The kgotla perhaps – but this has been as profoundly affected by change as almost everything else, including language and botho. So, what else is left? Seemingly not much other than, perhaps, the winter balaclava! But you can do your own thinking about this lesser conundrum because I wish to welcome the arrival of the internet version of BNR 45 with the editor, Professor John Makgala, promising us that the hard copy version will soon be available. It may only be an impression but with this new volume the balances between articles and notes seems to be changing with eight of the former now appearing and 10 of the latter.
On the other hand, the new BNR is not the sort of publication that any of us can pick up and read from cover to cover. There is some fairly dense material here which will probably appeal to only the specialist few. On the other hand, there is also an extraordinary range of subject matter which gives us every opportunity to pick and chose. In terms of seniority, a start needs to be made, of course, with Bob Hitchock and Saginoli’s magisterial, invaluable and depressing third chronology of the CKGR 2002-2012. Politics and Government, as ever, gets its due with contributions from Maundeni, Seabo, Botlhale and Lotswao and the privatisation issue is explored by Malema and Kaelo.
