Dear Learn and Teach, I read Learn and Teach and find it very easy to understand. I think it is very important for people to read it and understand the struggle. I think that to understand the struggle you have to feel the oppression on your shoulders and consult people and books. I think this people’s magazine teaches us how to pick up the spear and fight this merciless and unjust apartheid regime. I hope this magazine can give the people all the information they can get. Comrade Sicelo UMTATA
Dear Learn and Teach, What wonderful satisfaction it was to get my regular copy of your magazine. I have been getting them for the past two years. I would like to pass on my sincere thanks to my favourite magazine and would like to wish everyone at Learn and Teach and its readers the best of luck and a prosperous year. Andries N.P MADIBOGO
Dear Learn and Teach, In the name of the Freedom Charter I greet all the ANC leaders who are trying to play a progressive role in changing South Africa. There is one thing I know: apartheid was not created by God. The forces of apartheid forced our leaders to leave their country. In our thoughts and our actions, we take forward their work and commitment. Let’s not let our leaders die in vain. Welcome home all our leaders. N.P. Lady Frere
Dear Learn and Teach, I want to tell you that here in Venda people die like chickens. Vhavenda people kill people and take some parts from their bodies. If you go and complain to the doctor, he will tell you that it is a dog who took the part or something like that. But I am a Christian so when I look at a doctor I feel that the doctors are working for money and the people who have no money are suffering. We are dying like flies in milk. Our President is Ravele. He is sleeping. Help us to solve this problem. Worried VENDA
Thank you for your letter. It is very difficult to know how you can fight against ritual murders. Perhaps you should speak to the Northern Transvaal Council of Churches. They are investigating ritual murders.
Dear Learn and Teach, We greet you in the name of God and ask him to bless you and us and our nation. Please help us to meet with Mr Murphy Morobe and the leaders of the MDM. Please pass our letter on to them. We, in prison are being treated badly. We cry to the nation. Please help us to contact a lawyer. How many people must still die in prison before we get help? G.M. PRISON
Thank you for your letter. We have spoken to Lawyers for Human Rights. They will send a lawyer to help you. But if anyone else has a similar problem they can write to Lawyers for Human Rights.
Dear Learn and Teach, Greetings to all your readers. Thank you for a magazine that teaches us so much. I am a man of 38. I work for the municipality in Theunissen. I had an accident at work. When I returned to work, they refused to pay me for my accident. So I decided to ask Learn and Teach for help. I want books about working laws, notice pay, maternity pay and so on, I want to know what trade union I can join. Help me because I want to take action against my cruel boss. A.M. THEUNISSEN
Thank you for your letter. If you want to join a union, write to South African Municipal Workers Union. If you want to buy books about working conditions, you can write to Work Information Group and ask them what they have and how much the books cost.
Dear Learn and Teach, I am writing to tell you a story which one of my comrades told me. On 26 September 1985 at a certain village near East London, the youth gathered to protest against their removal from their village and their incorporation into the Ciskei. The headman called the police. When the police came, they told the youth to disperse and fired teargas at them. People ran in all directions. Some people ran onto a nearby farm. There a boy was shot dead. The police said that the bullet came from the farmer’s gun. So people began to boycott the farmer’s shop. The farmer spoke to the people and said he did not mean to hurt anyone. Then he slaughtered an ox and asked the villagers to forgive him. Comrades, don’t you think that the farmer should be punished if he is guilty? A. R. VIRGINIA
Thank you for your letter. We told your story to a lawyer. He said that the family of the boy who was killed must speak to a lawyers if they want to lay a charge against the farmer. The boy’s family can go to one of these advice offices in East London: Advice Community Development Centre or Afesis Advice Centre.
