KovsieJournals - University of the Free State (UFS)
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A conceptual framework for quality improvement by construction managers in South Africa
Get PDFConstruction managers perspective on quality improvement is important, but there is no framework to expedite it in South African construction. Employing a quantitative survey approach, the survey explored construction managers’ comprehension of quality and engagement with quality management. The objective of this study is to identify the factors that have an influence on project quality, offering insight into the perception of construction managers towards these factors, in order to develop a quality improvement framework for construction managers in South Africa. The analysis, facilitated by SPSS v27, incorporates descriptive and reliability statistics, as well as KMO and Bartlett’s test. The results show that construction managers’ emphasis on quality is pivotal to project success. The research found that construction managers exercise meticulous control over quality by overseeing deliverables for accuracy and flawlessness. This vigilance is achieved through constructability reviews, meticulous planning, seamless organisation, and coordinated teamwork. These results are used to propose a quality improvement framework comprising five categories, namely the construction manager’s understanding of quality; the construction manager’s perspective on quality; the implementation of a QMS; internal and external factors that affect quality, and the benefits of having a skilled construction manager on board. The integration of these five factors within a comprehensive framework empowers construction managers to effectively manage and improve the quality of construction projects. This approach ensures that projects are executed with precision, adhere to industry standards, and meet or exceed client expectations, thereby enhancing the overall success and reputation of the construction management firm
Transit-oriented development, development corridors and economic access: The Louis Botha development corridor’s impact
Get PDFApartheid’s impact on South Africa’s urban spatial patterns persists, resulting in spatial fragmentation and inequality. Unsustainable urban sprawl exacerbates challenges related to economic access. To address said challenges, the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) implemented the Corridors of Freedom (CoF) initiative, emphasising economic inclusion. Amid substantial public sector investment, the initiative prioritised the Louis Botha Development Corridor (LBDC) to create a dense, mixed-use, walkable urban environment. However, limited research investigated the LBDC’s impact from an economic access perspective. This study investigates how the LBDC has improved economic access and provides policy insights for urban areas in South Africa, within the conceptual framework of transit-oriented development (TOD) and development corridors. A quantitative research approach using Network Analyst reveals that the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system increased economic access by 16% compared to other LBDC transport services. This study demonstrates the potential of the dual implementation of TOD and development corridors to foster economic access in the study area and concludes with policy recommendations centred on cross-departmental collaboration, feasibility studies and risk allocation, location-based criteria and transit accessibility targets, transit-oriented design guidelines, and integrated transport systems
The dialogical theology of Hans Küng: Clash between the Catholic Mission and Islamic Da’wah in Indonesia
Get PDFThis article explains the clash between the Catholic mission and Islamic Da’wah in Indonesia, as viewed from the theological perspective of Hans Küng (1928-2021). Küng was neither an orientalist nor an Islamologist; he was a Catholic theologian who contributed to interreligious dialogue for world peace. The primary source of data in this study is Küng’s work. The study findings assert that Küng proposed a dialogical-theological concept that is established on three pillars, namely autocritique of religion, global ethic, and dialogue among civilisations. Küng’s “dialogue among civilisations” is an antithesis to “clash of civilisations” proposed by S.P. Huntington (1927-2008). The findings indicate relevance in the Indonesian context. The three pillars are in line with the concept of Rational Islam, universal values in Pancasila, and the presence of the Center of Religious Harmony ofthe Republic of Indonesia.
