Dear Learn and Teach I work at Murray and Roberts in Pretoria. My home is in Zeerust. In 1982 I bought a hi-fi set from Frasers Furnishers in Zeerust on HP. First they sent me the wrong hi-fi set. Then the hi-fi set did not work properly. I told Frasers Furnishers. They said they would fix it or give me another one. But they did not do this. So I stopped paying them. Then people from Frasers came to my place. They took the hi-fi and said they would fix it. Then they said I must pay extra money because I was behind with my payments. I asked them for the address of their head office. They would not give it to me. They said I must pay my money before I can take the hi-fi. Please help me with this problem and give me the address of the Frasers head office. David Rammekwa IRENE
Thank you for your letter. We are very sorry to hear about your problem. We spoke to Mr Booysens at Frasers head office. He is the manager for the Transvaal. He was very helpful. He said that we must send your letter to him. He will sort out your problem for you. But if you still want to write to him, here is their address: Frasers Head Office P.O. Box 8383 Johannesburg 2000 -editor
Dear Learn and Teach Greetings to all the readers and writers of Learn and Teach. I love your magazine. I am a student at Kuyasa High School in Dimbaza. I am doing Standard Seven. I want to stay at school but my parents have no money. Please send me the address of someone who can give me a bursary. If I get a bursary, maybe my dreams will come true. Please help me. Mandisa Siwisa KWA-DIMBAZA
Thank you for your letter. If you want a bursary, write to the Education Information Centre they will help you. Their address is: 601 Dunwell House 35 Jorrissen Street Braamfontein 2001
Dear Learn and Teach We want to start a company. We want to make things from wax, like candles, floor polish and so on. But we don’t have enough money to start. We are looking for an organisation or a company who can help us. We heard about an organisation called JOBS — the Johannesburg Organisation to Boost Self-help. They helped people called the Ukukhanya Candle Making Project. Can you send us their address — or the address of anyone who can help us. We tried the Small Business Development Corporation but they want too much interest. If you help us, we will be very thankful. Jotham Kunene DAVEYTON PS. I am a Learn and Teach reader.
Thank you for your letter. We are pleased to hear that people are trying to make jobs for them-selves. We are sorry to tell you that JOBS — the Johannesburg Organisation to Boost Self-help — is not working anymore. But you can try SHADE — Their address is: P.O. Box 5065 Horizon Roodepoort 1730 Tel: (011) 766-1243 (011)763-1270 — editor
Dear Learn and Teach I am a student of the language institute in Maputo, Mozambique. I am nineteen years old and I am learning English. I want to have a penfriend from South Africa. I think that writing letters will help me make my English better. I like listening to music and watching films. I also like outdoor games like football and tennis. Tomas Pedro Rungo Instituto de Lingua de Maputo Rua Hamed Sekou Toure C. P. 1260 Mozambique
Thank you for your letter. We hope that one of our readers will write back to you. Good luck with your English. — editor
Dear Learn and Teach I hope you will help me with my problem. I am at school at Mankoeng. I am doing Form Four. I do not understand Afrikaans. I read Afrikaans books but I never know what they are about. I also have problems with my History homework. What can I do? TshelloTshoare LESHOANE
Thank you for your letter. We are sorry to hear that you are having problems with your school- work. Write to the Career Information Centre in Durban. Their address is: 20 St Andrews St Durban 4001. They have books on how to study. Good luck, editor
Dear Learn and Teach I am fine. But there is one thing that is worrying me. I am a domestic worker because I did not go to school. I want to join a union for domestic workers. But I do not know where to find the union. Please send me their address. These boers are so silly. I only get R50 per month and they do not pay me for Sundays. Please help me. Gadinthone Modiakgotla KRUGERSDORP
Thank you for your letter. We are sorry to hear about your problems. We know that most domestic workers get very bad pay. There is a union for domestic workers. They are called the South African Domestic Workers Association. Their address is: SADWA Tudor Mansions 78 Troye Street Johannesburg 2001 — editor
Dear Learn and Teach I am asking for help. I am looking for a school where I can do something practical like welding or carpentry. Jacob Mothoa HAMMANSKRAAL
Dear Learn and Teach Can you please give me the addresses of schools where I can learn welding. I will be happy if you send them as soon as possible. Zaphi Mauti KLEINMOND
Dear Learn and Teach Thank you very much for your magazine. I started to read it in 1982. I say ‘Viva Learn and Teach’. I have finished my matric. I am looking for a college where I can do ‘in-service’ training. I have Physics and Biology. L. Monaheng SOWETO
Thank you for your letters. Technikons give practical training. They teach things like welding and carpentry. Here are some addresses for all of you: The Registrar Mabopane East Technikon Private Bag X24 Soshanguve 0152 Or George Tabor PO Box 895 Roodepoort 1725 or: Thuto Matlale Technical College P.O. Box 14 Silverton Pretoria 0127 or: Tlamoha Techincial College P.O. Box 11324 Springs 1560. Good luck. — editor
