1. A BRIEF HISTORY OF ESSA
The seminaryopeneditsdoorstostudentsin January 1980 underthe name of the Evangelical Bible
Seminaryof SouthernAfrica(EbSemSA).The need foradegree level evangelical seminaryhadbeen
recognisedbackin1974. Five consultationsfollowedwhichledtothe formationof aninterim
governingCouncil.The foundingvisionwasforamultiracial seminary(whichflew inthe face of the
apartheidpoliciesof the day),basedinacity (while mostbible schoolswere outinrural areas) and
offeringdegreelevel programmes(incontrasttothe lowerlevelof bible school training)tomeetthe
needsof the church infuture.
From the verybeginningESSA wasa cuttingedge and progressive institution. The factthatthiswas a
multiracial bodyof studentsmeantthatthe injusticesandhurtcausedbythe unjustsystemcreated
a fertile environmentinwhichtoconfrontchargedemotions,examine prejudicesandreflectonthe
role of the church inSouthAfrica. In the apartheiddaysitwas a trickyissue tohave black students
residentina‘white area’andit upsetthe neighboursandthe Home Affairsofficials.ButESSA was
foundedona clearsetof valueswhichinclude:tobe non-racial,evangelical,non-denominational,
urban based,multi-national andofferingdegree levelprogrammes.
In 1986 the seminaryformallyadoptedacommitmenttodocontextual theology –to the displeasure
of some of the supportingconstituencies.
The firsthome of the seminaryin1980 was 200 Pine StinPietermaritzburg.Overthe next21years a
further13 propertieswere acquiredtogive ESSA ownershipof bothsidesof acity blockinPine
Street. These buildingsincludedadisusedLutheran church,ablockof flats anda setof Grade 1
listedVictorianhomesfromthe 1860’s. Most of the propertieswere inastate of disrepair.Overthe
yearstheywere carefullyrestored,such thatAmafagave the seminary anaward in2006 in
recognitionof these effortsinurbanrenewal. A new,purpose- builtR3millionlibrarywasopenedin
March 2007 to house the 30000 volumesandjournals. Thissuitof buildingsisperfectlyadequate to
supportthe educational functionof the seminary.
Studentshave come frommanydifferentdenominationsoverthe yearswhich have enrichedthe
community.Theyhave alsocome frommanyAfricancountries,particularlyfromthe SADDCregion
but alsofromRwandaand Burundi whenrefugeesfromthose countriesendedupinSouthern Africa.
Thismulti-racial,multi-cultural andmulti denominational composition hasprovedtobe a
challengingandanenrichingenvironment. ESSA istrulyanAfricanorientedinstitution.
The foundingprincipal,DrPhil Capp,retiredatthe endof 1992 and he was succeededbyDrMoshe
Rajuili in1993. Thistransitionfromthe founderphase coincidedwiththe needtoformalise
structures,policiesandproceduresoverthe nextfew years.Whenthe six daywareruptedin
Edendale/Imbali andmanyhomeswere destroyed,the seminaryopeneditsdoorstohouse some of
the displacedpersons.TheirplightledDrRajuili tostartthe Urban MissionsCommunityProgramme
(UMCP) whichprovidedtraininginsecretarial andcomputerskillsandinsewingclasses inan
attemptto enable people tofindemployment. ESSA wasthe firstseminaryinAfricato introduce a
Church andCommunityDevelopmenttrackof studies. After10years the UMCP venture closed
downand the social concernwas refocusedonthe burgeoningHIV/AIDSpandemic.ESSA startedthe
ESSA ChristianAidsProgramme (ECAP) toteachlocal churchestocare for AIDSsufferersintheir
neighbourhoods.Overthe yearsmore than100 congregationshave undertakentraining.ECAPhas

2. evolvedandmodifieditstrainingasthe patternof the disease haschanged. Because ECAP has
receivedsubstantial fundingforyearsfromthe Departmentof Health itwas required in2006 to
become entirelyindependentof the seminary.ESSA wasthe firstevangelical seminaryinAfricato
teacha course on HIV/AIDSandactuallyenabledsome50 collegesinsub-SaharanAfricatodevelop
theirowncourses.
In 1994 ESSA formallyjoinedthe PietermaritzburgClusterof Theological Institutions.This
arrangementbroughtaboutthe formal relationshipbetweenthe School of Theologyinthe
Universityof Natal,the RomanCatholicseminarycalledStJosephsandESSA.More recentlythe
Lutherans,the Methodists,Anglicans andthe Congregational churchhave joinedthe Clustertomake
Pietermaritzburgavery importantnode of theologicaleducationinthe country.One of the major
benefitsof the Clusteristhe arrangementsbywhicheachinstitution’slibraryholdingsare shared
online throughthe Universitywhichimmeasurablyenrichesthe participatingschools.
Long before the adventof SAQA,the seminarysoughtaccreditationwiththe AccreditingCouncil for
Theological EducationinAfrica(ACTEA).Theirprocesseswere rigorousand,assuch,enabledthe
seminarytoensure the qualityof itseducational qualificationswhichwere acertificate,adiploma
and a licentiate whichwasequivalenttoa bachelor’sdegree.Afterthe adventof the new South
Africa,ESSA was one of the firsttheologicalcollegestobe scrutinisedbySAQA.In2004 the seminary
introduced aBTh (hons) degree throughthe local university,anarrangementwhichpersiststo
today. The seminarywasreaccreditedbythe CH E in2011. The qualityof the educationofferedat
ESSA is attestedtoby the fact that a large proportionof graduateshave gone on to do post-graduate
studies,rightuptodoctorates, at state universities.
In 1999, in anticipationof the newmillennium, ESSA adoptedanew StrategicPlanandvisionforthe
future.One of the decisionswastochange the name from EbSemSatoESSA inorder to avoidthe
cumbersome doublestoppedconsonantsinthe oldacronym. The followingMissionStatementwas
adopted:“The Seminary existsto train dedicated Christian leadersin an urban setting,forthe
Church-in-Mission,by providing qualityeducation thatisevangelical,holistic and contextual.” This
missionstatementanda clearset of undergirdingvalueshasprovidedstabilityandhassteeredthe
seminarythroughtroubledwatersoverthree decades.
A periodof poorleadershipfrom2005 causedserious problemswhichculminatedinthe
Departmentof EducationderegisteringESSA fromJanuary2012. Since then,however,aturn-around
strategyhas marvellouslystabilisedthe organisation;all debtshave beenpaidoff,finance and
administrationhasbeensortedout,anew curriculumisbeingredesignedandaBoard of capable
people hasbeenrebuilt.ESSA isnowina strongpositiontomake itscontributiononce again.