Paradoxical legacies and unattainable futures: South Africa’s national self-narrative and the haunting of gender-based violence in the post-transitional era
Get PDFThis article examines how, over the past two decades, South Africa’s post-apartheid narrative shaped the public’s perception of gender-based violence (GBV) by focusing on three significant events: the Jacob Zuma rape trial, the murder of Anene Booysen, andthe murder of Uyinene Mrwetyana. It is argued that South Africa’s post-apartheid narrative, which was grounded in the hopeful discourses generated during the transition, played a significant role in shaping postapartheid national identities but simultaneously sidelinedthe problem of gender-based violence. Despite its hypervisibility in society, violence against women was suppressed and, in some cases, denied due to its incompatibility with the nation’s hopeful visions for the future. The rape and murder of Uyinene Mrwetyanaeventually revealed the limitations of these hopeful discourses and the fragility of South Africa’s democracy. The national response to Mrwetyana’s death pointed to a subversion of South Africa’s contradictory narrative of hope. It revealed the social paradox embedded within South Africa’s democratic nationhood, as embodied by the oversight and denial of gender-based violence at a national level. This article examines how South Africa’s transitional narrative of hope overshadowed the ubiquitous problem of GBV and distorted public perceptions of the problem. It highlights the need for an inclusive and accountable narrative that addresses the root problem of gender-based violence
The legislative regulation of sexual misconduct by educators in South African public schools
Get PDFThis article explores the impact of education legislation on the failure to adequately address sexual misconduct by educators toward learners in South African public schools. The Employment of Educators Act 76 of 1998 is the central piece of legislation regulating the employment of departmental educators. Secs. 17and 18 of the EEA are analysed with reference to 48 arbitration awards issued by the Education Labour Relations Council. Three shortcomings are identified. First, the EEA describes the types of misconduct with which educators may be charged, but makes a distinction between “serious misconduct” listed in sec.17 (which attracts mandatory dismissal) and “misconduct” in sec. 18 (where dismissal is discretionary). The only two types of sexual misconduct expressly listed in sec. 17 of the EEA are sexual assault and sexual relationships with learners. Relevant arbitration awards show that other types of sexual misconduct encountered in public schools are often as serious. Secondly, the failure to expressly mention more types of sexual misconduct in the EEA (for example, sexual harassment and sexual grooming) often results in charges against educators based on catch-all provisions in the EEA such as “improper conduct”. This sanitises the seriousness and high incidence of certain types of sexual misconduct. In turn, it has two detrimental effects on the effective management ofsexual misconduct. Educators who are guilty of the types of sexual misconduct omitted from the EEA are not always dismissed. It also prevents proper recording and recognition of the systemic nature of specific types of sexual misconduct. Thirdly, sec. 18(3) of the EEA provides for a range of sanctions (notably fines) between a final warning and dismissal, and for the imposition of a combination of sanctions short of dismissal. This results in educators not beingdismissed, despite being guilty of serious sexual misconduct. The article argues for the express inclusion and description – in sec. 17 of the EEA – of a broader range of types of sexual misconduct often encountered in schools and for a change in approach to how sanction for misconduct is regulated by sec. 18(3) of the EEA. This will assist role players in correctly identifying the types of sexual misconduct involved, will lead to more consistent and appropriate charges against offenders, will result in more appropriate (and serious) sanctions imposed, and will provide clarity about the incidence of different types of educator sexual misconduct as the basis for further policy responses. 
Acting queerly: Jonah as the implicated subject and vulnerability
Get PDFThe article poses the following question: how is queerness implicated in the Book of Jonah? Queerness is viewed more in the light of politics than identity, defining the term more in relation to power and the questioning of power than in the light of gender and sexuality. A decolonial turn is incorporated into Queer Hermeneutics. After a brief presentation of the story, the article looks at specific points of departure involved in the reading of the book: a double ethics of interpretation, vulnerability, and an implicated subject. With these in mind, the question about queerness in the Book of Jonah is discussed. The essay concludes that the spectacle of the conversion of the Ninevites constitutes a drag performance whilst Jonah’s watching of this drag performance queers himself in as much as he suffers the heat and wind while remaining silent.
