Unisa Press Journals (University of South Africa)
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Letter Writing as Storytelling: The Life of Martha Murray as Told in the Mission News Letter
No full textUtilising the growing interdisciplinary discourse between literary criticism and historiography, especially prevalent in the multiple genres of life writing, the letters of Martha Murray, the first single missionary in Nyasaland, are read as a story. By communicating using letters in the Mission News Letter, Martha Murray is an example of the powerful role that evangelical spirituality played in this young woman’s life and her readers. In reading these letters as a story, the elements of a narrative are identified, namely a protagonist, setting, plot, and antagonistic forces. The story told by these letters formed the imagination of the readers and informed them on the vocation of women and the realities of missional life. The powerful role of religion in self-identification and agency is affirmed within the bigger narrative of the late 19th-century and early 20th-century South African public
Remote Learning Access, Readiness, and Support in South African Higher Education Institutions Post-COVID-19
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic precipitated unprecedented disruptions in higher education globally, compelling a swift transition from traditional classroom instruction to remote and, subsequently, hybrid learning models. This study investigates the access, readiness, and support structures for remote learning in South African higher education institutions (HEIs), with a focus on adapting to post-COVID-19 educational needs. There is a lack of specific studies that focus on remote learning access, readiness, and support in rural provinces of South Africa; hence, the study intends to close the gap. Utilising an interpretivist research approach, comprehensive data were collected through semi-structured interviews with lecturers in higher education institutions in the Limpopo province. The analysis revealed significant challenges impacting the efficacy of remote learning, notably inadequate internet connectivity, frequent power disruptions, and scarcity of essential technological devices. These factors significantly contributed to poor attendance rates in synchronous learning sessions and heightened reliance on asynchronous sessions, which students found more accessible and flexible. The study proposes targeted strategies for HEIs to effectively bridge the digital divide, bolster infrastructural support, and enhance remote learning access, readiness, and support. The study recommends that senior managers and policymakers develop policies and frameworks that facilitate remote learning best practices in the evolving landscape of higher education
The Impact of African Socio-Cultural Practices on Sexual and Reproductive Choices: A Comparative Study of the Zulu and Tswana of South Africa
No full textUsing comparative cases of the Zulu and Tswana of South Africa, the study used a mixed methods approach to investigate the impact of African socio-cultural practices on sexual and reproductive (SRH) choices. The specific objectives included a comparative examination of the cultural realities in SRH, especially during the adolescence period, gender imperatives in traditional SRH choices, harmful sexual and reproductive cultural practices, and comparative cultural attitudes towards population control and policy implications. The study revealed that, despite the increasing influence of modern and Western perspectives on SRH, traditional belief systems and practices on SRH among the Zulu and Tswana cultural communities in South Africa have a strong impact on adolescent SRH, especially in rural settings. While some traditional practices related to SRH may be viewed as harmful to women and girls, some were still protected as a preservation of culture and tradition. Examples of harmful practices from the comparative study included early marriage and childbearing that put girls and women at increased risk of sexual, physical, and psychological violence and related outcomes. Comparative cultural value systems towards population dynamics and policy implications on SRH revealed the value placed on children, particularly sons, among the Zulu and Tswana cultures. Based on these research findings, the study recommends the need for a supportive family environment encouraging adolescents to make responsible SRH choices as well as public health campaigns and education programmes to address misconceptions about HIV and AIDS and promote evidence-based practices
Indigenous Maternal Healthcare for Sustainable Health and Well-being among the Bemba People of Nkweto Village of Chinsali
No full textAccessing quality healthcare is a major challenge in modern Zambia. It is not uncommon to read news about the lack of essential drugs in healthcare facilities and the impact this has on women, especially those seeking maternal healthcare. This paper analyses the quality of access to maternal healthcare for women living in rural areas, focusing on the Bemba people of Nkweto village in Chinsali, Zambia. During prehistoric times, before the advent of modern and scientific methods of healthcare, African people used umuti (herbs) for treating various illnesses and sicknesses. Herbs are often found in plant products, stones, soil, grass, animal products, water, and spiritual resources, which are sources of treatment and healing. Therefore, in Africa, the forest is a valuable and sacred space considered a source of life, as it provides food and medicines that help people survive and contribute to maternal health. This paper uses focus group discussions to examine and map the core determinants of maternal health in the Bemba indigenous traditional healthcare system. It examines the Bemba indigenous herbs and practices for maternal health, from preconception to postnatal stages. The key questions it asks are: What are the practices and forms of indigenous maternal healthcare that sustain women’s health and well-being? Can these forms and practices be considered an alternative to achieving sustainable health by 2030
