concert to raise funds for the partnership. Music festivals have subsequently become annual events at St. Mary's to raise funds for and awareness of the partnership.Yorkshire Evening Post – Yorks pupils hold concert to help orphans in South Africa In July 2009 David Geldart was invited to speak about the Bambisanani Partnership at a British Council Conference on Connecting Classrooms in Kenya. The work of The Bambisanani Partnership was celebrated later in the year when St. Mary's was awarded the Department of Education/British Council International School Award for excellence in the area of incorporating Global Citizenship as a key aspect of learning in the school. The award was presented by George Alagiah at a ceremony in London.
In 2010, Six educators from South Africa and Ghana visited St. Mary's as part of the British Council Connecting Classroom initiative. Later in the year, twelve students from St Mary's accompanied four members of staff on a visit to Kwa Zulu Natal to help organise and run several events, including a Sports Festival in collaboration with young leaders from Mnyakanya School. The Sports Festival included a football tournament involving over 200 students. Dr Nicola Brewer, British High Commissioner to South Africa and David Cordingley, Director of the British Council travelled from Johannesburg to see the Bambisanani programmes in action. The students from St. Mary's later received the Diana Certificate of Excellence for their work in South Africa and dedicated their award to Sbonelo Magwaza, a South African student they had worked with who had recently died.Yorkshire Post – Pupils honoured for Africa projectBradford Telegraph & Argus – St Mary's youngsters work with disadvantaged children in South Africa is recognised Both schools established a Sbonelo Magwaza Award for Outstanding Leadership that is presented annually. Former student and Bambisanani volunteer, Sally Bridgewater returned to South Africa on her own to teach Study Skills Leadership course to Mnyakanya students and was subsequently honoured in the national Young People of The Year Awards.
2011–2015 In 2011, David Geldart from St. Mary's and William Vilakazi from Mnyakanya gave a joint presentation at the Youth Sport Trust Sports College 'Achieving the Impossible' Conference. Senzo Mchunu, Minister for Education for Education for KwaZulu-Natal visited St. Mary's on a visit to the UK. Former West Ham United star, Trevor Brooking received the Bambisanani Partnership Award for his long-term support of the partnership. Fourteen St. Mary's pupils travelled to South Africa to engage in joint leadership training with students from Mnyakanya School and Eshowe High School. Students from all three schools worked together to plan and deliver both a Sports and Literacy Festival for four local primary schools. They also worked on art, creative writing and other sport projects. Twenty-four Mnyakanya and Eshowe students successfully completed the Bambisanani Leadership course and were awarded the Bambisanani Partnership Leadership Award Additionally the students also spent time working with the Norwegian-based charity Zulufadder. Zulufadder supports and cares for HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable children by providing schools, orphanages, homes, day care, food, clothing and educational resources. St. Mary's students brought a range of equipment for Zulufadder orphans and worked at the uMlalazi Day Centre and Crèche. St. Mary's students became the first in the country to receive the new International Diana Award for their outstanding work in South Africa developing the Bambisanani Partnership.
In 2012, a Bambisanani competition to celebrate the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics called The Power Of Sport was held at both St. Mary's and Mnyakanya. The competition encompassed sport, creative writing and art. More than 600 students voluntarily participated in the competition. An Exhibition of the work was held in Leeds with art work being sold to support the work of the partnership. This Project inspired another Bambisanani book The Power of Sport – which featured the art and written work produced by the students. The Foreword for the book was written by artist [Harland Miller]. The first book published by the partnership Bambisanani: The First Five Years was featured in a talk at the Ilkley Literature Festival Fringe by David Geldart. The forward for the book was written by Baroness Sue Campbell. Fourteen students and three staff from St. Mary's School visited South Africa to develop the Bambisanani Partnership at Mnyakanya High School, Ntolwane Primary School and uMlalazi Day Centre and Crèche. Bambisanani young leaders from Mnyakanya School become the first in South Africa to gain the International Diana Award for their work developing and delivery a community-based HIV/AIDS Awareness course. Fourteen St. Marys students who worked in South Africa later gained the Diana Champion Volunteer Award.
In 2013, Bambisanani's second book was published Bambisanani 2012: Faster, Higher, Stronger with a Foreword from David Cordingley, British Council Director in South Africa. South African teachers, Pk Zondi (Bambisanani Coordinator at Mnyakakya School), Musa Xulu (Bambisanani Coordinator at Ntolwane Primary School) and Nombusa Nduli visited Leeds as part of the Connecting Classrooms and Bambisanani Partnership initiatives. St. Mary's Students and staff visited South Africa to develop Bambisanani programmes and projects at Mnyakanya School, Ntolwane Primary School and Zulufadder uMlalazi Day Centre and Crèche for orphans and vulnerable children. Diana Award winners Kavi Appuhamy and Chloe Tindale from St. Mary's met Prince William, Duke of Cambridge at a Diana Award Inspire Day in South Shields.
In 2014, the Bambisanani Partnership was honoured with membership of the John Paul II Foundation for Sport. South African artist Nils Burwitz visited St. Mary's as part of Nelson Mandela week in Leeds. Young Leaders from St. Mary's School and Mnyakanya School received the International Diana Award for their community collaboration work as part of the Bambisanani Partnership. Students and staff from St. Marys visited South Africa. Students from St. Mary's, Mnyakanya School and Eshowe School worked together to deliver a community Sports Festival and Reading Festival for 84 children from Ntolwane Primary School. Students from Mnyakanya and Eshowe gained the Bambisanani Leadership Award. In addition to the annual awards in memory of Laurie McCauley and Sbonelo Magwaza, new annual awards from the John Paul II Foundation for Sport were also introduced at Mnyakanya School and Ntolwane School in conjunction with the partnership. Bambisanani founder David Geldart was invited to speak about the Bambisanani Partnership at the Leeds City Council Life and Legacy of Nelson Mandela celebration at Leeds Civic Hall and at the Twenty Years of Freedom celebration at the South African High Commission in London. Art work from The Bambisanani Power of Sport competition by Sara Riley, Natalie O'Shea and Madeline Smith featured at a Civic Reception in Leeds to celebrate the Commonwealth Games Queens Relay Baton passing through the city. The work of the Bambisanani Partnership was featured in a speech by David Geldart at the International conference on Catholic Perspectives on Sport and Spirituality: Half time to Rio held at the University of Durham. Bambisanani Partnership supporter, Geoff Hurst visited St. Mary's.