Unisa Press Journals (University of South Africa)
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Preservation and Security of Information Resources at the Federal University Otuoke Health Care Centre, Bayelsa State
No full textConsidering the importance and need for efficient preservation and security of medical records in the federal university Otuoke, it is imperative to employ the use of technology to achieve this purpose. The use of technology will save funds, time, and space and prevent health hazards. The lack of technology in this digital age will lead to poor management of health records, which will invariably lead to health hazards. It is on this premise that this study seeks to investigate the preservation and security of information in the digital age at the Federal University Otuoke Healthcare Centre. The study identifies the records generated and kept, examines the factors militating against effective preservation, and determines the strategies that could be employed in preserving medical records. A descriptive research method was adopted; total enumeration sampling techniques were used as the study population of 70 was not large. A questionnaire was used for data collection, and the data was analysed using frequency count and simple percentages. The study revealed that major records generated include observations and administration of drugs and therapies, test results, x-rays, and reports, among others. Factors militating against the preservation and security of medical records indicated by respondents include lack of ICT, poor power supply, and lack of skilled manpower, among others; strategies employed for the preservation of medical records, as revealed by respondents, include shelving, cabinets, drawl air conditioning, etc. The study recommends employing a professional librarian to effectively manage the electronic facilities used to deploy electronic records
A New Twist to an Age-Long Friendship: The Role of Local Defence Groups in the Conflict Between Farmers and Herders
No full textThe relationship between farmers and herders, once characterised by symbiosis and mutual dependence, has undergone a profound transformation in many regions worldwide, marked by escalating tensions and violent conflicts over resources. This paper examines a new twist to the long-standing relationship, focusing on the emerging phenomenon of local defence groups and their impact on the dynamics of conflict between farmers and herders. Drawing on a multidisciplinary approach, this study explores the origins, motivations, organisational structures, and strategies of local defence groups operating within the context of farmer-herder conflicts using a qualitative approach that relies on secondary data from scholarly journals and newspaper editorials. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. The study established that historical grievances, socioeconomic factors, and environmental pressures fuel the emergence of these groups, often as a response to perceived failures of formal security mechanisms. This research assesses the implications of local defence groups for conflict escalation, peacebuilding efforts, and governance dynamics. While these groups may offer immediate security to communities vulnerable to violence and theft, their actions can exacerbate tensions, perpetuate cycles of revenge, and undermine prospects for long-term peace and stability.
Additionally, their interactions with formal authorities, including the police and military, raise questions about state legitimacy, rule of law, and human rights protections. Through a nuanced analysis of case studies from diverse regions affected by farmer-herder conflicts, this study sheds light on the complexities of local defence dynamics. It offers insights for policymakers, practitioners, and scholars alike. It underscores the importance of holistic approaches that address underlying drivers of conflict, promote dialogue and reconciliation, and strengthen governance structures to foster sustainable peace and coexistence between farmers and herders in the face of evolving challenges
“There Is No Heaven to Go to, Because We’re in It Already. We’re in Hell, Too. They Coexist”: Place-Making and the Television Western Series 1883 and Yellowstone
No full textThis article explores the idea and articulation of place in Taylor Sheridan’s western series 1883 and Yellowstone. Through narrative and genre analysis, we critically compare these two series to demonstrate that genre semantics combine in a particular series-specific syntax to articulate place differently. Our thinking on place and adjacent concepts of trails and knots, inhabiting and occupation, as well as the differentiation between place as object and place as event, is primarily informed by the scholarship of Tim Ingold. We argue that these series’ specific and gendered articulations of place are meaningfully linked to each series’ protagonist, Elsa Dutton and John Dutton respectively. Finally, we suggest that the two series generate an additional western-genre binary that we base on Ingold’s work: occupation (particular to Yellowstone) vs. inhabiting (specifically in 1883). The Yellowstone character Beth Dutton notably reifies this binary. Yellowstone, here framed as post-heydey western, postwestern and post-Western, articulates place as nostalgic and static compared to 1883’s more expansionist and dynamic iteration of place.
