A Residence Father will act as a mentor towards the Peppie and will ensure the wellbeing of the Peppie, for the duration of his stay in Mopane.
The First-Year Guardian, upon consultation with the Chairperson, will appoint the Residence Fathers and subsequently the Sons of those Residence Fathers at a time of his choosing. Should a resident be appointed as a Residence Father then that resident will remain the Residence Father of his Son and vice versa.
The role of a Residence Father is to act as a role model of a Mopaan and a Mopane Gentlemen, for his Son to aspire towards.
The Peppie Cap is light blue, with the Mopane Rollerball on the front of the cap. Each First-Year (Peppie) receives such a cap, and it is a symbol of wearing your pride for the house and portraying the image of Officer and Gentleman. It also helps cultivate unity. A stolen Peppie Cap is a prized commodity for other residences, so it's crucial that the House stands together to ensure that no cap is left behind.
In 2011, one of the residents in Mopane missed his home so much, that he planted a single row of mealies on the grass in front of Res. This single row of mealies substantially grew to the 25 × 50 m mealie field we have today.
Mealie Watch is organised by the House Committee member for Mealies. It takes place next to the mealies on the grounds of Mopane, to protect the mealies, from vandals that would attempt to vandalise or would attempt to destroy the crop of mealies. It serves as a bonding experience between current first-year residents and the seniors of the house.
It's on the bucket list of every other member of other residences to steal a coveted Mopane Mealie.
The House Greeting is a Mopane-specific greeting, performed by all House members when they see and when they greet one another. It's performed by making a fist with your right hand and then extending the thumb, index, and middle finger of that fist, to create the shape of the rollerball (our House Logo) on the left side of one’s chest.
House Committee Kieries form part of the dress code of every House Committee member and House Committee Kieries are passed down from the outgoing House Committee, to the incoming House Committee in their respective portfolios at Internal Prestige. The Kieries are made of Mopane wood and the initials of the House Committee member are engraved into the Kierie.
The First-Year Guardian Whistle is passed on from the outgoing First-Year Guardian to the incoming First-Year Guardian, at a time and place of the outgoing First Guardian’s choosing. The First-Year Guardian Whistle is used to maintain order and to get the attention of first-year residents during O-Week.
The El Torro Newspaper is published by the House Committee member for Publications and by the Publications Committee, at least once during every quarter of the academic year. It contains the most recent happenings pertaining to Mopane and its residents.
It serves to mark the beginning of the exam season and to wish the House well in their exams and happens twice in an academic year. It aims at celebrating and promoting academic excellence. The Head of Residence, the HC of Academics as well as the highest performing Senior and Peppie have the honour of being the torchbearers for this prestigious event and lighting El Flammo. The presence of El Flammo is a symbol of good results and it has its own special greeting.
The Chairperson Robe is passed on from the outgoing Chairperson to the incoming Chairperson at the Handover House meeting. The Chairperson wears this blue and yellow robe at House Meetings and at other important functions, where he acts in his official capacity as Chairperson of Mopane, on the grounds of Mopane.
The Semi’s of Mopane have the privilege of receiving their Semi Jerseys. Only Mopaane with the title of Semi has the honour of receiving this jersey. Therefore, it is worn with enormous pride. The Semi Jerseys are handed over at a special ceremony organised by the Semi-Guardian HC member. With the design of the jersey staying the same since its inception, it is one of Mopane's oldest traditions and a moment every Semi looks forward to.