In a beautiful booklet which can be downloaded at the end of this post. there is a biography of the beloved Prof. Johannes Lenake by Prof Susan Coetzee-Van Rooy, a close friend and colleague (UPSET, NWU). Spanning more than eleven pages, messages from colleagues and collaborators bear testimony to the enormous impact he had on people's lives, and to the love and respect for this remarkable man.  During his career he wrote 16 school books in Southern Sotho, 14 academic handbooks for Southern Sotho, and a substantial offering of Afrikaans and English material used in schools. But this is just part of who he was. Prof. Coetzee-Van Rooy tells of anecdotes during the apartheid era and concludes:

During its 2016 Conference, SAALT bestowed a lifetime award on Prof. Lenake for his contribution to language teaching in South Africa. 

Who taught you to read and write? No doubt a teacher!  Who encouraged you to keep on walking or brought you back on track? No doubt a teacher!

For 2018, the UNESCO adopted the theme: "The right to education means the right to a qualified teacher.”

SAALT salutes all teachers who — often under difficult and very trying circumstances — carry out their professional duties.  We appreciate the importance of what you do and how you inspire the learners and students of our country! 

"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." — William Arthur Ward

"Education is the most powerful tool we can use to change the world." — Nelson Mandela
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On behalf of all members of our Association, we express our deepest sympathy with the family, friends and colleagues of Brenda. Her contribution to academia cannot be underestimated and her legacy lives on in the numerous projects and persons she guided kindly and expertly over many years. 

​Our sincere condolences!
SAALT Exco 2017-2019
 
Also see:  A tribute to Brenda Leobowitz.