Law and Order in Iintonga (Sticks) Game within Amaxhosa
No full textColonial narratives portrayed African society as chaotic and lacking law and order in all aspects of life. This article rejects this myth. It first argues that the traditional African society had law and order in all spheres: political, social, intellectual, cultural, and economic. It further argues that one aspect of culture, namely sport, and one sporting code, umdlalo weentonga (sticks game), which is relevant to folklore studies, was governed by law and order in its unadulterated form. The article debunks the claims made by earlier colonial scholars, particularly colonial anthropologists. Hence, the application of the post-colonial theory of literary criticism, which rejects colonial stereotypes and celebrates the cultural identity of amaXhosa. The inspiration for the article is Mqhayi’s discourse on the traditional Xhosa people’s concept of law and order before colonialism in the novel Ityala Lamawele (The lawsuit of the twins). The article argues that the sticks game had rules and regulations which made it fair and less harmful. It illustrates with a poem, “Mhela Mfondini,” in UVulindlela by Mona, which is analysed and interpreted by Mbolekwa, who unravels the positive aspects of the sticks game. The article argues that risks associated with the sticks game can be minimised through modern technology and commends the government initiatives to revive the indigenous games
Impact of Izidlalo Zabafazi (Women’s Traditional Songs) on AmaXhosa Women’s Psychosocial Health
No full textIzidlalo zabafazi (women’s traditional songs of amaXhosa) were and are still used as a platform for amaXhosa women to express, mostly, their unpleasant experiences in their marriages and relationships. This article explores the role of these songs in helping women to deal with the issues they face. It highlights the impact of izidlalo zabafazi in women’s psychosocial health and foregrounds izidlalo zabafazi as an accessible indigenous therapy for women. The article is underpinned by a dual theoretical framework, namely, the psychoanalytic theory, which examines the psychological effects of izidlalo zabafazi on amaXhosa women, and the African feminism theory, which emphasises the equalisation of power and authority between the sexes and asserts that women should not be subservient to men and that they have a voice, even in patriarchal societies. Using a textual analysis approach, the article relied on a selection of songs from two folklore books, Kusadliwa ngendebendala and Ilifa lethu. The findings reveal the songs’ therapeutic effect on women’s psychological well-being. Therefore, the songs are delineated as highly effective in promoting mental recuperation, especially for the adherents of izidlalo zabafazi. Suffice to say, izidlalo zabafazi have an impact on the psychological well-being of amaXhosa women.
A Critical Analysis of the Representation of Western and African Education Systems in Mongo Beti’s Mission to Kala (1960)
No full textMongo Beti has been referred to as one of the fathers of African Literature. His widely read novel is Mission to Kala (1960). This paper interrogates how the author depicts Western and African modes of education systems. This thrust is important because previous scholars tended to underestimate the impact of hybrid education systems on future African readers and leaders. Accordingly, they tended to accord value to the Western form of education. On one hand, they crowned all aspects of Western education as valuable. On the other hand, they dismissed all African schooling aspects as barbaric, outdated, and primitive. This gap prompts an important question about what an educational value ought to be. Accordingly, Mission to Kala, a popular novel in African universities, has remained relevant to the digital generation. This paper, therefore, bridges the existing lacuna by redefining an educational value as well as differentiating educational values from educational aspects. Accordingly, the paper pinpoints where African leaders and scholars seem to have missed the mark by clowning the mask of the paddy and clothing borrowed educational aspects. The leaders have continually embraced the dissatisfying Western education systems, which appear insufficient to the immediate needs of an African child. The paper argues that it is crucial to sieve only values from the two education systems and embrace them. However, the paper does not encourage integration of the two forms. The paper explicitly stipulates that the full concepts of Western and African forms of education are not fit for a progressive globe. African leaders and scholars ought to design a befitting education system for an African child based on critical, creative thinking and problem-solving. A textual analysis of Mission to Kala can yield multiple perspectives on how Western and African educational systems are depicted in the novel, interlock, affirm, and contest each other for authority, validation, and hegemony. The paper argues that Beti’s works of imagination remain pertinent to present-day Cameroon and Africa by extension, where various forms of consciousness embedded in education influence or can undermine African people’s quest to control their political, economic, and intellectual destiny
(Im)mobilities and Precarity in Lawrence Hoba’s The Trek and Other Stories (2009).
