KovsieJournals - University of the Free State (UFS)
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A public sector reputation management framework for South Africa’s Eastern Cape Provincial Government
Get PDFReputation management was synonymous with the private sector until recently when public sector organisations, particularly in Europe and America, adopted the concept. This study’s aim is to contribute to the scant body of knowledge on public sector reputation management, specifically in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. The study adopted a qualitative approach to gain an understanding of the public perceptions of the Eastern Cape Provincial Government’s reputation. The findings were based on two participant observations and a purposively selected sample of 15 participants who were recruited from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), media institutions, government departments, youth structures, and business organisations. The study utilised semi-structured interviews and participant observations as data collection techniques. The collected data was analysed thematically through categorisation and Leximancer software analysis. The results of the study show that the Eastern Cape Provincial Government lacks the capacity to manage its reputation strategically, resulting in increasingly discontented communities. Furthermore, the findings reveal that the public held negative views of the Eastern Cape Provincial Government’s reputation. The Public Sector Reputation Management Framework, which was developed in this study, provides an understanding of how the Eastern Cape Provincial Government’s reputation could be strategically and sustainably managed
THE PROSECUTION OF STATE CAPTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA: AN APPRAISAL OF THE LACK OF HIGH-PROFILE CONVICTIONS
Get PDFState capture emerged as a critical public issue in South Africa around 2016, driven largely by the work of then Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, alongside investigative journalists and whistleblowers. As a form of systemic, high-level corruption, state capture has had profound consequences undermining governance, weakening public institutions, de-stabilising the economy, and eroding public trust. The South African case is particularly notable for its scale and the depth of institutional damage. Major state owned enterprises, including Eskom, South African Airways, and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, were systematically looted. The looting of Eskom, for instance, resulted in persistent electricity outages that hampered economic activity and daily life, and repeated government bailouts to keep South African Airways afloat. The crisis culminated in the resignation of former President Jacob Zuma and the establishment of the Zondo Commission, which in 2022 released a landmark report implicating numerous high-profile politicians and other role players. Despite the Zondo Commission’s extensive findings and the subsequent internal disciplinary actions by the African National Congress against numerous high-profile politicians, with a few being expelled, prosecutions of the majority of individuals implicated remain nonexistent. To date, the only case brought forward was the first state capture prosecution in 2023, which ended unsuccessfully for the state, resulting in a discharge. Promisingly, the discharge was successfully overturned on appeal in 2025, and the case is set for a retrial. Meanwhile, the long-standing and troubled prosecution of Jacob Zuma continues to remain stalled. Additionally, efforts to extradite the Gupta brothers, alleged central figures in the capture network, have failed. This paper presents a qualitative doctrinal study that investigates the underlying reasons for the lack of successful state capture prosecutions. Initial findings indicate South Africa’s investigative agencies and the National Prosecuting Authority have failed to develop strong, trial-ready cases, reflecting deeper systemic and institutional deficiencies. This paper offers a rare exploration of why state capture prosecutions in South Africa have largely failed to successfully materialise. By shedding light on these developments, the paper contributes new insight into the challenges of prosecuting economic crimes. It identifies key weaknesses in South Africa’s investigative and prosecutorial processes that have impeded effective action against those involved in state capture.
Interview with Prof. Dr. Julius Gathogo
Get PDFDr. Jacob Mokutso interviews prof. dr. Julius Gathogo from the Research Institute of Religion and Theology of the University of South Africa (RITR-UNISA) and Kenyatta University and All Nations Christian Church University (ANCCI University)
Participatory truth between Adorno’s negativity and Gadamer’s play: digital media, the culture industry, and Kantian aesthetic consciousness
Get PDFThis article investigates the intersection between critical theory and hermeneutics, examining whether Hans-Georg Gadamer’s aesthetic philosophy – especially his critique of Kantian aesthetics – might offer an ontological alternative to the culture industry critique developed by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer. Gadamer reimagines aesthetic experience as a participatory event of understanding, rooted in the ontological seriousness of play (Spiel), in contrast to the Frankfurt School, which contends that art under capitalism becomes commodified and bereft of critical potential. His paradigm suggests that artworks reveal truth through dialogical involvement, challenging Kantian “aesthetic consciousness” as a detached, disinterested subject. The article proposes that Gadamer reframes the question of aesthetic critique by foregrounding tradition, interpretation, and historical consciousness. In doing so, it invites reflection on how art might resist commodification and sustain critical possibilities, even within the structures of digital capitalism, by renewing attention to the interpretive act as a space of truth-making
Considering socio-ecological digital activism through a Fuchsean lens
Get PDFDigital technologies, platforms and applications, developed and disseminated by digital capitalist monopolies that at times collude with governments, pose a risk to democracy and socio-ecological justice. The potential for pro-democratic political activism can be eroded through people’s enmeshment in solipsistic digital practices or be undercut by algorithmic manipulation among other mechanisms. And when grassroots activists striving for socio-ecological justice utilise digital tools, they can be targeted through the workings of what Christian Fuchs calls the ‘surveillance-industrial complex’. For Fuchs, though, digital means remain key to anti-capitalist resistance, and he theorises that the digital commons and the digital public sphere are vitally important sites for such resistance. This paper presents a reading of Fuchs’s arguments, supplemented by insights from global South theorists, and uses the environmental conservation and human rights organisation Environmental Defenders as a case
Investigating the adoption of electronic books for teaching and learning in rural public secondary schools
