bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nurses’ Attitudes Towards a Computerised Health Information System in a Private South African Hospital
Authors: Shopo Khumoetsile Daphney , Kruger Lanthé , Bester Petra
Published: June 2020

Various researchers have explored the use of health information systems (HISs) in the public sector in South Africa, including users’ experiences thereof. However, there is limited research relating to the private health sector. Nurses form the majority of the health workforce and are therefore essential for capturing clinical data into an HIS. The study under review aimed to obtain a better understanding about nurses’ attitudes towards a computerised HIS. The objectives were to explore and describe nurses’ attitudes towards the HIS in a private hospital in North West, South Africa. The research followed a qualitative design using interpretive, descriptive and contextual strategies. Purposive sampling was done (n=14) and semi-structured individual interviews were conducted, while thematic analysis was done according to Creswell’s steps. It was found that the nurses held specific affective, cognitive and behavioural attitudes towards the HIS. The findings indicated how the HIS challenges the caring ethos of nursing as information technology (IT) infiltrates the caring presence between nurse and patient. The study confirmed that nurses have positive attitudes towards the HIS. It is recommended that managers include confidentiality measures as part of HIS standards and ensure adherence thereto. Further research could be done on the relation between the HIS and the ethics of nursing as a profession.
Gender and University: Factors that Influence Peruvian Midwives’ Employment and Wages
Authors: Pacovilca-Alejo Olga Vicentina , Zea-Montesinos Cesar Cipriano , Reginaldo-Huamaní Rafael , Pacovilca-Alejo Gelber Sebasti , Villa-Jurado Michael Cristian , Quispe-Ilanzo Melisa Pamela , Oyola-García Alfredo Enrique
Published: June 2020

Although a reduction in economic inequality has been reported in Peru, there are wage differences for professionals in the labour market mediated by structural determinants. Gender and university could be related to this problem. A secondary analysis of the “National Survey of University Graduates and Universities, 2014” was performed to analyse the influence of gender and university on employment and wages in the Peruvian midwifery labour market through a multivariate analysis. The chi square, p-value, odds ratio – crude and adjusted – and a 95 per cent confidence interval were calculated. The results allow concluding that gender and university determine unemployment and low wages in the Peruvian midwifery labour market. Female health workers experience a higher risk of unemployment, working in jobs that are not related to their professional training, and low payment. Midwives from public or upcountry universities experience a higher risk of unemployment and low wages. Working in jobs that are not related to the professional training was determined by coming from private and upcountry universities; it was a factor associated with low wages and the probability for having to do two jobs. It is necessary to improve governmental interventions to eliminate these barriers, of which the issue of remuneration is the most important.
Uptake of Premarital Genetic Counselling: Awareness and Demand
Authors: Foluke Nike Bolu-Steve
Published: June 2020

The prevalence of genetic disorders in Nigeria has become a concern to medical practitioners. Premarital genetic counselling is crucial in the prevention of hereditary disorders, congenital abnormalities and different health problems. This study therefore investigated the correlation between awareness and the need for the uptake of genetic counselling among the students of the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. A quantitative correlational research design was adopted for this study using the questionnaire, Awareness and Need for the Uptake of Genetic Counselling Scale (ANUGCS), as a data collection tool. The instrument had 3 sections; Section A contained information on the demographic characteristics of the respondents, Section B had 5 items on students’ awareness, and Section C had 15 items on the need for the uptake of genetic counselling. The purposive sampling technique was adopted in choosing 4 faculties while proportionate sampling was used in selecting 249 respondents across the university. The data obtained were analysed using percentages and mean scores. The Pearson product moment correlation and a regression analysis were used to test the null hypotheses and a p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. This study would be of significance to students, intending couples, medical personnel and parents. The results of this study show that (1) the respondents were fully aware of genetic counselling; (2) the need for the uptake of premarital genetic counselling by the respondents was high; and (3) gender significantly influenced the need for the uptake of premarital genetic counselling while age did not. It was therefore recommended that school clinics employ the services of trained genetic counsellors. These counsellors can assist medical practitioners whose clients need counselling about their genetic status.
Patients’ Perceptions of Caring and Uncaring Nursing Encounters in Inpatient Rehabilitation Settings
Authors: Cheruiyot Joan C , Brysiewicz Petra
Published: June 2020