The article poses the following question: How is queerness implicated in the Book of Jonah? Queerness is viewed more in light of politics than identity, defining the term more in relation to power and the questioning of power than in light of gender and sexuality. A decolonial turn is incorporated into Queer Hermeneutics. After a brief presentation of the story, the article examines specific points of departure involved in the reading of the book, namely a double ethics of interpretation, vulnerability, and an implicated subject. With these in mind, the question about queerness in the Book of Jonah is discussed. The article concludes that the spectacle of the conversion of the Ninevites constitutes a drag performance, whereas Jonah’s watching of this dragperformance queers himself in as much as he suffers the heat and wind while remaining silent
The moderating effect of the use of virtual reality technologies in the branding of the cultural tourism sector: an analysis from the brand heritage
No full textOne of the main concerns of many countries is the maintenance of their cultural expressions over time. Since these expressions allow for defining the most deeply rooted characteristics of the identity of both nations and people in this way, the purpose of this research is to analyze the moderating effect of the use of virtual reality technologies in the relationship between the different categories of cultural branding and the brand heritage in the cultural tourism sector of a country. To achieve this purpose, using the technique of structural equations allows for finding both direct and indirect relationships between the factors that affect the brand heritage of a country. The sample considered the perceptions of 460 individuals who frequently attend cultural events and who have used event advertising with virtual reality. Within the different results, it was found that there is a direct and positive moderation effect in the relationships between the different cultural branding categories and the brand heritage. On the other hand, while the social and personal brand identities have a positive effect on the brand heritage, the branding equity and brand awe not significant in traditional channels, unlike the virtual reality
The land question in Botswana: A commentary on the report of the presidential commission of inquiry into the Review of the constitution of Botswana
Get PDFThe land question in Botswana dominated the public deliberations during the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Review of the Constitution of Botswana, which was appointed by the President of the Republic of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi, on 17 December 2021. In the Constitution of Botswana, the subject of land is only mentioned curtly in section 8. However, in countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, and Mozambique, national constitutions extensively deal with land issues. Batswana’s (citizens of Botswana) sustained and passionate debate suggests that they want the subject of land entrenched in the constitution should it be reviewed. The article is not a critique of the Report of the Presidential Commission in toto. It only analyses the major land issues raised and captured in it. The (illegal) selling of land; the role of the land boards and dikgosi (chiefs) in land administration; the impact of colonial land alienation; the compulsory acquisition of tribal land; the delays in land allocation; and the shortage of (serviced) land, among others, dominated the inquiries. These issues require an academic analysis to contextualise them and guide the national debate further. The article relies on the Report of the Presidential Commission, published works, and official documents from the government of Botswana. It concludes that the “absence” of the subject of land,and or land rights, in the constitution of Botswana is a concern in a liberal democratic societ
The effects of climate change on informal settlements
Get PDFInformal settlements have played a significant role in providing the urban poor with access to shelter and close proximity to the economic opportunities in the large urban centres. However, most of the climate-vulnerable communities live in informal settlements. The impacts of climate change have been particularly devastating, and further exacerbate the existing inequalities and lower socio-economic conditions. This commentary, submitted to the Special Edition on ‘Re-imaginaries of just, equitable and efficient future human settlements’, provides an overview of the effects of climate change, particularly in informal settlement
Students\u27 sense of belonging at a South African university during COVID-19
Get PDFThe research on students’ sense of belonging in higher education has evolved into a prominent theme worldwide. Institutional research focuses on the institution understanding itself and helps leaders to rethink improvement initiatives. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has required of institutions to revise student support programmes and approaches to maintain a strong sense of belonging. The theories of belonging by Strayhorn (2012) and Dumford et al. (2019) were adopted to analyse student responses. The aim of the study was to understand students’ sense of belonging and how the university responded to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure a strong sense of belonging. Data were generated through in-depth interviews with 45 undergraduate students from all seven faculties. The findings highlight notable prevention measures intended to limit the spread of the virus on campus and student support in the form of study devices and data. The post-lockdown changes included a return to face-to-face mental health support, drafting COVID-19 catchup plans for first year orientation of 2020 and 2021 cohorts, improving the student voice. Finally, notable principles for responding to a future higher education crisis are highlighted. These initiatives contributed towards establishing and maintaining a strong students’ sense of belonging