More about Mags

The 26^th of March 1982 saw the official opening of the House Mags (previously known as Magrietjie), a female residence at the University of Pretoria. Today, many years later, Mags has flourished into a residence inspiring passion and excellence.

This wonderful residence was opened as Magrietjie – and the name was proudly used for 36 years. The original residence name, Magrietjie, comes from the beautiful pink Magrietjie flower – which is why you will see a flower and the colour pink connected to all we do. At the end of 2018, the University adjusted residence names, and as a result, Magrietjie became House Mags. The word ‘Mags’ has always been associated with the residence. It was used fondly, for many years, by the ladies as a nickname for the delightful Pink Palace. Today we are proudly House Mags with the most vibrant colour of all the residences, namely PINK.

Our mascot is known as MaerGrietjie – a special lady that distinguishes us from other residences. She was designed in 1982 by Fearika Botha (now Heyns). You will see her ‘picture’ everywhere – she is painted on our building and printed on all House Mags clothing items. She sits blissfully holding the proud Magrietjie flower in her hands.  The original porcelain MaerGrietjie is kept securely in a safe within the residence. She is representative of the balanced, dynamic and fun-loving ladies of House Mags.

Our slogan - “My Alles Vir Altyd Vir Mags” - #MAVAVM (Afrikaans for ‘My everything for House Mags forever’) - has stood the test of time and is the principle every Mags lady lives by.

House Mags has been fortunate to have had wonderful house parents looking after her over the years. House Mags' first house parents were Dr and Mrs Breedt. At present House Mags is looked after by André and Yolanda Jordaan, both professors at the University of Pretoria. Our first Primaria was Zelda Stone, who has been instrumental in establishing a special culture in the residence.

House Mags’ original house song was written by Prof PJ Gräbe. It was then replaced by “Mooi Magrietjie”, written by Ds Marius Swanepoel. An additional English verse was written in 2006 by Elzaan Smuts, of which a part was translated into Sepedi by Rudy Kekana. Both ladies were house members of House Mags. The house song was further developed in 2017 when all verses were translated into English – a language that unifies all the different language groups in the residence. A unifying moment in Mags is when we get together and sing our house song proudly and with gusto.

House Mags delivers well-balanced, productive and dynamic young women, and many SRC members were raised by House Mags. House Mags is also known for her beauty as various RAG queens have shown, including the Miss SA Campus 2006 and currently an actress, Donna-Lee Roberts, as well as Azel van Zyl - RAG queen of 2010. The winner of Miss Hatfield 2008, Bianca Verlinden, is also a passionate Mags lady! Gizelle Venske won the overall title of Miss Varsity Cup in 2017 and Beaulah Baduza was one of the top 16 Candidates for Miss South Africa 2019.

House Mags still blossoms with talent and achievement today. Mags has become a residence that consistently performs excellently in Sport, Academics, Culture and RAG. Watch this space, as House Mags will continue to make each year an unforgettable year, filled with great achievements and exciting events.