This study explores and describes caring and uncaring nursing encounters from the perspective of the patients admitted to inpatient rehabilitation settings in South Africa. The researchers used an exploratory descriptive design. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data through individual interviews with 17 rehabilitation patients. Content analysis allowed for the analysis of textual data. Five categories of nursing encounters emerged from the analysis: noticing and acting, and being there for you emerged as categories of caring nursing encounters, and being ignored, being a burden, and deliberate punishment emerged as categories of uncaring nursing encounters. Caring nursing encounters make patients feel important and that they are not alone in the rehabilitation journey, while uncaring nursing encounters makes the patients feel unimportant and troublesome to the nurses. Caring nursing encounters give nurses an opportunity to notice and acknowledge the existence of vulnerability in the patients and encourage them to be present at that moment, leading to empowerment. Uncaring nursing encounters result in patients feeling devalued and depersonalised, leading to discouragement. It is recommended that nurses strive to develop personal relationships that promote successful nursing encounters. Further, nurses must strive to minimise the patients’ feelings of guilt and suffering, and to make use of tools, for example the self-perceived scale, to measure this. Nurses must also perform role plays on how to handle difficult patients such as confused, demanding and rude patients in the rehabilitation settings.
Nursing Students’ Self-Efficacy in Cardiac Critical Care: A Novel Pre-Internship Educational Package
Authors: Ataee Shima , Aazami Sanaz , Direkvand-Moghadam Ashraf , Norozi Siros , Mozafari Mosayeb
Published: June 2020

Clinical teaching is the core of nursing education and together with the decrease in clinical learning opportunities should be top priority for research attention. This study aimed to determine the effects of an educational pre-internship package on nursing students’ self-efficacy to deliver critical care. This controlled experimental study was conducted among 37 nursing students selected by using the census sampling method. The educational intervention was performed for three days in a case group, before beginning the internship. The data were collected using a demographic information questionnaire, the self-efficacy-in-clinical-performance questionnaire, and 10 clinical scenarios. The self-efficacy of the test group was examined at baseline and after the intervention, and then compared with the control group. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24, through an independent t-test and paired t-test. The results showed that the intervention resulted in a significant difference (p < 0.001) in the total score of self-efficacy between the case (161.26 ± 6.07) and control (119.72 ± 10.13) groups .In addition, the correlation between self-efficacy and score of the students’ performance was significantly positive (89%, p < 0.001). Also, there was a series of significant differences (p < 0.001) in the mean scores of examining the patient, the nursing diagnosis, care planning, implementing the care plan, and assessing the care plan between cases and controls. The results of this study indicated that the educational pre-internship package for cardiac critical care has a positive effect on promoting nursing students’ self-efficacy. These findings can be used as a strategy to enhance students’ competency before entering the internship and graduation.
The Male Role as “King of the Family”: Barriers to Vasectomy Uptake
Authors: Msoka Agnes Cyril , Pallangyo Eunice S , Brownie Sharon Mary , Holroyd Eleanor
Published: June 2020

Vasectomy is a long-acting male-centred family planning method that is accepted globally as a safe, low-cost procedure. However, the vasectomy uptake remains low in Africa and birth rates remain high, particularly in rural areas. In Tanzania, family planning education and service delivery are currently women-centred. Vasectomies to date have not been positively perceived in African societies including urban Tanzania, owing to the adherence to strong patriarchal belief systems and the social role of men. This study aimed to explore rural men’s perceptions and beliefs regarding barriers to vasectomy uptake. Significant barriers to vasectomy uptake were the lack of knowledge, expectations around men’s gendered role, religious beliefs, and social stigma. The participants were 51 purposively selected married men aged 35 to 61 years. Four focus group discussions and 20 in-depth interviews were conducted. Five main themes were extracted, namely men as the kings of their families; multiple sources of knowledge causing confusion; gender roles in family planning; cultural and religious beliefs; and stigma related to failure to produce children after vasectomy. Overall, men expressed the view that vasectomy was a challenge to their role as “king of their family”. Engaging in targeted media releases, using community billboards, and providing grassroots-based health education delivered by male “elimisha rika” (peer educators) at community level are recommended as awareness raising strategies in communities.
Women’s Decision Making on Birthing Choices in the Private Sector of Namibia: Midwives’ Perspectives
Authors: Mlambo Sarah , Morgan-Cramer Jenna , Young Cornelle
Published: June 2020