Get PDFDigital transformation has shown remarkable development by digitising traditional books into electronic books or e-books. Various publishing industries and academic libraries globally see e-books as a golden bullet. In addition, most academic libraries widely adopt e-books, scholars and tertiary institution students. However, most rural public secondary schools have a shortage of printed books. Rural public schools, based on literature, are not taking advantage of the availability of e-books because there is low adoption of digital books in these schools. The study investigated how rural public secondary schools use e-books in teaching and learning. To achieve this aim, data were collected from teachers and students from rural public secondary schools using a survey. In addition, IBM SPSS Statistics was used to analyse the collected data. The study has revealed that rural public secondary school teachers and their students are unaware and have little to no knowledge about e-books
Exploring the perceptions and experiences of learners and educators on bullying and cyberbullying in selected schools in KwaZulu-Natal
Get PDFThis qualitative study delves into the perceptions and experiences of learners and educators regarding bullying in selected schools in KwaZulu-Natal. This article is located on the contours of the constructivist paradigm and the qualitative research approach. Employing (n=37) in-depth interviews and (n=4) focus group discussions, the study provides a nuanced understanding of the complex dynamics of bullying and cyberbullying within the school environment. Despite numerous efforts by the South African government to expand the legislative framework aimed at addressing school-based bullying, the issue persists stubbornly. The study unearthed three primary themes (i) bullying of lower grade learners and teachers (ii) verbal bullying by teachers (iii) cyberbullying. Findings indicated that with the increasing use of digital technologies, students are frequently subjected to online harassment, including threatening messages, spreading of rumours, and social exclusion. This form of bullying extends beyond school grounds, making it difficult for victims to find respite and support. The findings highlight the pervasive and multifaceted nature of bullying in KwaZulu-Natal schools, emphasising the profound impact on the mental and emotional well-being of both learners and educators
Educating through intercultural exchanges: South African and Greek students interconnect through art
Get PDFThis article explores the role of art education by engaging university students from different continents and worldviews to express their national or provincial consciousness within a universal, humanist framework. Educationally, it challenges two fundamentally opposed pedagogical approaches to developing collective historical memory– namely, the Greek national consciousness shaped by 19th century European nation-state ideologies and the contemporary South African context, rooted in post-apartheid multiculturalism since 1994. The research focuses on two historically different viewpoints, interwoven under one unifying concept: ‘Humanity through Art’. In light of the challenges and restrictions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this study examines strategies for sustaining educational continuity during crises, whether healthrelated, environmental, or geopolitical (e.g., Ukraine/Russia, Israel/Palestine). The pandemic is presented as a paradigm of human endurance and creativity in response to existential threats, highlighting local and global educational strategies. A qualitative, interpretive approach underpins this study, drawing on students’ visual creations and reflections as sources of insight into their socio-political consciousness. Focusing on two case studies, Banners for liberty and Horrors of war, hopes for peace, the article analyses how students created banners and artworks as symbols of collective protest and unity, moving beyond a single socio-national identity and resisting foreign dominance. In Banners for liberty, students reflected on historical struggles for freedom and justice, reinterpreting them through a humanist perspective relevant to contemporary issues. Although initially prepared for in-person collaboration, students from both continents adapted to online learning, shifting their creative processes into virtual spaces. The second case study, Horrors of war, hopes for peace (inspired by Picasso’s Guernica and ongoing global conflicts), centres on trauma, war, and the universal longing for peace. Educationally, it highlights the power of intercultural dialogue to rise above linguistic, geographic, and socio-cultural barriers. The shared outcomes of these international projects, such as equitable access to education, curricular adaptation, emotional resilience, and continuity, are especially relevant in supporting learning during war and displacement
Exploring foundation phase teachers’ experiences of digital play: A descriptive single case study
Get PDFUsing technology in education is important because it allows teachers to include digital play in their lessons. This study used the technological pedagogical content knowledge model as a theoretical framework to explore teachers’ experiences using digital play for teaching and learning in the foundation phase. Using an interpretivist paradigm, this qualitative study was conducted with five participants in Gauteng. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews and classroom observations according to participants’ availability. All the data were analysed using Creswell’s (2014) six steps of qualitative data analysis. The findings revealed teachers’ willingness to use digital play for teaching and learning. They indicated that digital play improved learning outcomes and was fun for the learners. Despite this, they experienced various challenges regarding their knowledge, use, and understanding of different technological programmes and infrastructure. It was concluded that all participants need capacitybuilding programmes to develop their competencies in digital play. The education department was recommended to support teachers using digital technologies by providing appropriate resources and staff development programmes
Strengthening early childhood development (ECD) programmes in post- COVID-19 in Zimbabwe
Get PDFThis study explored strategies to rebuild and strengthen Zimbabwe’s early childhood development (ECD) programmes in the post-COVID-19 era, focusing on inclusive, resilient, and communitydriven approaches that address systemic inequities. While prior disparities increased the effect of the crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic brought its unique challenges, such as prolonged closure of ECD centres, limited access to resources and strained familial structures. These challenges highlighted vulnerabilities in the nation’s early childhood framework. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and resilience theory underpinned the study. The study was conducted in Zimbabwe, incorporating data from ECD school heads and teachers in charge. The interpretivist paradigm and a qualitative approach were used in this study. Moreover, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis were used to collect data in this study. Data were analysed using thematic analysis to establish actionable solutions proposed by participants. Findings revealed the need for recovery and improvement through community support systems, and culturally grounded interventions. Stakeholders emphasised the need for overhauling the ECD programme’s curriculum to align with crisis times, policy reforms, infrastructural development and capacity-building for teachers. This study highlights the urgency of rebuilding Zimbabwe’s ECD programmes, focusing on equity, resilience, and cultural relevance.