Lifelong Learning KZN is about to launch evening and Saturday classes in Durban for adults who want to learn for fun (no exams). See their website at www.lllkzn.net for a range of courses due to start in March, which include, Beginner’s Zulu, Monkeys in your Garden, Know your car, Dark energy, Bio-ethics,  Natal history in pictures, nutrition for healthy aging, computing for parents, rose cultivation , history of rock ‘n roll , the cultural heritage debate , and much more. These classes will take place at Univ of KZN Howard College Campus between 5.30-8 pm on Mondays, Tuesday and Wednesdays, with some workshops and field trips on Saturdays between 9-12.

LLL KZN is a non-profit organisation set up for the purpose of promoting such” not for qualification” education. 

“A city the size of Durban contains many people who want to learn simply for the value of that knowledge”, says Charlotte Mbali one of the initiators of the organization, “South Africa is in danger of caging knowledge into such a system of quality controls and curriculum templates that what people need to know urgently, for now, is pushed out of the educational planning.  Our motto is :  “Learning for now, learning for life”

LLL KZN runs a website utilizing open source software, Moodle, which enables the public to browse through the list of current and proposed course listings , select some, and enroll on line.  They can then pay by e-transfer through their bank logins, or in cash at branches of Adams bookshops (at Howard College or Musgrave). Fees are R30 an hour, which means R240 for a course of 4 weekday evenings, or R90 for a 3 hours Saturday workshop. Eventually once more fee income is generated, it might be possible to offer subsidized courses for young people and students on self and social development topics, says Mfana Mlambo, the chairperson of LLL KZN :

“Young and old get stuck unhappily in institutional courses and careers, while they would be happier if they could look around at other interests and possibilities, and this is where Lifelong Learning KZN can help them try out a variety of interesting offerings”

Within its short gallop into the public domain, Imagine Durban has spread its wings to one of Durban’s largest inner-city suburbs, Chatsworth, home of more than 300 000 people and an economic oasis underlined by spaza shops and big-brand stores.

“Imagine Chatsworth has been inspired by the recent campaigns of Imagine Durban to create a better, safer and accessible city,” co-ordinator Clive Pillay told a gathering of hundreds of youth representatives and community-based stakeholders at the inaugural launch at the Chatsworth Youth Centre during the run-up to the festive season.

The newly-launched forum is aimed at harnessing youth support, talent and skills in a major residential and business belt plagued by unemployment, crime, domestic violence, teenage pregnancy and the widespread abuse of alcohol and drugs, including an alarming and growing drug dependency among schoolchildren.

Imagine Chatsworth wants to turn the tide against the social stigma that has blighted Chatsworth, one of the early Group Areas Act townships that were designed for the Indian community.

Today, however, Chatsworth is a growing cosmopolitan inner-city with some remarkable success stories where the social and economic complexion ranges from the local people to corporate brands.

In its quest to make a difference to the city’s environmental and human landscapes, Imagine Durban has transformed the lives of several young people from previously disadvantaged and indigent communities through the drama therapy of simply clowning around for a worthy cause.

Step aside circus institution, Boswell Wilkies. Let the drums roll for a curtain call to Vuka Circus, Durban’s first, homegrown circus road show.

With jobs becoming scarce for young graduates and school-leavers amid a global recession and economic meltdown, Imagine Durban, in an exciting partnership with the internationally-renowned Clowns Without Borders, has successfully harnessed the untapped skills of eight youths from the Durban’s inner-city townships and other areas. After a month-long programme, including workshops in the art of clowning around, twisting a balloon, juggling in pairs and scaling new heights on the shoulders of clowning colleagues, Eureka!