Unisa online - Karretjie People story told at long last

Ms Hetta Pieterse (Unisa Press) and Prof Mike de Jongh (Author)

Prof Mike de Jongh's book, "Roots and Routes. The Karretjie People of the Great Karoo: Marginalisation of a South African first people"

Unisa Press launched one of their most amazing books yet on 15 March 2012. The launch of Prof Mike de Jongh’s book entitled Roots and Routes. The Karretjie People of the Great Karoo: Marginalisation of a South African first people is as a result of his passion and love for the Karretjie people.

His travels in the Northern Cape coupled with being the passionate Anthropologist that he is has resulted in this reviving read. He said that when he found these “invisible people” he checked and investigated and discovered that nothing had been said and/or written about them; they were being ignored. “Being an anthropologist, my business is people and I always tell my students that there is no place like people.” Prof de Jongh discovered the Karretjie people living in very poor conditions and he decided that their story needed to be told.

He mentioned that his book is a text that can be useful for students as it will teach them methodology on how to do field work amongst people like the Karretjie community, “it also has history of not only the people, but also the history of that region of our country; pre-history and the history.”

He said that the book has been in the pipeline for some time now.  “I have been writing articles in scientific journals, did papers internationally and all of those form part of the chapters in this book.”  His wish is that the book will put the people of Karretjie on the national agenda for policy makers and that politicians will recognise them.