No full textThis article draws on Butler and Standing’s theories of precarity to explore questions of land, citizenship, and belonging in Lawrence Hoba’s collection of short stories, The Trek and Other Stories (2009). An exploration of these themes is important in unpacking the complexities of movements related to the post-2000 Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP) in Zimbabwe. The article explores Hoba’s depiction of the various and complex mobilities engendered by the land redistribution process as tied up with ambivalent and precarious notions of home. Through a close reading of a cross-section of short stories in Hoba’s collection, the article examines how precarity is intricately connected to the concept of mobility and argues that insecurities spawned by movements triggered by the land reform can foster resilience and radical thinking in some of the characters. The study is situated at the intersections of precarity theory and mobilities studies. This transdisciplinary theoretical framework allows a comprehensive and nuanced exploration of the dynamics of belonging within a post-2000 Zimbabwean context. By engaging mobilities and precarity lens to read Hoba’s text, the article seeks to yield fresh insights into the messiness of mobility as a liberation praxis
An Eviction, but may Different Considerations Apply in Future Cases? A Comment on Pieterse v Drumearn (Pty) Ltd
No full textThe Extension of Security of Tenure Act 62 of 1997 (ESTA) regulates the eviction of vulnerable occupiers from land in a fair manner. It also recognises the right of owners to apply to court for an eviction order in appropriate circumstances. However, ESTA does not set out procedural or substantive requirements when relocations are at stake. Instead, the practices and approaches have been developed by way of case law. Recently, the Land Claims Court (LCC) in Pieterse v Drumearn (Pty) Ltd had to decide whether a relocation of a long-term occupier from one house to another, which is situated on land belonging to two different entities, but with distinct cadastral descriptions, constituted an eviction under ESTA. The LCC found that a relocation from one land to the other was an eviction. Although the case note accepts that an eviction or a relocation would technically depend on the cadastral description of the property involved, it is argued that it should not be the only determining factor. The court should also consider who the registered owner of the land is to allow a relocation where two registered parcels of land belong to the same person or entity
Grounding Information Systems Values in Ubuntu Business Ethics
No full textAlthough there has been interest in the ethical aspects of information systems (IS) since the 1980s, various authors have recently lamented the fact that not enough research has been done in the area and that ethics is often ignored in the IS industry. When one searches for publications on Ubuntu or the decolonisation and Africanisation of IS ethics, relatively few outputs can be found. The main research question that this article addresses is: How can African knowledge systems and ways of knowing inform and enrich IS ethics? The aim of the article is to identify appropriate ethical insights borrowed from Ubuntu-informed ethics, information ethics and business ethics to serve as building blocks for Ubuntu IS ethics. The main focus of the article is to articulate a kernel Ubuntu-inspired IS ethic. In order to justify this endeavour, a wide range of ethical concepts are discussed illustrating the gap in existing research. The concept of Ubuntu IS ethics is also applied to a broad range of IS ethical issues to demonstrate its applicability and relevance. The article is a conceptual study that follows a philosophical approach. The research is a rudimentary attempt to enrich IS ethical theory from an African-Ubuntu viewpoint. The key contribution of the paper is the proposal of a foundation for an Ubuntu-based IS ethics converging into a kernel ethic, which could be used to counteract the hegemony of Eurocentric values embedded in information and communication technology