South African mathematics results are generally poorer than the results of similar tests administered in other parts of the world. Often, secondary school teachers attribute blame to the primary school teachers� inability to teach well enough, and primary school teachers blame parents for the learners� poor performances. Wherever the blame resides, it is evident that South African mathematics learners struggle to make meaning of the mathematics they are taught. It seems that pre-service teachers may themselves not fully understand the mathematics. It may be that pre-service teachers are insufficiently prepared for the job of teaching mathematics for understanding. This paper examines the knowledge, including the knowledge of slopes, that 4th year Bachelor of Education pre-service secondary school teachers possess and makes the claim that these pre-service teachers are challenged to the extent that they become teachers despite their lack of content knowledge. Sixty nine questionnaires submitted by final year pre-service teachers were analysed and their knowledge discussed. This paper takes the position that some of the challenges in mathematics education need to be addressed in pre-service teacher training programmes. The intention of the paper is to engender discourses about improving teacher training at higher educational institutions. It serves the goal of addressing the needs of mathematics education in South Africa and possibly throughout the world.

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