University

In 1944, Leda enrolled at the University of Stellenbosch to study for a Bachelor of Science degree. During her time there, she formed lifelong friendships, most notably with Estelle Ahlers, Jean Reineke, Una Ramsey, and Ferrie Binge-Coetzee, who would later become an artist in her own right. Leda’s earliest known surviving artwork is a pencil sketch of Ferrie.

The University of Stellenbosch, established in 1918, was already regarded as one of South Africa’s leading universities. By 1946, it had developed a strong academic and research reputation. Yet in the immediate post-war years, opportunities for women in higher education remained more limited than for men. Leda was part of a generation of women entering university at a time of gradual social change.

She graduated with a BSc in 1946.