In this study, the views of midwives regarding decision making in the Namibian private sector hospital labour wards were investigated with the aim of understanding the reasons for the high prevalence of caesarean sections in the Namibian private sector. The study objective was to determine the views of midwives about how women in the private sector labour wards decide on a birthing method. A qualitative design with an exploratory approach was followed, with the application of purposive sampling in the selection of research participants. Seven individual and in-depth interviews with midwives were conducted in two private hospitals in Windhoek. Data analysis was done using the six steps proposed by Creswell. Findings indicated that decision making depended on the woman, the doctor and the institution. Aspects such as the midwife’s relationship with the doctor, as well as the pregnant woman and the institution have an influence on such decisions made. Furthermore, the trust among and between health professionals, the availability of policies and guidelines, as well as the information received during antenatal care also affect the choice. It was found that women are not well informed about the choices they have for childbirth, the advantages and disadvantages of the chosen mode of birthing, as well as what to expect during the active stages of labour. In conclusion, decision making in the labour wards is important as it determines the birthing method outcome for every woman in the labour ward. Further studies need to be done in the same context and public hospital settings, to explore the dynamics in the public sector.
Facilitating Compliance with Quality Standards at Primary Health Care Clinics through Adequate Health Care Resources
Authors: Mogakwe Lebuile , Ally Hafisa , Magobe Nomasonto B. D.
Published: June 2020

Compliance with quality standards in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) is key in the realisation of the National Health Insurance (NHI), through which the country’s citizens could benefit from universal health coverage and a unified health system. However, contrary to the imperative stated above, the researcher, as the manager for compliance with quality standards at primary health care (PHC) clinics in Ekurhuleni, has for over a period of two years observed a pattern of non-compliance with quality standards. This prompted an exploration on how compliance with quality standards at these health establishments could be facilitated. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual research design was used. In-depth semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 12 managers at PHC clinics in Ekurhuleni. Data were analysed using Tesch’s protocol. The findings of this study revealed that PHC clinic managers in Ekurhuleni were faced with challenges in terms of management practices and the required health care resources, implying these as reasons for non-compliance with quality standards. Recommendations include allocating sufficient and appropriate human resources, providing adequate medical supplies and equipment, and increasing the budgets for PHC clinics in Ekurhuleni. These recommendations pertaining to the provision of adequate health care resources ought to be embraced by senior managers in Ekurhuleni as a strategy to facilitate compliance with quality standards at PHC clinics.
Night Shift as a Clinical Placement Strategy: A Qualitative Analysis of Nursing Students’ Experiences in North-Eastern Namibia
Authors: Nuuyoma Vistolina , Aron Johannes N
Published: June 2020

Clinical placement strategies facilitate clinical learning, which students and nurse educators consider to be a foundation in nursing training; they gain the ability to develop expected competencies. Night shift is one of the clinical placements used in nursing education, yet many studies globally only focus on students’ experiences of clinical placement during the day shift. It is not explicitly known how the nursing students in north-eastern Namibia experience the night shift as part of their clinical placement strategies. The focus of this article is on exploring and describing how nursing students in north-eastern Namibia have experienced the night shift as part of their clinical placement. The study was conducted at the university campus located in north-eastern Namibia. A qualitative approach, with phenomenology, was used as research design. Data were collected via focus group discussions with 18 nursing students who were purposively selected until data saturation was reached. Data analysis followed content analysis. The trustworthiness of the study was ensured using the criteria of Lincoln and Guba. The ethical principles of justice, beneficence, confidentiality, anonymity, and non-maleficence were also considered. Three main themes emerged: nursing students experienced the night shift as a beneficial clinical placement; there were negative experiences for nursing students when the night shift was used as a clinical placement; and there are strategies to strengthen the night shift as a clinical placement strategy. Nursing students in north-eastern Namibia have both positive and negative experiences of night shift clinical placement. Therefore, the School of Nursing should continue to use night shift as a clinical placement strategy, provided interventions are put in place to strengthen it and to make the learning environment more conducive.
The Africanisation Of South African Civil Procedure: The Way Forward
Authors: Cassim Fawzia , Mabeka Nomulelo Queen
Published: June 2020

Civil procedure enforces the rules and provisions of civil law.  The law of civil procedure involves the issuing, service and filing of documents to initiate court proceedings in the superior courts and lower courts. Indeed, notice of legal proceedings is given to every person to ensure compliance with the audi alteram partem maxim (“hear the other side”). There are various rules and legislation that regulate these court proceedings such as inter alia, the Superior Courts Act, 2013, Uniform Rules of Court, Constitution Seventeenth Amendment Act, 2012 and the Magistrates’ Courts Act of 1944. The rules of court are binding on a court by virtue of their nature.  The purpose of these rules is to facilitate inexpensive and efficient legislation. However, civil procedure does not only depend on statutory provisions and the rules of court.  Common law also plays a role. Superior Courts are said to exercise inherent jurisdiction in that its jurisdiction is derived from common law.  It is noteworthy that whilst our rules of court and statutes are largely based on the English law, Roman-Dutch law also has an impact on our procedural law. The question thus arises, how can our law of civil procedure transform to accommodate elements of Africanisation as we are part and parcel of the African continent/diaspora? In this regard, the article examines the origins of Western-based civil procedure, our formal court systems, the impact of the Constitution on traditional civil procedure, the use of dispute resolution mechanisms in Western legal systems and African culture, an overview of the Traditional Courts Bill of 2012 and the advent of the Traditional Courts Bill of 2017. The article also examines how the contentious Traditional Courts Bills of 2012 and 2017 will transform or complement the law of civil procedure and apply in practice once it is passed into law.
Women’s Rights, Gender and Climate Change Law in Africa: Advancing an Equity Agenda
Authors: Addaney Michael , Moyo Chantelle Gloria
Published: June 2020