Dear Learn and Teach, I am appealing for unity among the students at the Sekhukhune College of Education. The students are split because of their political beliefs. They spend their time criticising each other’s organisations like Azapo, the ANC, UDF, SACP, PAC and others. On commemoration days, for example September 12, Steve Biko Day, a certain organisation claims that day as their day. We are divided by whites into races and bantustans but now blacks are dividing themselves. M.S.M. APEL
Dear Learn and Teach, I am a Mangaung youth and a male student nurse. My big question is this: how can nurses take part in the struggle? It’s high time that people know that nurses also want a people’s government. It is also time for nurses to take part in the struggle so that when victory comes, and it will come very soon, nurses must have something to be proud of. I ask all comrades to help to teach nurses about the struggle. M.T. M. ROCKLANDS
Thank you for your letter. The National Education, Health and Allied Workers union has started a nurses’ project to organise nurses. If you want to find out more about it you can write or visit them at National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union P.
Dear Learn and Teach, I am not a resident of Soweto but there is something in Soweto that worries me a lot. At the Zennex garage there is a crossroad. Every day people are knocked down there but the state does nothing about it. At least they could build a bridge to help people cross the road. I think there are many unnecessary robots in white suburbs. I think that the reason that there is not a robot at Chiawelo is because there are no whites. Dear Learn and Teach, what can be done about this problem? A.T. Mauda MATANGARI
We spoke to the Soweto Traffic Department about your letter. They say they are busy making the Old Potchefstroom Road better. That is why there are no robots. But once they are finished working there will be a robot at the Zennex garage. They do not build bridges for people to cross roads because they say nobody uses them.
Dear Learn and Teach, I am eighteen years old. I was once in love with a girl. The day after we fell in love, this girl went away for three weeks. We had intercourse once after she came back and then we had a fight. Eight months later she came to my house with her parents. She said I had made her pregnant. But her friends told me that she had had another boyfriend while she was away for those three weeks. The thing that hurts me is that I do not think it is my child but my parents are supporting the child. What can I do? CSP HEIDELBURG
Thank you for your letter. If you are not sure if the child is yours, you can have a blood test to prove that you are not the father. When the baby is at least six months old, you and the baby must go for the test at the Paternity Section of the South African Blood Transfusion Services. If the mother will not let you take the child for the test, you must get a court order. The test costs R375.
Dear Learn and Teach, I saw some advertisements in the “Imvo Zabantsundu” newspaper. The advertisements promise to help people buy butcheries, restaurants, combis, cars, tractors, supermarkets etc. and even to lend money from R1 000 to R75 000. But before they can help you, you must pay R30 or R80 or R100. You do not get your money back if they cannot help you. When I wrote to find out more, I wrote to three different places. But when their letters came back, they were all the same letter except that they had different addresses. These are the names of the companies I wrote to: * RELIABLE BEST SERVICE * ACE CONSULTANTS AND COORDINATORS * CONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND CO-ORDINATORS Do you think these companies will help me? D.T.M. GEORGE
Thank you for your letter. We phoned Ace Consultants and spoke to the boss, Mr Dlamini. He said he knew nothing of Continental Consultants or Reliable Best Service. When we asked him why the letters were all the same, he said that other companies have copied their letters. When we asked him why you could see where they had crossed out Reliable Best Service on their letter, he said that he had used Reliable’s letter. But now he was in business on his own. We then phoned Continental Consultants and guess who the boss was… Mr Dlamini again! If you want to borrow money, it is always better to ask the bank yourself. If you want to start a small business, get advice from places that specialise in small businesses.
Dear Learn and Teach, I want to correspond with readers of Learn and Teach, especially youth and students from the following countries: Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zaire, Uganda, Swaziland, Malawi. My name and address are (…) M.A. Mayimva Umkaas
Dear Learn and Teach, I am looking for my sister, Ellenah Ngwamathe Motomane. I have not seen her since I was young. My parents said she lived in Maputo. My mother’s name is Welheminah Raisibe Maluleka. Her older daughters are Christinah Ngwamabatlo and Enneth. If anyone knows anything about my sister, please write to (…) W.K. Lindi Hammanskraal
Dear Learn and Teach, Please publish my poem on June 16th. I just can’t forget you, brothers and sisters When you rose up in 1976 When you stood and fought against Afrikaans These cowards came and opened fire on you But you never surrendered You fought until you defeated them And now we learn our subjects in English It is all because of you It’s you who fought for us How can I forget you? I just can’t forget you, Not even for a single day. Ralph Mabunda ACORNHOEK