Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf): Open Journal Systems
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Queer, Christian and Afrikaans: The libidinal, sexuality and religion in Kanarie and Skeef
No full textReligion is often viewed as incompatible with queer sexualities and genders. In the Afrikaans-speaking communities of South Africa, Calvinist doctrine and dogma have been used to marginalise and ostracise those sexual and gender identities that stray from the heteronormative scripts sanctioned by cultural and religious practices. In this article, I examine how the libidinal is central to the way in which queer and faith communities interact in Afrikaans-speaking communities in two films: Kanarie and Skeef. The two films represent different filmic genres with Kanarie a fictional feature film and Skeef being a documentary. The two films, despite their different genres, broach the difficulty of being queer and religious. At the same time, the films show that it is possible to rethink religions/faith communities. Such rethinking creates accommodative spaces within faith communities in a way in which queerness is not viewed as a deviance or an abomination. I read these Afrikaans-language films against the conceptualisation of the libidinal offered by Keguro Macharia together with the ideas of queer agency proposed by Adriaan van Klinken. This queer agency marks not just a transgression of heteronormative Christian norms but also engenders expansive ways of understanding human sexuality and gender identities
Data science research in sub-Saharan Africa: Ethical considerations in crowdsourcing for community engagement
No full textCorrigendum: Will the grass be greener on the other side of climate change?
No full textOriginal article: https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2022/13844
An error appears in the key (but not the data points) in Figure 3: the square symbol representing Sourveld should be depicted in orange, while the circle symbol representing Sweetveld should be depicted in green
What’s new for the clinician – summaries of recently published papers (March 2023)
Get PDFIn a world of increasing emphasis on aesthetics and beauty, the tooth form, colour and appearance has taken on significant importance in the overall makeover that many patients seek as part of their quest for beauty and youthfulness. Common concerns among many patients relate to the appearance and colour of their teeth. This dissatisfaction has led to an increased desire for treatments that improve dental aesthetics, including tooth bleaching, which is a conservative and viable option for attaining a patient’s desired smile when tooth integrity is acceptable.
An innovative digital workfl ow for the fabrication of a prosthetic ear: A case report
Get PDFThe aim of maxillofacial rehabilitation is to provide suitable prostheses for patients with oro-facial defects, and enable them to resume their roles in society. Recent advances in bionics and prosthetics have combined different techniques to help in the production of aesthetic and functional prostheses. Technology can now supplement the freehand sculpting skills of the clinician by capturing accurate images of the soft tissues from both the defect and non-defect areas, and using these to digitally recreate the desired templates. This case report describes the digital steps used to capture necessary data for the design and fabrication of an auricular template, and fi nal ear prosthesis. Results from this case study suggested that the digital method is: 1) more accurate; 2) less time-consuming than traditional methods; and 3) less invasive, and thus more accepted by patients
SIR WILLIAM BLACKSTONE AND THE DOCTRINE OF SUBJECTIVE RIGHTS
No full textThe doctrine of subjective rights forms part of South African jurisprudence. This is not the case in English law, which, for instance, does not clearly distinguish between property, as a legal object, and property rights. However, if one considers Sir William Blackstone’s famous definition of property in his Commentaries on the Laws of England, it does contain some features of the doctrine: the definition is about the “right of property” and its features. Property as object, and right of property as a right, are distinguished. A right of property has entitlements and operates against third parties. A property right involves a legal relationship between a person and a thing, as well as a legal relationship between a person and third parties. In conclusion, the Blackstonian definition contains features of the doctrine of subjective rights that are useful when analysing property rights in English common law systems
Support Services to Smallholder Farmers During the 2015-2018 Drought in the Overberg and West Coast Districts, South Africa
No full textThe recent 2015 to 2018 drought that hit South Africa negatively affected agricultural communities, the worst being smallholder farmers who generally lack livelihood resources. The study assessed the characteristics of smallholder farmers in two districts in the Western Cape. It explored the roles and effectiveness of public and private sector extension institutions in supporting smallholder farmers during drought periods. The livelihoods approach characterised 100 smallholder farmers from the Overberg and West Coast districts. Atlas.ti software was used to analyse qualitative data. Key variables that determined farmer differentiation included the level of education and livelihood trajectories. Access to markets and credit enabled improved livelihoods. The findings also revealed that the government continues to be reactive to drought disasters and only focuses on the immediate needs of relief for farmers, which in most circumstances was too late and insufficient. Implementing the Norms and Standards for Agricultural Extension Services and the Extension Recovery Plan enhanced the effectiveness of extension services. The private sector should be encouraged to comply equally with the legal framework for extension services. It is recommended that the South African government should empower and promote rigorous public-private partnerships that aim to improve service delivery
Farmer's Perception on Asset–Based Approach in Agriculture: A Case Study of Smallholder Wool Farming in Thaba Nchu and Botshabelo, Free State Province, South Africa.
