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Focus 56 Chapters

A Narrative My First-Generation Matric Journey

I made my first stab at schooling at the height of Mangope’s reign of the Bophuthatswana homeland, in Losasaneng village, the mining district of Taung. At that time Losasaneng village possessed only two schools, namely, Retshegeditse primary and Batlanang junior secondary school.

Bullying: The Monster in the Dark

South Africa, obsessed with violence, has become consumed with false hope. We think we can make violence go away with policies and procedures but we are failing as the problem still persists. Our obsession is understandable, given the soaring crime rate and the increasing number of violent activities dominating the news headlines.

Education delivery in the poorest nodes

South Africa enjoys a rare distinction of having gone through all the convulsions and outpouring of anger associated with regime change – without actually changing the ruling regime at all.

Public School Governance in South Africa

Given the painful, complex and controversial history of schooling in South Africa, it was unlikely that any model chosen for the management and control of our public schools would satisfy all role-players.

Review - Bobby Godsell Review - Bobby Godsell

Everatt tells the story of the role and relationship of individuals drawn from South Africa’s racial minorities (but in particular white) in the ANC-lead struggle to end white minority rule, in the period 1945 to 1960.

Review - Michael Cardo Review - Michael Cardo

Racial reconciliation and “rainbow nation”-building, the dominant themes of Nelson Mandela’s presidency, gave way to a narrow, self-regarding, racially hypersensitive strain of Africanism under Thabo Mbeki.

Review - Thabo Rapoo Review - Thabo Rapoo

This book, according to the author, began life as a doctoral thesis written in the 1980s – the first question that came to my mind was, why not do something new and fresh rather than recycling an old piece of work done twenty years ago?

The Role of Community in Education: A Practitioner’s Reflection

A professional community organiser works with leaders within communities to promote social and economic changes. In this regard the organiser plays diverse roles that are intended to build the capacity of people to gain collective awareness and confidence to confront public issues that impact on their lives.