Last year, Voortrekker High School in Pietermaritzburg made history when it appointed its first black head boy in the school's 88-year history.
This year, the badge of honour has gone to another black pupil - one of the school's star rugby players, Siyamukela Manqele.
The former Afrikaans school switched to parallel medium in 2009 and, although still predominantly white, has attracted 146 black pupils in 2016.
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And it was a unanimous vote by teachers and pupils that saw Manqele, who hails from the sleepy hamlet of Kilbarchan, outside Newcastle, picked this year.
Manqele, who plays flank and hooker for the first team, said he was "really honoured". He follows in the footsteps of Bandisa Ndlovu, last year's head boy who has joined the Sharks Academy in Durban.
Prefect and head boy selection is a serious business at some schools, with Riebeek College Girls' High School in Uitenhage even roping in external auditors.
Said Manqele: "I believe I was chosen because of my character and how I respect people around me and how I approach them."
Even though the number of black pupils only grew after 2009, he said black and white pupils were now like "family".
"We even change our surnames at the hostel. We are all Standers."
Principal Jan Nel said: "He's a quality learner and leader. He leads by example; he doesn't stand at the back and lead."
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Asked if it had not taken a bit long to appoint black head boys, Nel said this was because the school transformed only when it started offering English classes. From that point, "it didn't take so long for our community to transform and say, 'We don't look at colour; we look at quality.'"
While many single-medium Afrikaans schools as well as parallel-medium schools have appointed black head boys and head girls, there are those that have yet to do so.
Two elite, single-medium Afrikaans schools in Pretoria, Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool and Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool, both confirmed they have had no black head boys or head girls. The girls' school does have five black pupils on its representative council of learners.
Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool said it did not have many black pupils because it was a single-medium Afrikaans school. "We don't keep track of these things; for us, everyone is the same," said a deputy principal.
Other traditionally Afrikaans schools such Hoërskool Waterkloof and Hoërskool Centurion have taken the plunge. Centurion, an Afrikaans school in Pretoria with an 85% white pupil population, appointed its first black head girl, Stephanie Vlotman, last year. Principal Wouter Burger said: "I would like to fail her to get her back. She was fantastic."
