About Us
Bathekgi Ba Khanya College is a project that Khanya College originally intended to launch in May 2020, with the two components of the project being the Online Store and Supporters Programme. But due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, and national lockdown conditions, Khanya had to shift focus to the immediate challenges that faced the organisation and our constituencies. In 2021, Khanya began reviving plans to launch Bathekgi, but these plans were again put on hold with the passing of the College’s long-time Director, Oupa Lehulere.
Despite the many setbacks experienced, the Khanya team is excited to officially launch Bathekgi Online and the Supporters Programme for the public to buy books affordably, and get involved in supporting the many programmes that Khanya runs with the working class constituencies that it works with.
About Bathekgi Online Shop
Bathekgi Online Shop offers a range of diverse South African and African books online at affordable prices, and delivers the books to our customers’ door, anywhere in the country. In this way, we hope to make books, and in future, other important resources, more accessible to people from all walks of life with broad and diverse interests, but especially the working class constituencies that Khanya College supports and works with.
A core part of Bathekgi Online’s books catalogue are the titles published by Khanya Publishing. These books range from children’s illustrated books, collections of short stories written by JBF youth, and anthologies of poetry by renowned poets James Matthews and Keorapetse Kgositsile, to moving testimonies of community healthcare workers, and the seminal text Gold and Workers, by Luli Callinicos, on the formation of the South African working class beginning with the discovery of minerals in the 1870s.
Both Bathekgi subscribers and members of the public are able to purchase various products and packages through the website and the physical book shop at an affordable and accessible price. As active supporters that help Khanya College develop new authors and artists, Bathekgi subscribers can access further discounts on purchases through the Online Shop.
A core part of Bathekgi Online’s books catalogue are the titles published by Khanya Publishing. These books range from children’s illustrated books, collections of short stories written by JBF youth, and anthologies of poetry by renowned poets James Matthews and Keorapetse Kgositsile, to moving testimonies of community healthcare workers, and the seminal text Gold and Workers, by Luli Callinicos, on the formation of the South African working class beginning with the discovery of minerals in the 1870s.
As an online platform that Khanya College has recently launched in conjunction with the Bathekgi Ba Khanya College subscription programme. Both Bathekgi subscribers and members of the public are able to purchase various products and packages at an affordable and accessible price. As active supporters that help Khanya College develop new authors and artists, Bathekgi subscribers can access further discounts on purchases through the Online Shop.
About Bathekgi Book Shop
From 5 October 2023, the Bathekgi Book Shop will be located at the Workers Museum Cottages (behind the Workers Museum in Newtown, Johannesburg), together with a rustic coffee shop, a reading space and an intimate event space for lovers and producers of art and literature.
If you are interested in hosting a literature event at the Bathekgi Book Shop, please contact bathekgi@khanyacollege.org.za.
About Bathekgi Ba Khanya College Programme
Bathekgi Ba Khanya College (which means ‘Khanya Supporters’) is a programme of Khanya College. ‘Khanya Supporters’ become Bathekgi members by contributing a nominal subscription (of at least R50 a month). These subscriptions are used to make important interventions to educate and mobilise communities for change. Through this programme and the subscriptions raised, Khanya will focus on creating cultural and educational facilities that build a critical and vibrant reading and writing culture.
Bathekgi Ba Khanya College is aimed at combining resource mobilisation for the various programmes of Khanya College, with expanding the access of Khanya’s various constituencies to affordable books, music and other cultural programmes and products. By contributing this nominal subscription, individuals and organisations will also get access to various product discounts, early bird deals and sales, special event invitations, and subscription to all Khanya’s newsletter and newspaper publications.
To ensure full transparency and accountability with our members, we will also provide all our members with the Bathekgi Programme Bi-Annual Report, as well as copy of Khanya College’s Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements. Members’ contributions and other donations are tax deductible, and Khanya will give a special receipt stating the donation amount where this is requested.
For more information on the Bathekgi Subscription Programme, and to become a Bathekgi Member, click here.
About Khanya College
Established in 1986 Khanya College’s motto “Education for Liberation” continues to ring true in the minds of our people and emphasises the critical link between education and active citizenship.
With poverty, inequality and lack of active citizenship still prevalent over 25 years after the dawn of democracy, Khanya College’s motto is as relevant as it was when founded. The College continues to strive towards the eradication of poverty and inequality. In a country with about 66% of the population under the age of 35, Khanya focuses its energies on mobilising children, youth and young adults to confront the challenges of change in our time. The Bathekgi Ba Khanya College support programme seeks to mobilise the resources to ensure that we realise this mission of Khanya College.
Khanya College combines social justice activism and cultural interventions to educate and mobilise communities for change.
Since 1986, Khanya College has devoted its energies and resources to empower children, youth, women, workers, and community members to confront these challenges created by the collapse of the public education system, South Africa’s legacy of apartheid, and the continued context of deepening poverty and inequality globally.
Khanya’s projects include:
- The Jozi Book Fair – creates readers and writers among children (Poetry Buddies), youth (Tsohang Batjha) and communities through literature, art and culture.
- The Karibu & Forum for Activist Journalism – improves reading and writing through the production of Karibu, a newspaper produced by and for communities and social justice organisations. Activists are empowered to write about their communities.
- The Mass Legal Advice Day – educates and empowers communities to read and understand their constitutional rights; and provides communities with legal advice on a range of issues in partnership with civil society organisations.
- The Community Health Project – educates communities to understand their health rights; and empowers communities to advocate for better public health services.
- Khanya Study Group Programme – brings together all the constituencies of Khanya’s projects to collectively improve and build a movement of readers and writers.
To learn more about Khanya College, visit https://khanyacollege.org.za
Oupa Lehulere’s Work
For 27 years, Oupa Lehulere dedicated his life’s work to Khanya’s mission of ‘Education for Liberation’; and the importance of reading and writing to strengthen citizenship and civil society. Launching the Bathekgi project was one of the Khanya programmes that Lehulere continued to work on until his untimely passing in November 2021. Khanya continues this legacy and makes Lehulere’s work accessible through his website (https://oupalehulere.org.za) and through Khanya Publishing.
To visit the Tribute Website to Oupa Lehulere, visit https://karibu.org.za/oupa-lehulere-memorial-website
Bohlale Ba Basebetsi was formed to provide these facilities and resources for movement building. With this objective in mind, the House of Movements was purchased in 2005 and Khanya and other social justice organisations began moving in in 2006. Since its inception, the building has seen the establishment of a library; computer and internet resource centre; catering service; printing and publishing house; theatre; conference, meeting and workshop venues; and office space.
To learn more about the Venue Hire services we offer, click here.
Bohlale Ba Basebetsi