The consequences of climate change are not only disproportionately felt by the most vulnerable and poorest populations, there are also disparities along gender lines. The connections between climate change, gender equality and women’s rights are not only complicated but also multidimensional. In contrast, most existing studies on gender and climate change action offer a narrow conception of what gender equality and women’s rights mean in the context of climate change action. Considering these thorny linkages between climate change, gender equality and women’s rights in Africa, this article examines the intersection between gender equality, women’s rights and climate change action by focusing on African Union law and the climate change legislative and policy responses from Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The article adopts a doctrinal method and two analytical approaches – the human rights-based approach and insights from feminist approach to law – to argue that since human-rights law places the protection and fulfilment of fundamental human rights and group interests at its core, its legal threshold demands that all actions which can have an impact on human rights, including climate change responses, are bound by its rules. The article argues that gender equality and women’s rights are guaranteed in international and regional law in Africa and therefore provide a legal basis for the integration of gender equality and the protection of women’s rights in national climate change action.
Realisation of the right to self-determined development and the protection of indigenous women against discrimination in Tanzania
Authors: Matinda Miriam Zacharia
Published: June 2020

The UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in 2007, marking the culmination of thorough negotiations, lobbying and advocacy involving indigenous peoples’ representatives as key actors. Among other rights, the UNDRIP affirms the right to self-determination for indigenous peoples. Also referred to as the right to self-determined development, the right to self-determination, as stated in the UNDRIP, encompasses indigenous communities’ rights to determine their development trajectories. To indigenous peoples, the significance of the right to self-determination includes the promotion of cultural distinctiveness, which is central to their survival as communities. However, women’s rights scholars and activists are sceptical about the emancipatory potential of realising the right to self-determination for indigenous women. In contrast, exercising this right might also entail the perpetuation of gender-based violence and other forms of discrimination, thus heightening women’s fragility and subordination among indigenous communities and beyond. Using UNDRIP and other relevant international and regional human-rights instruments as vantage points, this paper seeks to juxtapose the implementation of the right to self-determination and the realisation of indigenous women’s rights in Tanzania. The article posits that the protection of indigenous women’s rights should form the central pillar of the enjoyment of the right to self-determination. This is because the cultural survival, vitality and continuity of indigenous peoples’ distinctiveness largely hinges on respect for the rights of indigenous women.
Translation of Human Rights Law according to Local Context: A Solution to Child Marriage in Africa?
Authors: Warioba Isabela
Published: June 2020

In Africa, despite decades of campaigns to restrict child marriage through legislation and the adoption of minimum age laws, the practice is still very common and the continent is predicted to have the largest global share of child brides by the year 2050. This begs the question whether human rights law, as it stands, is the appropriate strategy against child marriage. On the one hand, law can create an “enabling environment” and strengthen those who seek the elimination of child marriage; but, on the other hand, vigorous enforcement of such legislation may result in counter-intuitive effects, leaving the girls more vulnerable instead of the law fulfilling its protective role. This article uses a socio-legal approach to argue that the solution to child marriage might lie in a form of translation and enforcement of human rights. It makes a case for the need for human rights to be translated according to local conditions in order to deal effectively with child marriage in Africa. In this case, “translation” refers to the reinterpretation and reframing of human rights in line with specific local conditions, leading towards assimilation and acceptance while maintaining its core foundations.
Editorial
Authors: Addaney Michael
Published: June 2020

Not applicable.
Family Courts and Human Security in South West Nigeria
Authors: Monisola Janet Oluwaleye
Published: June 2020

