Whichever way you turn the wheel, van Rensburg will always emerge as one of the most compelling, remarkable figures of the last 50 or so years. His achievements were phenomenal. There were the three secondary schools that he established in Serowe, Shashe and Madiba. There were the innovative Brigades that he established in Serowe, which within a few years were replicated around the country. There was his launching of a cooperative society in Serowe, mistakenly cited as the country’s first. The first, in fact, being the Dairy Coop Society in Lobatse which was established in 1909. There was his establishment in Serowe of Boikanyo, a novel development initiative designed to enable the poorest to help themselves which even had its own currency. There was the groundbreaking development studies course pioneered by van Rensburg’s early right hand man, Robert Oakeshott. There was his launching of Mmegi, and his development forays into Zimbabwe and South Africa.
There was also a stream of books, booklets, article and papers all intended to spread the word that the only way to create an educational system for the majority rather than the minority was to combine education with production.
