For the love of Clairwood and literature

ONE OF Juggie Pather’s most momentous milestones was releasing a book on the community he holds so dear to his heart, Clairwood.

In March 2015, after five years of research, planning and writing, Pather launched Clairwood: The Untold Story, which he described as his labour of love.

The book traces the life of the indentured Indian labourer.

“There was a concern by former residents that the area of Clairwood was dying due to industrialisation and the decrease in population, from 40 000 residents to about 4 000. They were looking for someone to capture the history of this community so hardships and achievements would not be lost, and I rose to the challenge,” he said.

Pather is working on his next book, Children of Kala Pani: The Black Water.

His love for literature started when he was a boy and, as a teacher, he made it a priority to inculcate the habit of reading in his pupils and youth across the country.

He went on to establish a reading club in the Cape Flats for disadvantaged pupils.

Reflecting on how the schooling system has changed, Pather, who serves as the chairperson of the Chatsworth Education Board and the Community Education Development Trust, said there were two serious flaws in the system.

“First, the lack of teacher development is dragging down the quality of education and second, teachers not being equipped with enough resources to teach. In order for a successful schooling system these issues needed to be addressed.”

His specialist fields are media and technology, the planning and development of multimedia centres and curriculum development in education and training.

At a national level, Pather has made major contributions to policy development in open-learning systems, the use of radio and television in education and training, and the development of media resource centres, including museums.