The trend of violence against women in Nigeria has increased more than ever recently, with many women having been deprived of their fundamental rights. Violence against women in Nigeria includes sexual harassment, physical violence, harmful traditional practices, emotional and psychological violence, and socio-economic violence. This article investigates cases of domestic violence against women in South West Nigeria by assessing the role of family courts in the adjudication of such cases. Both primary and secondary sources of data were employed to examine incidents of violence against women and the role of the family courts in ensuring justice. The author employed both primary and secondary sources of data; the data gathered were analysed by frequency and simple percentages, while qualitative data were descriptively analysed. The article reveals the causes of domestic violence against women to include a cultural belief in male superiority, women’s lack of awareness of their rights, women’s poverty owing to joblessness, men seeking sexual satisfaction by force, women having only male children, the social acceptance of discipline, the failure to punish the perpetrators of violence, the influence of alcohol, and in-laws’ interference in marital relationships. It also reveals the nature of domestic violence against women. The research revealed that the family courts have played prominent roles in protecting and defending the rights of women. The author therefore recommends that the law should strengthen the family courts by extending their power to penalise the perpetrators of violence against women.
Education and the Development Agenda: An Analysis of Factors Influencing Primary School Learners’ Outcomes in Hwange and Binga Districts, Zimbabwe
Authors: Chipfakacha Raymond
Published: June 2020

This article reports on a study which focused on analysing factors that influence primary school learners’ outcomes in Hwange and Binga districts, Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe. Education policies that have been implemented by the government of Zimbabwe guided the philosophy underpinning the study. The researcher used both qualitative and quantitative approaches in the research methodology. The study participants were selected through purposive sampling of schools with a zero pass rate in the Hwange and Binga districts. School authorities that responded to the semi-structured interview were purposively sampled by focusing on the school heads and the Grade 7 teachers. The learners who participated in the focus group discussions were randomly assigned to the sample making use of the school attendance registers and limiting the focus group discussions to a maximum of six participants per school. The findings revealed that the challenges that affect learners’ academic performance include the shortage of textbooks in the newly introduced learning areas; the poor infrastructure in schools; and the low motivation of teachers. One of the recommendations of the study was that local gatekeepers should engage in community awareness campaigns aimed at educating communities on the importance of education for children and advocating for the legislation of punitive policies that will see parents who unnecessarily absent their children from school being punished.
South Africa’s Journey towards a Democratic Developmental State
Authors: Gumede Vusi
Published: June 2020

This article analyses key policies and documents, which form the basis of democratic South Africa’s desire to becoming a developmental state. In order to understand the notion of a developmental state, I provide a discussion on the theoretical foundations of the concept by drawing on examples from other countries (such as the Asian Tigers) that have embarked on a journey to become developmental states. Through a comparative analysis, and by probing the National Development Plan (NDP), as well as the work of the National Planning Commission (NPC) broadly, I examine South Africa’s prospects of becoming a developmental state. To this effect, I argue that although the foundation that was laid for South Africa to become a democratic developmental state (DDS) was relatively solid, South Africa has veered far away from becoming a developmental state any time soon. But, given the existing institutional architecture, as well as an assessment of developmental outcomes, it would seem that South Africa can still become a viable developmental state—although South Africa has lost many of the salient attributes of developmental states. It is also worth highlighting that it was always going to be difficult for South Africa to become a developmental state because of the political and economic history of the country. The article makes suggestions with regard to what could be done to ensure that South Africa becomes a viable, fully-fledged, democratic developmental state.
A Comparative Study of the State of Ethics in Youth Work Practice in Jamaica, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom
Authors: Parkins Cleopatra Monique
Published: June 2020

Even though youth work has played a critical role in fostering the holistic development of today’s youth, much controversy has surrounded the practice. Nevertheless, youth workers are slowly being accorded professional status, and a code of ethics has been developed in some jurisdictions. Some states are still to adopt this code; consequently the credibility of youth workers and the sector in general sway with the wind. This article presents a comparative analysis of ethical practices of youth work in Jamaica, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, examining current trends in observing ethics and addressing ethical issues. In the case of Jamaica, the researcher used the non-probability convenience sampling technique and collected primary data from a questionnaire administered to a sample of youth workers. The perspective of the ministerial arm responsible for youth work in Jamaica was also captured through an interview. In the case of Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, the framework of the profession and specifically matters pertaining to ethical practices were examined through the use of secondary data sources, which included reports on youth work practices in the selected countries. A mixed methodology was employed in analysing the data collected. The major findings of this study confirmed that advancing youth work as a profession is dependent on the acceptance and integration of a formal code of ethics, that youth workers must receive training on ethics and that a national youth work policy is important to guide youth work practice. In accordance with the findings, the researcher makes a number of recommendations and highlights notable best practices that may help with the overall professionalisation of the sector.
Involvement of Unemployed Graduate Youth in SMME Support Programmes: The Case of Mankweng Area, Limpopo Province
Authors: Ramohale Rabothata Lordwick , Rachidi Mamoloko Florah
Published: June 2020

