African National Congress president Jacob Zuma this week received terse documents minutely detailing the government’s decision to close teacher training colleges from the mid-1990s. It was the riposte by former minister of education Kader Asmal, who was publicly attacked last weekend by Zuma for that decision.

Cornia Pretorius speaks to the CEO of the Kha ri Gude campaign, Veronica McKay, who says the adult literacy campaign is the first step up the ladder of possibilities. The possibilities can be small, like filling in a form or writing a letter or writing one’s own name. It may open other possibilities to go on to formal learning or to run small businesses better.

The conversation rippling through the conference room in Benoni on Gauteng’s East Rand was animated. Several of the 60 people packed around half a dozen tables were talking to one another at the same time. Despite the hype of activity and tangible energy, everything was dead silent.

Professor Barney Pityana, vice-chancellor of Unisa and former chair of the South African Human Rights Commission, is to lead a high-level task team of university leaders to probe racism on South African campuses. He speaks to the Mail & Guardian about this initiative.