Post-Apartheid IsiXhosa Written Poetry’s Commentary on the Neoliberal Policies of the Democratic South Africa
No full textThis interdisciplinary article analyses and interprets selected isiXhosa written poetry texts published during the post-apartheid era. The texts are contextualised in order to expose the poets’ concerns about: the influx to South Africa, after 1994, of American and European companies and industries; the increase of foreign “financial aid,” which makes the country permanently indebted and dependant; foreign dependence of South Africans who have abandoned the traditional economic activities like agriculture and co-operatives; concern for materialism and consumerism, which have led to lack of ethics, Africanism, and Afrocentrism values; and the abandonment of the socialist programme, which promised upliftment of the poor and was substituted with a neoliberal programme due to foreign influence. A call is made by the poets for Afrocentrism and sustainable development of South Africa. The poets warn that failure to confront the challenges by the self-centred elitist leadership may result in the resumption of a second revolution. The study, which employs a general Marxist approach, therefore, goes beyond text-based exegesis as selected texts are examined against the background of international geopolitics. This methodology locates the texts within the framework of their context, analysing and interpreting them to expose the post-apartheid poets’ commentary on the neoliberal strategy led by America, which, scholars argue, is directed towards the Global South. The liberal democratic model promoted in South Africa by the above-mentioned country, which was adopted by the African National Congress-led South African government, according to the poets, raises grave concerns as it provides political freedom that is devoid of economic freedom
Displacement in When Rain Clouds Gather
No full textIn this article, I examine the representation of displacement in Bessie Head’s When Rain Clouds Gather (1969). Head not only features displaced characters but also depicts, through her protagonists, the struggles that arise from displacement. I draw on the work of prominent scholars to explore and apply concepts such as “home” and belonging, which are central to any discussion of displacement, as well as to explore the integration challenges faced by, for example, a displaced person vis-á-vis a settled community. Through a close reading of the text, I demonstrate how Head uses this work to generate important insights into displacement
Re-reading Matsemela Manaka’s eGoli, Domba, and Goree: Foregrounding Black Womanhood and Feminism in Black Consciousness Theatre Discourse
No full textThe influence of the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) was profound in politics and cultural expression in South Africa during apartheid. Although there were only a handful of playwrights aligned to the Black Consciousness (BC) ideology, including Matsemela Manaka, Maishe Maponya, and Zakes Mda, their plays have become part of the South African canon. Ever since he wrote eGoli in 1978, Manaka’s plays have received much scholarly attention for embodying the ideas of BCM to resist apartheid. However, the way in which his plays dealt with issues of gender has not received much attention, which presents an opportunity for re-reading a selection of his plays. The focus of this article is to explore how aspects of womanism and Black feminism influenced Manaka as a playwright and, specifically, how these were a feature in his plays. Considering the critique of sexist practices within organisations aligned to BC ideology (for example, the South African Students’ Organisation), the article reflects on Manaka’s plays from the perspective of womanism, Black feminism, and Bosadi theoretical approaches, to discuss whether BC sexist tendencies permeated his plays or whether these plays represent an emerging discourse on Black women’s contribution to BC
Two-Way Learning: A Model for Decolonising Feminist Leadership and Advocacy
No full text“Two-way learning” has come to be conceptualised as a collaboration between Indigenous and Western knowledges, which redresses historical power imbalances to create a culture of meaningful collaboration. The Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group provides a case study in which the principle of two-learning drives Indigenist feminist leadership and work to prevent violence against women. The Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group consists of Aboriginal women working to end family violence and bring visibility to their experiences. The group works in Australia’s Northern Territory, which has some of the highest rates of violence against women in the world. These women have applied the concept of two-way learning to their primary prevention projects: “Girls Can Boys Can” and “Old Ways are Strong”. The “Girls Can Boys Can” project created gender-equitable and anti-racist messaging and resources for early years educators. “Old Ways are Strong” developed animations to challenge the pervasive idea that violence against women is a part of traditional Aboriginal cultures. Both projects aimed to increase strengths-based representations of Aboriginal people. Both projects were evaluated which indicated that they were having some success in shifting attitudes and beliefs which drive violence against women. In this article, we will present the work of the Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group to prevent violence against women and will argue that “two-way learning” is an important principle to strengthen feminist movements
