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Corynebacterium urealyticum has been well documented as a urinary pathogen in Europe. The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence and clinical relevance of Corynebacterium urealyticum as a urinary pathogen in a predominantly Third World population (South Africa) and to attempt to increase the isolation rate by culturing urine specimens on a selective medium. Two methods were used to isolate Corynebacterium urealyticum from urine specimens. Blood agar plates from routine urine cultures of 7,912 urine specimens were incubated for 48 hours and 1,281 specimens were cultured on a selective medium as well as on routine media. The antimicrobial susceptibility of all isolates of Corynebacterium urealyticum was tested. The yield of Corynebacterium urealyticum on blood agar was three isolates in three patients (0.038% of 7,912), all of whom had pyuria, alkaline urine and risk factors for Corynebacterium urealyticum infection. Use of selective media increased the yield of Corynebacterium urealyticum to 15 of 1,281 specimens (1.17%), however 73% of these urine samples yielded other pathogens and none had an alkaline pH which could not be attributed to the presence of another urealytic pathogen. All isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and 92.6% susceptible to norfloxacin. The pathogenic potential of Corynebacterium urealyticum was confirmed in South African patients, but the incidence of infection was low. The use of a selective medium is therefore not cost-effective in all cases but could be used selectively on the basis of typical urine findings and patient criteria.

Worker education played a crucial role in the development of the trade union movement in South Africa and in the broader struggle for social transformation. This article reviews key moments and dynamics in the trajectory of worker education in South Africa. We argue that international developments, the rise of neoliberalism, and the negotiated compromise between the African National Congress (ANC) and the apartheid state, as well as corporatism resulted in changes to worker education. While the latter as it existed in the past has weakened, the centre of gravity has shifted to community organizations where various forms of learning and creativity continue. Despite the challenges and setbacks of recent years, there remains a significant legacy and influence of the traditions of worker education and militant trade unionism in South Africa, which can and should be drawn upon.

This article examines the psychology of migrant learners’ resilience, their right to education, and how migrant organizations and South African civil society are supporting and reinforcing the agency of migrant learners and their parents. It is based on a year-long study conducted by researchers at the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Education Rights and Transformation (CERT), funded by the Foundation for Human Rights. Testimonies, participatory workshops, surveys, interviews, and focus groups with learners, parents, educators, officials, and civil society activists in three South African provinces were studied––Gauteng, Limpopo, and the Western Cape––spanning rural, urban, and township areas. The article is framed by the traumatic experiences of migrant learners before entering South Africa, during their stay, and often when they are deported. Topics covered in the testimonies include children’s rights to, and in education, they also traverse gender issues, the travails of unaccompanied minors, and obstacles preventing migrants’ participation in schooling and society.