This article investigates whether graduate unemployed youth from the Mankweng area in Limpopo Province are aware of small, medium and micro-enterprise support programmes. The article also explores the unemployed youth’s interest in starting their own business ventures. This study is premised on the understanding that youth participation in the activities of small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) can reduce the high rate of unemployment in the country and can contribute towards bettering the economy of especially rural areas. This article applied a qualitative research method. The study focused on 15 unemployed youth graduates based in the Mankweng area. Data were collected using semi-structured individual interviews. The main findings indicate that only 27 per cent of the participants are aware of some of the available SMME support programmes; and only 40 per cent show interest in starting their own businesses. The study recommends that these programmes ought to be publicised more and be made accessible to the youth, particularly in rural areas. In addition, entrepreneurial education needs to start early at primary school level. Such early awareness will help to build entrepreneurial acumen amongst the youth.
Circuit Managers’ Performance Data Usage to Support and Improve Youth Performance in Schools
Authors: Mampane Sharon Thabo
Published: June 2020

The article explores how circuit managers (CMs) use performance data in providing support to youths in South African schools. The objective is to identify the effects of support on youth performance in these schools. Delivery of quality education to youths requires that CMs have sufficient theoretical knowledge and understanding of performance data usage to guide and support schools. In my study I analysed existing literature (e.g., books and articles) on circuit management and youth support in schools to establish how performance data usage impacts on South African youths’ performance in schools. Limited material is available on CMs’ support to schools through the use of performance data, and this article serves as a foundational piece to highlight CMs’ role in supporting the youth. The data on South African youth included in this article supports the validity of societal concerns about and of the importance of data usage for performance improvement. Findings from the literature reviewed reveal poor youth performance in schools due to performance data being partially implemented and poorly executed by CMs, and to CMs functioning like messengers, carrying information to and fro between schools and the education department. These findings indicate that support activities are poorly performed. Further findings point to a lack of personnel in key subjects that require attention, resulting in CMs taking on more responsibilities that are not related to school support. Recommendations are that there should be continuous training in the use of performance data from classroom assessment tasks to make informed decisions in schools and to give feedback to teachers to be able to measure youth progress.
Between Indignant Cartoons and Comic Satire: Representations of the Rwandan Genocide in Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda
Authors: Khan Khatija Bibi
Published: June 2020

The question of how to represent the weighty subject of genocide in Africa’s popular cultural and literary genres without minimising, distorting or romanticising this emotive subject has taken centre stage in African scholarship. The problematics of this representation are projected in theoretical arguments that insist that the creative imagination stylises narratives of genocide and in the process gratuitously sanitises the pain that flows from the harm of genocide. Although this argument has merit to the extent that language is the only cultural resource through which humanity can register its agonistic experiences, there is no escaping the reality of preserving the memories of pain through the language of invention. In recognition of these paradoxes, this article seeks to critically interrogate what cartoons and comic strips do to the pain arising from genocide. This article uses the genre of the graphic novel/cartoon tale/cartoon novella as represented in Stassen’s work titled Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda to suggest that it is perhaps liberating to multiply cultural sites from which the subject of genocide can be debated.
Analysis of the Complementarity and Clarification Captions Bring to Road Carnage Print Media Images: A Case of The Herald Newspaper
Authors: Mutangadura Josephat , Mann J C , Odendaal L
Published: June 2020

Most visuals in media stories either complement or are complemented by captions that accompany them. This study sought to establish the complementary and clarifying effect of captions that go with road carnage images in The Herald newspaper, a local daily published in Zimbabwe. A study was carried out which involved an interview with photo-journalists from the stable and an analysis of three visual images chosen from the publication. It was established that even as a visual, image can stand alone (but not always); it can tell 95 per cent of the story but will only be complete with an accompanying caption. It was also established that captions need not tell the obvious, but provide that which the picture will be lacking to complete the road carnage story. Captions, therefore, help complete the story as regards the when, where, how, who and what of the depiction. The visual image and the caption combine to complete a communication activity as the verbal and non-verbal form of languages. The study recommends that captions should be edited not only by photo-editors and journalists, but also by practising language people.
The Engagement of Beneficiaries in Farm Governance of Restituted Land through the Communal Property Association Model: The Ideal Versus the Reality of Beneficiary Farms in South Africa
Authors: Sebola Mokoko Piet , Mamabolo Malemela Angelinah
Published: June 2020

