Unisa Press Journals (University of South Africa)
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The Story of Allan Aubrey Boesak: The Making of a Prophet
No full textThrough the centuries it was believed that theological knowledge can only be obtained by studying the creeds and confessions. Contemporary literature has seen a turn towards biographies which disclose an emphasis on microhistory within a particular context. The “biographical turn” created new avenues to gain theological knowledge through the actual life experiences and decisions of religious people’s biographies. This article aims to tell the story of Allan Aubrey Boesak through the biographical approach of narrative analysis. The influences and events that shaped Boesak’s mind and theology of prophetic resistance will be discussed. Thus, the article provides a window, not only into Boesak’s life, but into the life of an oppressed people amid injustice through faith and prophetic resistance
The Nascent Roles and Challenges of School Social Work in Enhancing Well-Being for High School Students in Zimbabwe
No full textSince the commencement of social work training and professional practice in Zimbabwe, there has been a steady expansion of the profession’s fields of practice. Recently, the rise in mental health consciousness for adolescents instigated the increased interest in student welfare and the need for social work practice in schools. This paper builds on that discourse by identifying four Zimbabwean schools with social work service processes and departments. The goal was to explore the nature and manner of social work service dispensation at the selected schools, for adoption and further development in other schools—primarily public schools, which many have access to. The paper employed a descriptive phenomenological research design and data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 17 participants in the schools’ social work service ecosystem. Findings were analysed using Giorgi’s Descriptive Phenomenological Analysis, which revealed that school social workers play a vital, yet often misunderstood, role in providing psychosocial support, coordinating care through informal collaborations, and addressing complex student needs. However, their work is constrained by inadequate infrastructure, inadequate funding, and professional role ambiguity. Students frequently accessed help through peer intermediaries, reflecting mistrust or discomfort using formal services. The study concludes that while school social work holds transformative potential, it is undermined by systemic neglect and the absence of institutional frameworks. Implications for practice include the urgent need to institutionalise school social work through clear policy, dedicated resources, counselling spaces, and professional role clarification to ensure sustainable and equitable support for students across Zimbabwe
World Yearbook of Education 2025: The Teaching Profession in a Globalizing World: Governance, Career, Learning, edited by Xavier Dumay, Lynn Paine, and Tore Bernt Sorensen
No full textReinterpretation of Pre-existing Sexual and Reproductive Health Formulas in the Indigenous Shona Society of Zimbabwe
No full textWhile global actors on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) have increasingly championed young people’s participation in decision-making processes, incrementally, the youth continue facing SRH challenges as a result of exposure to Western culture, the internet, social media, and human rights discourse, to mention a few. This study identified a prescriptive ritual practice which promotes sexual repression to manage the SRH of the youth of indigenous Shona communities. The Shona people constitute the largest ethnic group in Zimbabwe. The study used the Indigenous Strengths-based theoretical framework to show how breastfeeding milk is utilised in Shona communities to mould children’s sexual behaviour. Data was collected through interviews and library research, making an appraisal of the kusvinira ritual (squeezing of the breast milk to a newborn baby’s sexual organ) in the indigenous Shona communities in Buhera District. The mother performs the ritual to heal and protect her newborn baby’s future SRH. This is because, across cultural contexts, constructions of SRH issues are strongly tied to notions of “womanhood,” interlinked with reproduction and emergent sexuality. The study argues that a holistic approach to managing the SRH of adolescents should start at an early age when they receive the kusvinira ritual. The ritual is an indigenous strength-based ritual that Shona communities have continually practised to come up with positive, deep-rooted, and lasting changes in children’s and young people’s lives
Mythologising Power: Sculpting the Dictator Figure in Wole Soyinka’s A Play of Giants:
No full textThis paper explores the representation of power and its performance in Wole Soyinka’s A Play of Giants. The dictator figure emerges largely as an entanglement of myth and history. Through close textual and theoretical analysis, the article argues that the dictator is a consummate mythologiser, but ultimately is a victim of myths. It also argues that Soyinka’s construction of the African dictator indicts the performance of power in post-independence Africa, but reinforces myths and stereotypes about the African dictator and Africans in general. Drawing on Foucault’s claim that power is everywhere and should be viewed in terms of power relations, the article demonstrates the precarious nature of the dictator’s power. The overall conclusion is that Soyinka’s play underlines the enduring significance of the African dictator text as it complicates and problematises the representation of the performance of power in post-independence Africa
The Depiction of Environmental Degradation in Selected Zimbabwean Novels Written in English: Implications for the Well-Being of Humans
