Temba Maqubela

Temba Maqubela (born 1958) is a South African educator and administrator. He is the eighth and current headmaster of Groton School, the American boarding school, serving since 2013. Before Groton, he spent 26 years at Phillips Academy (Andover), eventually rising to faculty dean and assistant head of school for academics.

Early life and education

Maqubela was born in 1958 to Jiyana Maqubela, an accountant, and Shena Matthews, a biology teacher. The family were Anglicans.

Maqubela is a fourth-generation educator: through his maternal grandmother, his great-grandfather was John Knox Bokwe, the South African composer and educator. His first cousin is Naledi Pandor, the South African Minister of Home Affairs.

Maqubela attended St. John's College, Mtatha, a South African boarding school where his mother was a teacher.

Maqubela obtained a bachelor's of science in chemistry from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. During his years at Andover, he also obtained a master's degree in chemistry from the University of Kentucky, graduating in 1994.

At Andover, Maqubela participated in several programs to improve educational readiness for traditionally underrepresented populations. He directed MS(2), the academy's math and science-focused summer school program for minority students, From 2014 to 2024, he raised $95 million to support the school's financial aid initiatives.

Other

Maqubela serves on the board of South Africa Partners. He is a co-founder and board director of Masibumbane Development Organisation, an NGO established in 2010 to serve the populations of the Eastern Cape of South Africa. He also serves on the advisory council of the African Leadership Academy, a pan-African secondary institution.

Personal life Maqubela has been married to educator Vuyelwa Maqubela, the daughter of Hill of Fools author R.L. Peteni, since 1985. They have three children. His wife taught English at Andover, and subsequently Groton.