Resensie

NEDERLAND EN DIE AFRIKANER: GESPREK OOR APARTHEID. DIE PAGINARUIL TUSSEN TROUWEN DIE BURGER, 1963-1964 - Dr. HO Terblanche (Navorsingspublikasie C30, 1998, Universiteit Port Elizabeth). ISBN 0869887106 (238 pp)

Aspekte van ’n Christelike perspektief op fasette van die Geskiedwetenskap en die beoefening daarvan in ’n veranderende Suid-Afrika

Aspects of a Christian perspective on some facets of History as a discipline and its practice in a changing South Africa Within the framework and dynamics of a currently changing South Africa, not only History as a practised discipline hul historians too - especially Christian historians are increasingly criticised from various quarters and/or faced with totally new obstacles and questions. Although criticism in this sense constitutes nothing new perse, the f undamental character of changes sweeping the country (e.g. democratization, nation building, truth and reconciliation, societal restructuring) and the historio-political legacy of the recent past, re-accentuated the criticism that South African historiography has consistently proved to be subservient of a political ideology. The objectives of this article are to highlight some former historical trends and current tendencies in Christian perspectives of the past and to discuss the question of how Christian historians and Christian History teachers can interact in a responsible and careful way with their subject by avoiding misrepresenting the truth and of becoming (again?) the servants of just another ideology

Past, Present and Future use of Municipal Water and Freshwater Resources of the Bekkersdal Community, Westonaria, South Africa

Water is a human right which is recognised globally, with an increasing focus being placed on the ethical considerations of water use. The paper focuses on investigating access and perceptions surrounding this basic need in the Bekkersdal community and the Wonderfonteinspruit, in the Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is hypothesised that several challenges exist both internally and externally in the process of ensuring the right to water in Bekkersdal, from both an environmental and service provision perspective. Through the use of a questionnaire conducted with a statistically representative group from the Bekkersdal community, the following issues were investigated: current water use of municipal and river water, challenges regarding water availability and quality, perceptions regarding the state of the Wonderfonteinspruit and future water use wants and needs. The results indicate a strong reliance on municipal water complicated with water service delivery issues, which resulted in 10% of the residents making use of the polluted Wonderfonteinspruit on a regular basis. Furthermore, the need for solutions to water supply and availability solutions should be developed in conjunction with community members. This research represents some of the first steps that need to be taken to do so

The history of Gatsrand from the settling of the trekker community circa 1839 until the proclamation of Carletonville in 1948

MA (History), PU vir CHO, 1988This MA-Dissertation on the history of the Gatsrand up to 1948 originally was written in Afrikaans in 1988. This English translation was decided on to assist researchers, working with regional issues in/on South Africa who's mother tongue is English. The footnotes as well as the source list has not been translated due to the cost in doing so. However, it is trusted that researchers should find their way because more than 50% of the references are in English or could not be titled otherwise as they are archival documents or published literature. Due to new technology, the page numbers of the English version also differ from the original Afrikaans version. The approach to the research must be assessed within the time frame in which it was written and the methodology to regional history utilised, was mainly on that as expressed by VHT Skipp. The author since has extended and refined this model.Gatsrand (as a series of ridges) is not only a well-known geographical feature in the Western Transvaal, but it also features prominently as a definite area in the settlement history of the whites in the Transvaal. In fact, the first farms in this area were registered simultaneously with farms in the neighbouring Mooi River area. Owing to the inhabitants’ agrarian predisposition up to the early years of the twentieth century, agriculture and stock farming formed the basis of the area’s economic infrastructure. Initially, the Potchefstroom market was the nearest outlet for products. Later on, products were also sold in Johannesburg, as well as at Randfontein and Krugersdorp. In the process of the development of this enterprise, stock diseases, droughts, poverty and wars continually set the inhabitants back. Prior to the establishment of gold mines (since 1937) in the northern areas of Gatsrand, which enhanced economic development, the area’s development was mainly dependent on the subsistence needs of the surrounding towns. In this respect, the building of roads to places like Krugersdorp, Randfontein, Pretoria and Johannesburg was beneficial to the Gatsrand area, since all these routes passed through said area. Administrative duties were initially performed by a field cornet and later by a justice of the peace, who was subordinate to the magistrate of Potchefstroom. In a similar way, educational matters were dealt with by the Potchefstroom School Board. Until 1948, with the exception of Klipdrift School, there were only primary schools on several farms in the area – schools that had from one to four teachers. With outbreaks of illness, even the medical services in Potchefstroom rendered help in the Gatsrand area. Inhabitants had to travel to Potchefstroom, some of them covering great distances, if they were in need of medical care and facilities. Initially, the nearest centre for worship was also Potchefstroom. The first congregation in the Gatsrand area was founded in 1926 at Fochville, with boundaries that included the major part of this area. Since 1937, gold mine development provided definite advances in local development. Up to 1948, six towns had been proclaimed, congregations were established, and houses and roads were built to accommodate the growing number of inhabitants. This resulted in the establishment of numerous enterprises. The number of pupils increased and smaller schools had to amalgamate with larger ones. By 1948, it was apparent that the development in the Gatsrand area would be phenomenal due to the rich discoveries of the then established gold mines.Master