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the engagement of farm beneficiaries in South Africa in the governance of restituted farms through communal property associations. The South African government has already spent millions of rands on land restitution to correct the imbalance of the past with regard to farm ownership by the African communities. Various methods of farm management to benefit the African society have been proposed, however, with little recorded success. This article argues that the South African post-apartheid government was so overwhelmed by political victory in 1994 that they introduced ambitious land reform policies that were based on ideal thinking rather than on a pragmatic approach to the South African situation. We used qualitative research methods to argue that the engagement of farm beneficiaries in farm management and governance through communal property associations is failing dismally. We conclude that a revisit of the communal property associations model is required in order to strengthen the position of beneficiaries and promote access to land by African communities for future benefit.
“Sangomas Are after People’s Money”: Family and Community Discourses around the South African Youth
Authors: Nyundu Tony
Published: June 2020

In 2012, Bishop Joe Seoka of the Anglican Church in South Africa, and former president of the South African Council of Churches (SACC), dismissed claims that young people in Marikana (where 34 mineworkers were massacred by the South African police during a protest for better wages on August 16, 2012) used muthi (traditional medicine provided by sangoma/inyanga) to protect themselves against bullets—reasoning that they were too well educated to believe such. His contention provoked social observers, who further raised questions not only on the views of the educated and non-educated towards traditional belief systems, but on how sangomas are talked about in families and across communities. This study looked at whether young people in Chiawelo, Soweto, think sangomas are helpful within their community or not. In addition, it looked at whether young people think or believe sangomas can improve or depreciate the lives of community members (expressly during sicknesses). Findings in the literature suggest that socialisation helps shape young people’s views and expressions towards traditional healers within their families and communities. Through in-depth interviews with 11 young men and four key informants in Chiawelo, a site in Soweto (South Africa), evidence about different types of socialisation and its influence on young men’s lives is drawn out in this article. The study suggests that although both primary and secondary socialisation helped shape young people’s views towards traditional healers, observation and interpretation often dictate in the way young men in Chiawelo view traditional healers. The study contests “socialisation” and “habitus” as theoretical frameworks.
Understanding the Phenomenon of State Capture and its Manifestation in South Africa
Authors: Mamokhere John
Published: June 2020

State capture has emerged as a global threat in several countries. This paper analyses the emergence of state capture in South Africa. It seeks to understand the phenomenon of state capture and how it has manifested in South Africa. Some scholars believe that state capture has been in existence since the 18th century as a form of colonialisation. The phenomenon of state capture in South Africa was recognised at the beginning of the new millennium as an irregularity in governance, but gained contemporaneousness in the South African political arena in 2016 during the administration of former President Jacob Zuma. In this paper, state capture is discussed as an aspect of systemic political corruption, implicated in causing poor governance in transitional democracies, with the potential of aggravating developmental problems. State capture is noted as ownership of elite corruption that influences wealth, both politically and administratively. State capture in a South African context manifests itself as a form of private lobbying and influence. To understand the phenomenon of state capture thoroughly, this article deployed a qualitative research approach in the form of content analysis (document review). Following thorough discussion, the paper recommends that firms and individuals, which are found guilty of such misconduct and misappropriation, must be blacklisted and should also face criminal charges in terms of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Act 12 of 2004.
Internal-Time Consciousness in Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s Novels
Authors: Onyemachi Nkiru Doris , Ezekwesili Chinyere Chinedu
Published: June 2020

Studies on Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s novels, specifically Petals of Blood, Devil on the Cross, and Wizard of the Crow, have been commonly read as a reflection of Ngugi’s historical and political stances. The assessments of narrative time in these works have commonly been categorised as the different folds of time in the author’s experiences. Some critics also analyse these novels as political weapons used in fighting capitalism. These modes of reading these texts have become stereotyped and generated a blurry distinction between reality and fiction and/or between author and narrator. This study deviates from the previous forms of reading that make reference to the author by proffering a different study of time in fiction. It adopts a new approach to study these texts as self-sufficient literary tools. This is achieved through Currie’s analysis of internal-time consciousness enshrined in poststructuralism. Internal-time consciousness in these novels is established through narrators’ and characters’ consciousness of the beginning and end and their zeal to extend the duration of the present by arresting the moment. The study of internal-time consciousness in these texts further explores their literariness by recognising the interconnectivity between characters, events, and actions.
African Literature: A Tool for Societal Regeneration
Authors: Megbowon Funmilola Kemi , Uwah Chijioke
Published: June 2020

