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05 December 2019 | Story Nonsindiso Qwabe
Laptop read more
At the handover were, from the left: Dikgapane Makhetha, Officer in the Department of Community Engagement; Zwelinjani Mbatha; Ntsiwoa Andries (both teachers at Botlehadi); and Legopheng Maphile, Assistant Director: Library Marketing and Community Engagement at UFS LIS.
School libraries are an important resource for young minds. International research has shown that school libraries are beneficial to the academic development and progress of learners. A fully stocked and functional library within a school can improve learner performance and reading abilities by up to 8%. 

A seemingly simple gift of a laptop will therefore go a long way in ensuring that Botlehadi Primary School in Turflaagte has a functional library that will be a reading haven for all its learners.

Inspiring change

The laptop was a donation to the school by the University of the Free State Library and Information Services (UFS LIS) and the Department of Community Engagement. Before the handover on 26 November, it was pre-loaded with software that would allow the school to create an inventory of all books in its library, track their books, and consolidate their learning resources in one central place, like any fully-fledged library. 

Botlehadi was one of the schools that benefited from the Mandela Day project in July, when the two divisions gave the school’s library a much-needed revamp. A laptop was promised, and the school’s representatives were all smiles when they finally held it in their hands. 

Botlehadi teacher, Ntsiwoa Andries, said the school was beyond grateful for the laptop and the stability it would bring to their library. With their learner count numbering 1 800, Andries said keeping track of their books had become quite a daunting task. 

“The books are there, but we have a lacking library system. We don’t even have a librarian to manage the library for us. This laptop will help us to store our books and know which books we have, and which ones have been taken out by learners. It was easy to lose books because we had no effective system.”

Promoting a culture of reading

Andries said the school is a leader in its community by encouraging a culture of reading for both learners and their parents.

“We have books for all ages and even invite the parents to make use of the library facilities. It feels good to know that we will be able to give our community better access to books, because most of them cannot afford to buy books. They will finally know how it feels to have a wide variety of books to choose from.”

As a librarian, Postgraduate Research Librarian, Carmel Nel, said she knows the difference a small school-library system can make for a school like Botlehadi.

“When we first visited the school in July, we felt their strong need for a laptop in order to track their books. After approaching the Bloemfontein Rotary Club for help, we were finally able to fulfil our promise to the school. The laptop’s management software will allow them to effectively plan and distribute their resources and manage book circulation.”

Legopheng Maphile, Assistant Director: Library Marketing and Community Engagement at UFS LIS, said: “We are just planting a seed now, but there’s a lot of watering that needs to be done. We promised to donate this laptop before we even had it, and today we’re excited to be making an impact.”

News Archive

Judge Albie Sachs and Candice Mama discuss traumas of the past and forgiveness in the present
2015-08-05

 

Judge Albie Sachs embraces Candice Mama for her courage in confronting Eugene de Kock, who killed her father.

Two generations. Two stories of triumph. Two South Africans who have displayed immense courage.

Public Dialogue on Trauma, Memory, and Representations of the Past

Judge Albie Sachs and Candice Mama exchanged their experiences of past trauma and subsequent transformation in a public conversation. The event was co-hosted by Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela and The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) in Cape Town on Thursday 30 July 2015.

The event was the first instalment in a series entitled Public Dialogue on Trauma, Memory, and Representations of the Past. The theme of the discussion was ‘Intergenerational Dialogue on Trauma and Healing’.

"The aim of these public dialogue events we are co-hosting with IJR is to place the issues of trauma and memory, and the strategies that individuals and communities use to heal, in the public sphere," Prof Gobodo-Madikizela, Senior Research Professor in Trauma, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation Studies at the University of the Free State (UFS) said.

Judge Albie Sachs and Candice Mama in conversation

Former Constitutional Court Judge, Albie Sachs, talked about his participation in South Africa’s liberation struggle, the loss of his right arm in an assassination attempt, and meeting the man responsible – Henri van der Westhuizen. Despite years of exile and extended periods of solitary confinement, Judge Sachs maintains that “we need to acknowledge our history, not be trapped by it.” Judge Sachs also remarked, though, that “we’re seeing too much lamentation, not enough activation.” In a heartrending gesture, Judge Sachs embraced Candice Mama in a hug for her courage in confronting Eugene de Kock, who killed her father.

How poignant then, when Mama said, “I wanted to embrace the brokenness within him,” when she spoke about her meeting with De Kock. By the time I met with Eugene, I could meet him as a human being, not as a villain.” Mama believes that forgiving someone translates into an investment in the person you are forgiving and in your own sanity. She also emphasised the importance of dialogue to move our country forward: “When we share our stories with each other authentically, walls break down.”

This is a stance that Prof Gobodo-Madikizela supports strongly: “When we listen to one another, something unexpected emerges; we encounter the human in each other,” she said. “When we listen with open hearts to each other, we see and experience each other’s humanity.”

Building a bridge between research and society

Referring to the research aspect of the event, Prof Gobodo-Madikizela said that, "in establishing the series of public dialogue events, our vision is to create a bridge between scholarly research and the community at large, on the one hand, and a visual conscience of society, on the other." The UFS is collaborating with the IJR on this research project, which is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The endeavour is led by Prof Gobodo-Madikizela, who also serves as Board Member of the IJR.

 

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