Impressions on aspects of the process – and outcomes – of curriculum transformation in History for schools after 1994 in South Africa.

• Opsomming: Die aanbreek van die 21e eeu het ook wêreldwye veranderinge in geskiedenisonderrig getoon. Dit was sigbaar in vele gewysigde of nuwe kurrikula binne veral die verdere onderwys- en opleidingsfase (hoërskole) asook binne die strukture van handboekontwikkeling vir skole. In Suid-Afrika het hierdie tendense saamgeval met ‘n tydperk van transformasie in die onderwys sedert veral die oorname van die African National Congress as regerende party vanaf 1994. In die algemeen was die verandering in Suid-Afrika binne alle vlakke van die samelewing op die een of ander wyse geraak deur die woord “internasionaal” of “globaal” . Na sowat 15 jaar van transformasie in Suid-Afrika dus reeds verloop het, is die resultaat ook sigbaar in die veranderinge wat ten opsigte van die geskiedeniskurrikulum deurgesien is, asook die benadering wat gevolg is in skoolhandboeke as die praktiese resultaat hiervan. Die artikel is gestruktureer om aspekte te debatteer wat aanleidend was tot die omvorming van veral die Geskiedeniskurrikulum. Onder meer is polities belaaide gevoelens en persepsies van die dag, die status van empiriese navorsing binne geskiedenisonderrigpraktyke deur akademici sowel as die rol van die intellektuele lui binne die raamwerk van sogenaamde onderwysvooruitgang ook ter sprake. Om meer te fokus op ‘n bepaalde aspek binne ‘n breë tema soos hierdie rakende “onderwysvooruitgang”, is die Graad 12-vlak se hersiene kurrikulum en skoolhandboeke wat onlangs publiseer is as die mikrosnit uitgesonder vir hierdie bespreking. Van die kern gevolgtrekkings oor “onderwysvooruitgang” in Geskiedenis as skoolvak is dat die hersiene Graad 12 kurrikulum van Suid- Afrika ook nie daarin kon slaag om vlekkeloos te wees van i) die politieke sentimente van die dag nie en nog minder van die dominante leierskap en mag van die Regering binne die kurrikulumveranderinge. ii) Voorts ook is onderwysvooruitgang (metodologie en globale/internasionale tendense) wel heel sigbaar in die kurrikuluminhoud verdiskonteer maar nie noodwendig effektief of korrek benader nie. iii) Verder nog blyk dit dat empiriese navorsing en in-diepte-waarnemings deur tersiêre navorsingsinstansies rakende die mees sinvolle hersiening van inhoude om die klaskamerpraktyk in geskiedenis te verbeter sowel as die inhoude van handboeke tot ‘n hoër kwaliteit te laat ontwikkel, ietwat skipbreuk gelei het as gevolg van etlike redes. Ten opsigte van die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks, sal hierdie probleme en/of leemtes in die nabye toekoms meer sigbaar moet verbeter, anders is die meeste navorsing met die oog op vooruitgang gedoem tot ‘n waardeloosheid

Informing history students / learners regarding an understanding and experiencing of South Africa's colonial past from a regional / local context

South Africa has delivered several voices of standing on the country's colonial historiography. The impact of especially 19th and 20th century colonialism on the southern tip of Africa is deeply rooted in all spheres of life, and its visibility mostly surfaced in former apartheid South Africa. In this paper, the historiography of colonialism in South Africa is concisely introduced with, as a second key aim, the discussion of a way in which FET history learners and HET history students could practically understand and experience South Africa's colonial past by exploring a regional/local colonial or post-colonial legacy. By using colonialism as topic, it is also argued that it is possible to teach any history content (whether from the FET-CAPS History curriculum content or from the variety of HET history module content) more efficiently if the topic, phenomenon or concept is studied in the light of regional/local examples