The groundwork for Swaneng was laid in 1962, shortly after Van Rensburg, already a prominent anti-Apartheid figure, took up permanent residence in the then Bechuanaland Protectorate.

[1][3] At the end of the year, he and his wife Elizabeth along with community supporters received permission to start a secondary school in Serowe.

[1] Two years later, when the building program grew too big and the number of primary school completers jumped, Patrick started the Builders' Brigade.

To manage this type of training, he launched the Serowe Youth Development Association, the forerunner of today's community trusts.

The curriculum included practical subjects like agriculture, building, carpentry, metalwork, technical drawing, and typing.