Spes Bona Girl Students Residence was founded in 1910 under the Chairmanship of Mrs John X Merriman as a result of a meeting in the Cape Town Town City Hall in order to provide a home for young adult females coming from other parts of the country to pursue their tertiary studies in Cape Town.
In 1913 a company was established which raised enough money to purchase grounds in the Gardens and here the present residence was built to house 60 students in 1915. |
Our philosophy at Spes Bona is that "the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow". |
During the 1980’s, the Residence faced imminent closure but was saved from demolition by a committee chaired by Mrs Cleone McMillan, its second founder and Honorary Life President.
Spes Bona celebrated its centenary in 2010.