Contemporary societies across the world are faced with the burden of prevalent and diverse societal wrongdoings which have possible future implications that are alarming and worrisome if not controlled. Therefore, the need for societal regeneration for a better future becomes imperative, and this change can be achieved by various means. This study argues that African Literature can be considered a tool through which the desired change can be achieved. Thus, this study aims to demonstrate how African Literature fulfils the criteria of being a tool for societal regeneration by examining the paradigms and moral positions in matters that affect the society using a textual and interpretative analysis of selected literary works (Ayi Kwei Armah’s Fragments and The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born and Achebe’s A Man of the People). This study is premised on the fact that African Literature provides an opportunity for a connection with indigenous roots that made the traditional society a relatively non-perverted one while the simultaneous all-round forward progress of the contemporary is not jeopardised. Considering the potential in literature to achieve social change, a reading culture must be revitalised and encouraged, especially among millennials who are victims and promoters of these menaces, as it provides a mechanism for corrective psychology and orientation.
Life on the Margins: Humour and Post-Independence Experiences in Colin John Warren’s When the Going Gets Tough
Authors: Mthatiwa Syned
Published: June 2020

In his novel When the Going Gets Tough Colin John Warren reveals the poverty, unemployment, struggle for survival, and economic hardships in Malawi of the 1980s and early 90s when the politicians sought to create the impression that people’s lives had improved tremendously. This article examines the ways in which Warren uses humour to engage with issues of day-to-day life in the Malawi society of his day and how he entertains and empowers critical faculties of the reader in his popular novel. The article argues that Warren uses humour as an aspect of style to laugh at human foibles and to entertain his readers while exposing the social ills in the Malawi of his day. It also demonstrates that the novel shows that Wadi Ndogo, one of the central characters, uses humour as a coping mechanism against adversity and as a means of constructing a sense of selfhood. In my discussion of humour in the novel I draw on the superiority and incongruity theories of humour.
The Functions of Deictic Words in the Representation of Migrants’ Experiences in NoViolet Bulawayo’s We Need New Names (2013)
Authors: Anasiudu Okwudiri
Published: June 2020

Literature is one of the arenas of discourse where the meaning potential of language can be explored. Interestingly, literary language is more figurative than denotative. One of the functions of language in literary discourse is to represent reality. The reality literature represents varies, depending on the historical time and social events a writer focuses on. Some aspects of global reality captured in current literature include transnational migration, border crossing and how migrants negotiate their identities in new cultures and spaces. For the African writer, the foregoing is a source of inspiration for what has become known as the African migrant novel. Against this background, this paper explores the representation of migrant experiences with particular attention paid to the use of language. An aspect of language explored in this paper is the use of deictic words in NoViolet Bulawayo’s We Need New Names and the deployment of deictic forms, such as pronouns, verbs, and adverbs in order to specify personal and collective identity, physical and psychological displacement and spatiotemporal referencing in the novel. M. A. K. Halliday’s and Roger Fowler’s functional linguistic models are adopted as a theoretical framework within a descriptive and qualitative methodology. This paper notes that the recurrent use of the first-person pronoun in singular form (I) foregrounds the text as a Bildungsroman. It also underscores the process of self-evolution of Darling, the protagonist, from an a priori subject to a self-conscious a posteriori subject. The paper shows that deictic words as deployed in the novel enabled Bulawayo, the author, to create distinct narrative voices, from a personal voice to a collective voice. A guiding assumption of this paper is that it is not enough to say that a narrative has a first, second, or third person narrative speaking voice without pointing to the text to show how it is realised with data drawn from the text. It is on that basis that this research contributes significantly to the multidisciplinary interconnection between the field of linguistics and literature (stylistics) to demonstrate how a writer can engage nouns and pronouns as linguistic resources for the construction of migrant experiences, whether encompassing personal or group identity, nostalgia and memory, dislocation, or hybridity.
Selfhood in Tshivenda Poetry: Reflections on Vhavenda’s Identity, Culture and Ideology
Authors: Sebola Moffat
Published: June 2020

Contemporary scholarship largely ignores the role of Tshiven?a literature in reflecting the Vhaven?a people’s identity, culture and ideology. This article argues that there is a formidable connection between Tshiven?a literature and Tshiven?a culture. Underpinned by a trifocal theoretical framework that draws on Afrocentricity, the hermeneutic approach and postcolonial theory, this article brings into critical focus the Vhaven?a poets’ articulation of selfhood. The selected Vhaven?a poets are W. M. R. Sigwavhulimu, N. A. Milubi and R. F. Ratshi?anga. The aim of this article is to reflect on how these poets reveal the Vhaven?a people’s construction and articulation of selfhood.