Cohabiting Relationships as Matula for Young Women and Grounds for Intimate Partner Violence: A Critical Feminist Perspective
No full textIn this article, we critically reflect on the literature on intimate partner violence and the importance of an African feminist lens to understanding the influence of cultural discourse and practice in cohabitating relationships. We focus on intimate partner violence experienced by black young women in cohabiting relationships among the Vhavenda cultural group in South Africa. We reflect on the concept of matula, which views and constructs cohabitation as a taboo practice. We ask: what does it mean to intervene and respond to incidences of intimate violence in a relationship that is already socially and culturally negated? We interrogate the relevance of African feminist epistemology that prioritises cultural beliefs, customs, traditions, values and behaviour. Such epistemology, we argue, reflects the importance of thinking of gender and gender-based violence in the context of culture as dynamic and constantly negotiated by community members. Lastly, we explore the relevance of the African feminist perspective as part of the work of disrupting essentialising cultural and traditional practices that function to entrench gendered power dynamics. This study is conceptualised from a qualitative approach with in-depth, unstructured one-on-one interviews. Ten interviews with young women between the ages of 18 and 24 years were conducted through the Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Programme in the Vhembe District, South Africa
Democratising the Music Curriculum: Integrating Ubuntugogy for the Africanisation of South African Higher Education
No full textIn recent years, there has been an ongoing debate about the need for redress in South African higher education which is largely informed by Western perspectives, and the music curriculum is no exception. Even though there is growing progress, music education continues to be dominated by the Western classical canon. Therefore, the purpose of this article was to provide a comprehensive investigation of how ubuntugogy can be successfully and effectively merged into the South African higher education music curriculum. The researcher used ubuntugogy as a theoretical framework to advocate for the integration of ubuntugogy—a teaching philosophy rooted in African values and communal learning—to democratise and Africanise the music curriculum in South African higher education. This article used a qualitative content analysis grounded in examining existing literature on a similar subject under the guidance of the research questions developed earlier. The findings of this study show that ubuntugogy provides an approach that can Africanise the curriculum and pedagogy by incorporating indigenous musical practices, oral traditions, and cultural values into the teaching and learning process. The results of this article revealed that applying ubuntugogy as a method of teaching and learning can help in preparing music education students to engage with the world from a culturally informed and empowered perspective. This article concludes by affirming that ubuntugogy as a method of teaching and learning provides a transformative framework for Africanising music education in South African higher education
An Examination of the Need to Introduce a Strike Fund to Compensate Victims of “No Work, No Pay” during a Protracted Strike—Transplanting Lessons from other Jurisdictions to South Africa
No full textThe “no work, no pay” rule during long strikes negatively affects striking workers and negatively affects the negotiation process as workers feel compelled to agree to offers that may sometimes be unfavourable to them. They do this because they fear losing wages as a result of the “no work, no pay” rule that employers normally resort to when workers are on strike. Employers use the “no work, no pay” rule to inflict economic harm on striking workers. Employers try to indirectly force workers to accept their offer prematurely, which affects the fairness of the negotiation process. To address the negative effects of protracted strikes and the “no work, no pay” rule, this article proposes that a policy on the creation of a strike fund should be adopted in South Africa to compel unions to include a provision regulating the fund and a strike pay in their constitutions. The strike fund should provide union members with financial assistance for the lost wages while participating in long strikes. The union constitution must state and clarify the eligibility criteria should members want to claim from the fund. It must also state whether there should be a waiting period before members can lodge their claims