No full textThe Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has allocated a budget for projects such as the Blended Finance Scheme to assist in improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. However, previous research has shown that many projects have failed for several reasons, mostly linked to project management. There is a high probability that many will fail if these challenges are not addressed. The purpose of this study is to incorporate the assets-based approach in farming, which will enable farmers to help themselves. The study was conducted in Thaba Nchu and Botshabelo, Free State province of South Africa. A simple random sampling technique was used to identify the sample size of 351 participants. In conducting this study, a questionnaire was designed to include both open and closed-ended questions and was administered through personal interviews by well-trained enumerators. The data was captured through the EvaSys scanner and was analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. The R software was utilised for descriptive statistics in analysing the quantitative data. The results show that a lack of skills and resources has resulted in inefficiencies in sustainable food production, leading to project failures. These findings support the notion that implementing the asset-based approach in farming could improve the efficiency and sustainability of the state's projects and enable farmers to produce more effectively. Therefore, the study recommends that the asset-based approach should be used to improve the state's projects
Data sharing governance in sub-Saharan Africa during public health emergencies: Gaps and guidance
No full textWhile the COVID-19 pandemic has captured the attention of the global community since the end of 2019, deadly health pandemics are not new to Africa. Tuberculosis (TB), malaria and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) count amongst other serious diseases that have had a catastrophic impact on the African continent. Effective responses to such pandemics require high-quality, comprehensive data sets that can inform policymaking and enhance healthcare decision-making. While data is driving the information economy in the 21st century, the scarcity in Africa of carefully curated, large epidemiologic data sources and analytical capacity to rapidly identify and understand emerging infectious diseases poses a major challenge to mounting a time-sensitive response to unfolding pandemics. Data access, sharing and transfer between countries are crucial to effectively managing current and future health pandemics. Data access and sharing, however, raises questions about personal privacy, the adequacy of governance mechanisms to regulate cross-border data flows, and ethical issues relating to the collection and use of personal data in the interests of public health. Sub-Saharan Africa’s most research-intensive countries are characterised by diverse data management and privacy governance frameworks. Such regional variance can impede time-sensitive data sharing and highlights the need for urgent governance reforms to facilitate effective decision-making in response to rapidly evolving public health threats.
Significance:
We explore governance considerations that ought to apply to the collection, transfer, and use of data in public health emergencies. Specifically, we provide an overview of the prevailing data sharing governance landscape in selected African countries. In doing so, we identify limitations and gaps that impede effective data collation, sharing and analysis. This work could find utility amongst a range of stakeholders, including bioinformaticians, epidemiologists, artificial intelligence coders, and government decision-makers. While this work focuses primarily on an African context, the issues explored are of universal concern and therefore of relevance to a broader international audience
THE ROLE OF THE COURTS IN THE PUBLIC POLICY DOMAIN IN SOUTH AFRICA
No full textDuring the pre-democratic constitutional dispensation, South African public law was marked by the pre-eminence of the executive and the legislature in a parliamentary system of government. The courts were generally loath to review matters related to policy. The adoption of the interim and subsequently the final constitutions changed the position by making the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 the supreme law of the country, with separation of powers between the three branches of government. The approach of the courts has changed noticeably from restraint to activism. Their role in reviewing policies has been steadily growing. They are now thrust into the formulation of government or public policy, which traditionally fell within the ambit of the executive branch of government. This new-found role of the courts has led to concerns that the judiciary’s constant interference in the policy domain borders on violating the hallowed principle of separation of powers. The central argument of this article is that the courts’ intervention in the public policy domain, if not handled with caution, has the potential to undermine the principle of separation of powers implicit in the South African Constitution