Dear Learn and Teach I want to thank you for your magazine. It teaches us many things. I work for the Schoenstatt sisters in Constantia. It is a Roman Catholic Convent. I started to work here on 7th August 1986. When I started, the sister in charge told me what hours I must work, how I must work and how much money I would get. She said that the pay is R32 per week. I told her that R32 is not enough. I am married with two children. She said if I do not like it, then I can leave. Here I get up at five o’clock every morning to milk the cows. Then I have to work in the garden. I pick flowers, plant seeds, cut the grass. I also carry heavy things like bags of cement and food for the cows. But the big problem is that the sister says we cannot join a union. She says we are part of the Catholic church. We must do what they do — pray. There are some people who have worked here for a long time. They say that we are making trouble. They used to get R20 a week. But when I came, I wanted more money and I want a trade union. I think that these workers are like this because they get more money than the other workers here. They told the sisters what I said about finding a union. The sister in charge said I must talk to the bishops. But I do not know where the bishops are. I cannot go out because I work on Saturdays and Sundays. I use all my money on food and clothes for my mother, my wife and my children. Right now they are starving. But when I tell the sisters this, they say we must pray. Alfred Vuso CONSTANTIA
Thank you for your letter, Alfred. We are very sorry to hear about your problems at work. Go and speak to the General Workers Union. They will help you with your problem. But you will have to take time off to go there. Their address is: II Benbow Buildings Beverly Street Athlone.
Dear Learn and Teach I work for a company called RE.D. in Wadeville. We work six days a week. We start work at six o’clock and we finish at half past five in the afternoon. On Saturdays we work from seven o’clock to eleven o’clock. Our payslips do not tell us how much we get for an hour. So I do not know if we get overtime or not. I do not know if we are paid for Saturdays. But I only get R259,71 per month and I work sixty one and a half hours. I am frightened to ask the boss. I am frightened he will fire me. The problem here is this. Most of the workers come from the homelands. They do not have the right stamps in their passes. What can we do? Miss Winnie KATLEHONG
Thank you for your letter. Your factory sounds very bad. First, the law says that you can only work 46 hours a week. And you can only work 10 hours overtime. So you can only work fifty six hours a week. If you work more than fifty six hours, then your bos is breakng the law. Your payslip must show how much time you work, and how much time overtime you worked. At the moment the government also says that people don’t have to worry about passes. It sounds like your boss is breaking many laws. But we need to know more before we can help you. The best thing for you to do, is to get advice. Go to the East Rand Advice Centre. Their address is Room 211, Argosy House Cnr President and Spitsburg Ave Germiston
Dear Learn and Teach I have a problem. I worked at a factory called ‘Brollo Africa’. I was hurt there in September 1984. When I asked the factory for my accident pay, they said I must get the money from Pretoria. So I went to Pretoria, to a building called the Marias Viljoen Building. They told me that I will only get money if something was cut off my body. Timothy Mamabolo ELANDSFONTEIN
Thank you for your letter. We are sorry to hear about your accident. The law says that the Workmen’s Compensation must pay you 3/4 of your wages while you are in hospital. But you can only get this money if your boss does not pay you as well. If you are well enough to go back to work,then Workmen’s Compensation will not pay you for your injury. They only pay you if you were hurt so badly that you cannot work again. We hope that this answers your question. If you still think that they must pay you, go to the Tembisa Advice Office. Their address is: Methodist Church 816 Mashemong Section Tembisa Tel:920-2402. —editor
Dear Learn and Teach Greetings to you all. As a Learn and Teach reader, I want to tell you how I feel about your magazine. Your magazine has taught me about the struggle of Africans. I thank you very much for telling us about our leaders. Your pictures of our heroes bring life and joy to me. I want more pictures of people like Robert Sobukwe, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki and Raymond Mhlaba. I also want to know where I can buy the book, ‘The struggle is my Life’ by Nelson Mandela. Mncedisi Ganyaza UMTATA
Thank you very much for your letter. We love to hear from people who like the magazine. We want to write a story about Robert Sobukwe. But we cannot print pictures of the other people because they are in jail. ‘My struggle is my life’ is banned. That means that you cannot buy it. — editor
Dear Learn and Teach I live at Dundonald. We have some problems there. In May this year there was a meeting of Kangwane Inyandza Youth Brigade. The Inyandza whipped us. They told us to keep law and order here at Dundonald. Now we are worried that there will be a big fight. The Inyandza say they are fighting apartheid but we don’t think that they are. We don’t want the Inyandza here. We want the U.D.F., Cosatu and Azapo to help us. Please send us their addresses. No Name
Thank you for your letter. We are sorry to hear about the troubles at your home. Here are the addresses that you asked for.