No full textThis paper interrogates how selected Zimbabwean novels written in English metaphorically portray environmental degradation as a “disease” that destabilises the well-being of humans by disrupting the environment’s natural ecosystems. Through the critical analysis of Waiting for the Rain (Mungoshi 1975), Nervous Conditions (Dangarembga 1988), Harvest of Thorns (Chinodya 1989), Under the Tongue (Vera 2001), and The Uncertainty of Hope (Tagwira 2006), the study explores the forms of environmental disturbances and the implications of reckless environmental degradation. Guided by the eco-critical theory, the study reveals how these African fictive works exploit different language devices like metaphors and symbolism to analytically review the detrimental effects of environmental degradation, like poor development, the spread of resultant diseases, and subsequent loss of lives. The study employed a qualitative methodology, utilising an interpretive textual analysis. The critical textual analysis demonstrates the propensity of fictive literary works to raise awareness about the catastrophic consequences of environmental injustices and degradation in the real world. The research findings reveal that environmental degradation causes and exacerbates public health problems by promoting the proliferation of psychological, physical, and metaphorical diseases in Zimbabwe and beyond. The literal diseases like cholera and malaria may be worsened by metaphorical diseases such as misgovernance, drought, and poverty due to climate change. By framing environmental degradation as a “disease,” the study underscores the integration between governance and human wellness, offering health pluralistic insights for fostering environmental preservation policies and practices. This unique approach bridges the knowledge gap by bringing in a nuanced interdisciplinary study that contributes to a blend of enriched literary criticism, public health awareness, eco-feminism, and environmental conservation by highlighting the multiple roles of literature as an important study across various fields. An awareness of environmental degradation issues inspires societal change and ensures sustainable use of natural resources for the betterment and well-being of humans
Legal Interpretative Culture and Judicial Stewardship of the Transformation Project in South Africa
No full textThe South African Constitution is a transformative instrument supporting actionable socio-economic rights to achieve social justice—that is, justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities and privileges within society. Social justice is the recognition that all South Africans are fellow heirs, members of the same nation, sharing the same promises. South Africa is actively engaged in an agenda of reform to address the inherited and prevailing social and economic structures that perpetuate inequality. The nation’s commitment to transformation demands that the legal interpretative culture of judges align with the ‘constitutional interpretative intent’ expressed in the Bill of Rights, which is to respect, protect and promote the fulfilment of socio-economic rights and, in so doing, advance social justice through the application of the law. This article highlights how judicial passivity undermines the Constitution’s interpretative intent and jeopardises the transformation project for social justice. It argues that South African courts must apply interpretations that are constitutionally valid, and where multiple interpretations are possible, they must choose the interpretation that best promotes the spirit, purports and objects of the rights contained in the Bill of Rights. Further, the success of the transformative project depends on judges adopting a stewardship attitude—one that reflects a broader understanding of the constitutional enterprise as a whole. An attitude of judicial stewardship towards the transformation project is of critical importance for the generational progress of all South Africans, especially when a statute has been enacted to effect systemic and structural change within society. This article critically analyses South African courts’ interpretation of section 25 of the National Water Act to illustrate the implications of judicial passivity on the transformation project and the equitable distribution of resources
Roadblocks to Education: The Toll of the Taxi Strikes
No full textThis article examines the impact of a recent protest by the South African National Taxi Council in the Western Cape, which escalated into violence and disrupted various aspects of daily life, including school attendance. Focusing on the constitutional right to education enshrined in section 29 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (the Constitution), and the interrelated concept of a child’s best interests in section 28 of the Constitution, the article delves into the intricate interplay between the rights to strike and education. The protest’s repercussions on the right to education, especially in the context of a society still grappling with the historical injustices of the past, highlights the complexity of striking a balance between these rights
Social Determinants of Testing COVID-19 Infections among Private and Public Sector Workers in Yenagoa City, Bayelsa State, Nigeria
No full textCoronavirus is a deadly global pandemic and public emergency that spread rapidly in the population. Confirmed cases are still low, while testing of the disease has been associated with fear and stigmatization. Previous studies have largely concentrated on the clinical aspects, while neglecting the social aspects of testing the diseases, especially among workers. This study examined the social determinants of testing COVID-19 infections among private and public sector employees in Yenagoa City, Bayelsa State. While the Health Belief Model (HBM) provided the theoretical base for this study, the cross-sectional survey served as the study design for the study. Data for this study was collected through the use of a structured questionnaire randomly administered to 422 employees in private and public organisations. Collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-Square and Multiple Linear Regression at a 95% significance level. The average age of the respondents was 41.58±9.67 years. Findings indicated that while the knowledge about COVID-19 symptoms among the respondents was generally high, only 38.6% have undertaken the COVID-19 test. Testing was significantly related to social factors such as workplace (x2=6.21), age (x2=45.97), and marital status (x2=39.66). Additionally, marital status (β=0.369) and grade level (β=0.285) positively predicted attitudes towards testing. The study recommended that the agencies of government saddled with public enlightenment in partnership with the proprietors of the private sector should strengthen their efforts towards sensitizing their employees of the need to undergo the test to know their COVID-19 status through the media.
Keywords: COVID-19, Public sector, Private sector, Health Belief Model, Socio-cultura
